If it were me I would NOT buy the PDP. They are good drums, but great drums can be had for that price point.
Any old Rogers, Slingerland, or Gretsch chrome over brass drum will mow it down. As will Tama, Yamaha, Pearl... the list goes on.
My current favorite brass drums are my Pork Pie BBB (6.5x14 Black Beauty knock-off). It's set up with 42 strand wires, S-Hoops, and a coated CS head. I also have a heavy brass Keplinger.
The beaded shells will give you more mids than the straight ones, and I wouldn't sweat the seam, in my experience it doesn't make that much of a difference unless you are trying to sell it as a bit of a collectors item (sold my Yamaha copper that way).
The Pearl Sensitone and the Pork Pie BBB are great for that black beauty sound (or buy a Ludwig). The Yamaha and Tama brass drums I've had were also great, but were traded away for things I wanted more.
If I needed to own one brass drum it would be the Pork Pie BBB... if I could own two it would be a COB Rogers, Slingerland, Ludwig, or Gretsch in 5x14.