Obviously, there's no "right" answer to drum tuning or snare settings. I find that, in general, it takes me quite a while of owning and playing a snare drum before I find my ideal settings for it. The drums I've had the longest (and, thus, have used and adjusted the most) are the ones that sound the best to me. With my more recent acquisitions, I still haven't refined my set-up. Like I said, I use 20-strands most of my 14" snares, and 16-strand on my 3x13". That's what sounds best to me at this point. I did once play a gigantic (but beautiful) 7x15" maple DW snare that was fitted with a Puresound 30-strand, and I loved it. But that's a pretty different situation from any of the drums in my collection. The only 15" snare I own is a 1935 Leedy parade drum. I keep calfskin on that (Earthtone batter, and a vintage Radio King snare-side), and the snares are the original wire-wrapped silk. Anyway, I digress. When you're still refining your ears, I think it's best to start with "reference" settings. I haven't used a coated ambassador in years, but that's what I would recommend for someone who's starting out. It's just a good starting-point. Similarly, I think a 20-strand snare is nice middle-of-the-road snare. If you later decide you want to hear more drum or more crunch, then move accordingly.