Thank you so much for the blind test at the end. That sealed it for me. String B... I won't run it for those that haven't listened to but it's a clear winner in terms of the Warmness and emotion of the notes

The reason I watched this video is The Taylor Guitar Company recently announced that all their new Guitars will no longer be shipped with Elixir Strings, as in the past. All New Taylor Guitars will now be shipped with Daddario Strings. So I had to check this out. Thanks.

Thanks a lot for the comparison! The blind test actually supported my suspicion after changing the D'Addarios to Elixirs on my Taylor GS Mini. They in fact do sound brighter and cleaner which in my opinion fit the Koa Plus model better as the Koa wood already brings warmth and low end with it. Still have to rule out that the difference in sound comes more from changing string gauge from 13s to 12s but your blind test suggests that it probably will solely be an issue of volume and not tone character. So thanks again!

Thanks mate! Good test.

Graet video man! I would like to see comarison between D'addario XS and XT

The Deadario’s sound way brighter. Thank you I always hated the exixers but haven’t used them in years. The Daddari’s are more squeaky but still the brightness outweighs the mini or sqeagage. Great job thanks, john

Listening with earbuds, I hear the Elixer's to be louder and a bit brighter on this blind test. I was surprised to find out that the sound that I liked better and believed to be warmer was the D'addario. I just bought a pair of D'addario and now I'm anxious to try them out.

I have used elixirs for probably 20-25 years, strictly fingerstyle, and was always very happy with them. I use the phosphor bronze, not the 80/20's. When elixir dropped the phosphors in polyweb and I switched to nanoweb I noticed the nano coating was not as robust and would fray more quickly (due to using my nails). The fraying doesn't affect the sound, just bugs me in a minor way. That being said, I recently tried the XS's and had the same reaction as you ; less finger squeak, slightly brighter and very smooth feeling. I also find them not to fray as quickly as the Elixirs. I prefer the sound of the Elixirs due to the brightness of the XS's, but the reduced finger squeak is a big deal to me. Less fraying and an identical price seal the deal for me. Thanks for doing this comparison, really enjoyed it and it's nice to have some validation of my experience.

Elixir polyweb 80/20 12’s for 22 years on my main Larrivee dred. Tried exp’s on other guitars and was never blown away. I picked up a pack of these months ago and haven’t put em on yet. But now i want to try them out. Thanks

I feel like it also depends on the type of guitar 😅 I found out that Taylor recently switched over to D’addario coated strings (on the 814ce at least; it’s a guitar that I thought of getting in the future) from Elixir’s…I always got the Elixir HD Light’s sooo I’m trying to figure out which is better lol

Heya its been 8 months would love to know if you have any idea how long the sets lasted and if one was better than the other. Because in my experience the Elixirs last longer than XT but have yet to try out XS. Thanks for the video.

Thanks for this video, very useful. Having listened to the blind test, I'm sticking with Elixir as I prefer the sound. Elixir also work out quite a lot cheaper (in the UK) if you buy three-packs.

D’Addario sounds slightly brighter with more clarity to me. I’m a long time Elixir fan, so this is surprising. I’m going to have to try the D’Addario.

I'm still a beginner and I also feel the D'addario sound slightly brighter, which I really like. I've never played on coated strings. Since I need to change mine (because they're already old and you can hear that lol), I think I'm gonna give it a go. Thank you.

I know exactly what you’re saying about the EXP’s. I tried a set maybe 12 or so years ago. They were on the guitar for approximately one hour. They felt like rubber bands to me. I didn’t like the feel at all! I have used Elixer nanowebs since. I might give these a try.

What model/year is the Stonebridge? It sounds great...Does it have scalloped bracing? Forward shifted? Sitka spruce top? Mahogany back and sides? Is the top torrified?Look and sounds a lot like a Martin D18V...or a Santa Cruz DPW. Where did you buy? The XS sound slightly brighter with better string to string articulation and still has good bottom end/bass...maybe slightly less loud than Elixirs..I would guess that string A is the XS.. Noticeably not as loud but with better clarity and resonance on the wound strings....Do you hear any difference in volume, sustain, bass etc? That guitar sounds better with the XS to my ear. Have you tried mediums on that Guitar? What thickness pick are you using? What make/model is it?

I’ve been doing a experiment between elixirs on 1 guitar and XS on the other. Both changed within a week of each other and both been on for over 4 months now. I’ve probably played the guitar with the XS a bit more but no loss of tone or discolouration with either strings. I will say definitely less squeaking and less flaking off with the XS compared to the elixirs.

Prefer the bit of extra brightness on the XS. Elixirs always sounded a tad dull out of the box for me, and as others have mentioned, seem to peel away faster. The XS are also a few dollars cheaper where I am so it's interesting to read other comments here about how they tend to be more expensive in other places. Thanks for the great vid!

