I have the Tein RAs with pillow mounts, big-ass sway bars and (right now) 245/40/18 and 285/35/18 S-02 Potenzas. I have had these on my car for at least two years with NO problems and NO increase in NVH which I'm particularly anal about. I believe my ride is almost perfect for the street and even though I don't daily drive my car, I could quite easily with my existing ride quality.
I've said this before and I'll say it again. There is absolutely no reason, IMO, why someone cannot get the proper ride quality with a good set of coilovers. Either you are overdamped as someone else previously noted or the ride harhness is coming from the 19s some people are running on and you have not properly adjusted your coilovers to account for the 19s. Plus, my RAs are sensitive to tire pressures, so this is also another factor that should be accounted for in the whole ride/handling equation.
It might take a bit of experimenting, but if someone has a decent set of coilovers (Teins, HKS, JIC) and they are in good operating condition and you don't like your ride quality, its probably not inherent to the coilovers, IMO. The overall weight of your wheel/tire package matters as well as the fact that our tires are springs as well. Lower aspect ratios will affect the ride and handling greatly and this is not something a lot of us considered when we purchased our 18s, 19s and even 20s for some of us. This is usually why you see guys more concerned about handling, sticking with 17s and 18s for our cars.
Its all a matter of personal choice and trade-offs. The thing that really matters is how you use your car. Any of the systems listed can meet your needs as long as you are clear about your needs and can adjust the coilovers appropriately to meet your needs. If it were my money, I'd get the Tein RE's with pillow mounts and EDFC. My RAs, of course, are all aluminum and weigh approximately 10lbs less than a set of HAs I had for comparison. I'd put my ride quality and noise attenuation up against anyone else's, keeping in mind that others might think my ride was too stiff for their needs. Also, I have the Do-Luck floor brace, TRD front strut tower brace, Cusco carbon fiber rear brace and Do-Luck Assist Bars (not yet installed) and NEVER take my targa top off. You'll find the stiffer your chassis, the better ride you'll have because you can soften up your dampening and still have superior handling with a stiffer chassis. Yeah, I know I could go the ultimate route and install a cusom roll cage, but its a street car. Always has been and, probably, always will be.
Ken.