Aluminum cylinder heads

There really aren't any 'cons' to switching from factory irons to aluminum heads. Factory big-block heads need quality (=expensive) work to get them even close to the out-of-the-box performance of the aftermarket stuff. Much better flow, less weight, modern chamber....no-brainer if you have the cash. If there's any drawback at all I guess it could be that you really need to verify the guide clearances, valves seats/job, and spring setup is right before running them, although plenty of folks just bolt them on and go but that's too big a gamble to take IMO. If you're not set up to do it yourself, most shops don't charge much just to measure and verify. Angled plugs are usually a big help with headers.
Precisely. The most aggressive port work you could do on iron heads still doesn't come close to what you get out of the box with aluminum heads such as the Edelbrocks that are being discussed. I've never owned the E Streets but bought some Edelbrock rpm's a few years ago and according to whoever's flow bench numbers that tested them they range from the mid 290's to 300. Another plus for aluminum heads is that you can get by with more compression and less octane than iron heads.