guess it depends on what sounds you're looking for
i've got an Export set from like 89 or 90 (wine red), and it sounds great for low/mid-priced drums. just gotta find the right head combos and tune them properly and make sure you've got your mics setup in the right spots. big and open with plenty of attack and a really tight kick, as is the case with drums from that era with "power toms"--think "80s metal" in terms of kick and toms for this particular set. excellent for the rock we play.
haven't had a chance to play on the yams, mapex and pacific sets that others have mentioned, but for me with my style of music, these exports do just fine.
i've also got a ludwig set from the mid-60s (green/red/blue "oyster" coverings) and they're quite a bit different. much more of the Bonzo sound than the "big 80's hairband sound". If i'm gonna be doing something that requires more "open" sounding drums, be it zep, or gov't mule, or even something jazzy, i reach for the ludwigs. if i want to rock, it's the pearls.
wade