Definately EM/EA. If you are soloing you want Single Target effects. EM/EA is almost exlusively single target effects (Taunt, Whirring Hands, and Power Drain the only exceptions). Fire/Fire is stuffed full of AoE attacks and effects.
The only possible downside to EM/EA is lack of self heal, but thats nevertheless there really is no comparison.
Flipside of course is that EM/EA is pretty pants in a team. Personally, I wouldnt invite an EM/EA to a team unless he/she had taunt - and for the record I am far from a "Build - fascist"...
Ive chosen fire/fire instead, with BU + FE its attack chain is the equiv of 5 total focuses, also im getting aid self, so i will have 2 self heals.
The issue may well be endurance, however. AoE attacks cost an inordinate amount of End, and are thus ineffecient in small spawns. And I tend to find Endurance is the problem for brutes who need to incessently attack in order to maintain fury. /FIre armour is a much more endurance sucker than NRG
And EA has end drain.
Anyways, with 1 endrdx in each attack and running only my shields and Acro, I have no End probelms even when I use Hasten.
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And EA has end drain.
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Not just an end drain but also Conserve Power and also Overload (which has a conserve power effect). That's three awesome end management powers. Built correctly and you never run out of endurance with an EA brute.
Ive gone fire/fire - EA is too easy, you dont need any endurance reduction, period.
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The issue may well be endurance, however. AoE attacks cost an inordinate amount of End, and are thus ineffecient in small spawns. And I tend to find Endurance is the problem for brutes who need to incessently attack in order to maintain fury. /FIre armour is a much more endurance sucker than NRG
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Worth mentioning Fire Melee on brutes is more ST based than the tanker set with Cremate instead of Combustion which gives you a very good ST attack chain early, unlike EM where you dont get a good attack chain until 32.
thePhilosopher Martial Arts/Regen/Fire Scrapper
theRegulator Empathy/Energy/Soul Defender
Total Inertia Ice Blast/Kinetics/Psy Corruptor
Total Inferno Ice Blast/Thermal/Leviathan Corruptor
I have both, EM/EA is 50, and with def you can fire off Aid Self generally with no problem. My Fire/Fire seems to have amazing survivability though which suprised me a lot, he's currently 35 and goin a storm.
Both solo exceptionally well, so it's up to you, I see you have gone for Fire/fire, and yes Firey Embrace does make a hell of a differance.
I've found Dm/Fa to be a good combo for soloing, the stacked -acc debuff provided by Dm really helps with survivability and the likes of Shadow Punch and Smite combined with Hasten can really pile on the Fury.
Siphon Life (yeah I know not everyone likes it) and Healing Flames provide reasonable health support with Dark Consumption and Consume helping to keep Endurance topped up. This all makes for a suprisingly self sufficient toon.
Doubtless there are other Brutes that can do more damage or tank better but for a jack of all trades Dm/Fa works pretty well. 
/Fire has an end recovery power, and my Elec/Fire brute hardly ever uses it. /Fire isn't a bad end hog at all. Now /da..... there's another story, but dont fear the end cost of /fire
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
Ive been thinking about nrg/da - he would actually use LESS end than my invul scrapper who has FA and tough also
try dark/EA is a fun set and very rarely dies if played well and end is never really a problem, also with hasten and energy drain it gives u a chance to build ur fury up fast with practically no down time
It's now Issue 21 and I am back!
My new Global is @Zyhar
Currently enjoying the Exalted Server!
EM/EA or Fire/Fire
Thanx