Man....ya, don't bother reverting back to actives; that is just going to be a pain. Plus, even though some of active choices are better than the regular EMG's you have tried, passive are the way to go for a bigger, warmer and more dynamic sound. I also don't know why your tech recommended the Pearly gates ; that is a bright bridge PAF.
Some recommendations :
From PRS: if you can find an old Dragon 1, that would kill in your axe. Big tight lows, broad mids and warm highs. Stay away from the HFS in there.
Seymour Duncan: The Custom Custom would be one. Very thick mids and a warm top, with subdued and slightly spongy bass. If you want user tight modern metal not a good choice. More classic type rock and metal tones......excellent! Another would be the Invader. Big time low end and mids, high output. There is also the Brobucker from the custom shop. It is hot PAF, similar to the 59/09's in output, but thicker mids and warmer top.
Yes, you want them spaced pickup, although it isn't imperative.
As for vintage vs. Hot in regard to output.....all about preference.There are
guys that run hot pickup.....to boost pedal.....to high gain amp with no issues and great tone. All depends on how the pickup feels to play and of course, something like an HFS will have a very different tone overall compared to a PAF.