Stainless steel drums are loud, ringy, and hard to control. Much like vistalites are. Maple drums are loud, but warm and easier to control.

If you want the raw power displayed by Bonham and his ilk...you may wish to consider their roots of development. Wood is the way to go. As LD stated, the metal is ringy and cold. Wood can ring (read - resonate) and still be warm and natural. Compare the sound of a ball being hit with a wood bat and an aluminum bat. Both will put the ball over the fence, but only the wood has that natural and warm sound while doing it. Wood...definitely wood.

Stainless steel drums are not hard to control they are very easy to tune, and as any drum depends on which head selection you use, they can be in your face or they can sound almost like wood drums, i own em so i speak from experience, but there are no louder drums on the planet and have more presence than the mighty stainless steel's and they are freakn heavy,,Bowing

I, too have had the pleasure of stepping into the steel shoes (albeit briefly). I, too speak from experience. And yes, they are freekin' loud. But, so is a jackhammer. The question was which are more powerful. Loud does not equate to power. You may be correct here, though. Head selection might just make the difference. I never considered that. I will have to bow out of this one. I was sold on the wood...but now I've reconsidered. The steelies may indeed be more powerful with a careful head selection. Very good point, VM2k.

to my very good bud mcjnic. you were on the money as usual, i did not answer the question, i think john henry proved a very definitive point his sound never change on what ever material he played, there has never been nor will there ever be another drummer with such a recognisable, and envied sound as bonzo's was, and behind closed doors you would not be able to tell what he was playing on, wood, plastic or steel, his 1st kit the slingerland radio king kit that he got from the yardbirds drummer mr, mccarty that was used on zep1 to his Ludwig days to the very end his sound was always distinctly bonham, so now back to the question, i have had both kits natural maple and stainless, for my mere mortal talents stainless steel are louder, this was also, brought to my attention from a few sound engineers, i use the same heads bonham used either sound controls or smooth whites, but in the studio with the steel drums, i had to used, cotton balls in the toms to tone the volume or horsepower down, the engineer did not have to use any compression, or reverb, mostly natural tone as i had stated from the photo gallery when i posted my steel kit, i own Ludwig,leedy gretsch, slingerland and dw drums not one of those can compete volume wish with my steel monsters, that is my experience with them,,

Thankyou very much everyone for your opinions thats an amazing bit of knowledge.

Best Regards

Dno