Renaissance heads are a great product to try if you've only ever gone the clear/coated way. They give a sound that is lovely and dry and the surface texture lasts far longer than a coated head.
Obviously these skins are good for jazz and world-music applications due to their being designed for brushes and a dark, almost natural-animal-skin-like sound, but I have also used them with great success in other genres.
People are right when they say the sound seems to emit from the centre of the drum with these heads, and it makes the drum sound very woody. Choosing Ambassador versions of the Renaissance line is a safe bet when first using Renaissance heads; it has better durability than the Diplomats and it doesn't sound too dry, which the Powerstroke 3 versions might be to some people.
They have an awesome, translucent look to them, but be warned: slight variants in colour are to be expected. You may get a mixture of slight browns and slight whites, depending on when the heads were made.
