in general, emg pickups are and were made for distorted outputs. active pickup circuits generally have a higher output and a naturally compressed overall tonal quality and that's why they seem quieter, because they are. this is the major distinction between passive and active picup systems. some people would say that the tonal quality of an active pickup system is more dominant than most passive pickup systems and sometimes will deplete the tone of a pedal board and an amp, imposing it's own tone throughout. this is why a lot of players of non-distorted genres of music(blues, country, pop, rock, alternative) tend to use passive pickups. they maintain a higher amount of dynamics throughout and allow the tonal qualities of pedals and amps to color the sound a little better...

but i agree completely, when it comes to tone the only opinion that matters is your own.

i have not heard the newest set of hetfield emgs, but the way that ive understood them... they have a little bit more grit and a bit more gain in the bottom and mid ranges.