EMG pickups?

I have a EMG-81 in the bridge and an EMG-85 in the neck on my Charvel and I honestly think the tone of my Strat with a duncan Hot Rails PU sounds a thousand times better. EMG's just sound cold to me.
 
Passive pickups are more dynamic, offering a greater variety of tones, while active pickups are more sterile; you know that an EMG 81 is going to sound like a jackhammer nomatter what.
 
Some people need to stop believing everything they read. I wonder how many of you have tried active pickups besides the EMG 81. I find it strange when people using Invaders and the like say an active pickup is sterile... I have Kaim Aktivs on my main strat and the neck and middle pups put out the sweetest, smoothest tone I have ever heard from a single coil. The bridge pickup just plain screams. Have any of you played a guitar with EMG SAs, for example? Sterile is definately not the word for the tone you get with a decent amp.
 
I've used a Strat a lot in metal, and it's very nice. Sometimes I actually prefer the single-coil pickup sound. But since I got my V, I have no need for it.
 
A lot of metal players play guitars with single coils, with the bridge position being the exception. Active humbuckers are not sterile ont their own. Of course if played through a Valvestate or Randall (as that seems to be the norm..) they won't sound very nice. Check out some Lukather stuff. That guy is worshiped for his tone and he uses active EMGs (85 and SAVs).