If you are not riding at racing speeds but want a tyre that blends speed with great ride quality and has some bulletproof construction the Schwalbe Hurricane is my favourite... there are a lot of myths about narrower higher pressure tyres being faster then lower psi higher volume tyres as it is is the tread pattern and casing that have the greatest effect.
Folks are pretty amazed that I can get the speed I do in those 26 by 2.0 Schwalbes and they have passed the 12,000 km mar for mileage and still look great, have never punctured, and have lots of life left in them.
They also work great on hard pack and light trails.