How did the Daddario strings last after a month of playing compared to the Elixir after a month? Which strings lost the tone, feel, quality? I play Martin MSP7100 SP Lifespan Phosphor Bronze Light Acoustic on my Martin and factory Elixir on my Taylor. Overall is the price difference worth it?

ive used elixir since i have started playing guitar about 5 years i would always have to change them every 2 weeks because of gigging. Last month and a half i have been using the same set of d'addarios and they still sound pretty good. I would notice that the elixirs would always peel and get dirty quick. These d'addarios look as if they were a week old of just gigging but i have had them for almost 2 months now.

Have you tried to compare with Magma Strings? I have seen some reviews that saying DAddario can get more rusty easily on string 1 and 2 just within weeks. While Elixir still can last longer

I've used both these strings alternatively for a almost a year as I had several sets of both to use up. I genuinely think the difference in sound and playability is minimal. However, going forward I will use the d'addario XS's as they last longer before degrading and peeling, so I assume the coating applied the them is superior to the Elixir's.

I've been using D'Addario Nickel Bronze on my acoustics in recent years, but I'm tempted to give these XS strings a go once I run low on stock. Got enough for at least another year though.

Whatever string A is has a natural compression that is really nice and sounds like a record!

I’d be happy with either . I could tell which was which. I think the outcome would be different with different size guitars . The brighter ones could help a boomy dred and the mellower ones calm down a smaller guitar . The brighter ones would probably be more useful in a band mix context. Both good to my ears .

I did a bit of research on these strings and most people say Elixir's coating is superior. They both sound good, but the longevity is way better on the Elixirs, which is the most important thing for my abrasive, sweaty hands 😂

The D’Addario XS sound so much better on the video than they Elixirs. I have always hated Elixirs after the first day or two. They flake and chip and are just nasty when they coating breaks down. I have never had this happen with the D’Addario XS. They are by far my go-to favorites now!

I wonder what people think now that the XS strings are 4 dollars more now.

I stopped for the string comparison, but I was so blown away by the sound of this Stonebridge(Furch) guitar that I forgot all about strings..

I've been using the phosphor bronze Elixir for around 7years. I love them. I just Looooooooove them. But ok i gave a chance to the XS, and, it felt quiet good too. A bit more bright though, less rounded, little less this mat feeling that i really love on the Elixir, giving a bit more sensation of bassy vibes. Aaaaaannnd, can be just me, but the high B and E strings didn't do good after a month or so... Little new edit to the comment as i did not reach the end of your video as i was writing: From the first example of your A/B test i was 100% sure of which was which, and it just confirm what i was saying about the timber or color of the strings.

I've been using Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze 12-53 on my Taylor 814ce for nearly 10 years. I recently heard that Taylor were now shipping their guitars with D'Addario XS Phosphor Bronze 12-53. So I bought 3 sets to try them out. Initially I was pleased with the D'Addario XS they seem a bit brighter than the Elixirs. After having used them for a few weeks now I notice a difference in the durability. After two weeks the D'Addarios started to get a bit discoloured where I was holding certain chords like the open D & A, which I use a lot. So I think there are pros and cons with these two strings. IMHO the Elixirs will last longer but the D'Addarios will be slightly brighter. Found a good deal on D'Addario XS, which were about $4 less than the Elixirs, so what the heck bought some more.

If you want to slightly cut the bass on a guitar. Might help balance the low end on a dreadnought somewhat... (The guitar in this video doesn't need that... It sounds pretty balanced And maybe a little lean towards trouble already) The D'Addario's do that... They have a tad more clarity but they're not quite as warm.They are really similar strings. What are your thoughts after a year?

I've done 3 of these A/B videos now with headphones and I prefer the clarity of the Elixirs, especially since coated strings all sound a little dead after being on a while.

what song are you playing at minute @7:37? sound great

Can I know the name of the songs at the end of the video?

I always used elixirs custom light phosphor bronze nanoweb. The problem is I do a lot of finger style and my nails are enhanced with acrylic powder and nail glue. It takes no time at all to destroy that coating with the nails. It peels up and the strings become a mess. They also get very stiff very quickly and when strings get stiff the first thing to go is the ability to do pull-offs. The strings will literally become unable to have that technique used on them because there's no give. I've used the XT daddario strings and I like them, and although they are harder on the fingers than the elixirs, the coating does not peel off because it's not that kind of a coating. It will also take a product such as finger-ease without melting. The XS line is supposed to last longer but I'm thinking the same thing is going to happen because of the acrylic nails. Has anybody had any experience with this and could advise me?

I haven't tried the x strings yet, but that is about the only ones I have not tried.

first disclaimer, I'm listening on laptop speakers, but I could hear a difference when they were switched back and forth, but I don't think I could articulate which I thought were which, there wasn't a real consistent difference that I could hear other than when the strings changed it sounded different. I don't think either sounded particularly brighter, or more bass heavy or even or anything that I could articulate over every switch. Is there a notable price difference between them?

I never like coated strings, (only ever played Elixirs at the point of this revelation) bc they seemed way too greasy and slippery, and the Elixirs always seemed really bright on a thin basis. I always played D’Addario EJ16 but wished they’d last longer. When the XS’s came out, I thought I’d give them a try. Despite being an avid D’Addario fan, I still tried many other strings along the way: Curt Mangan, StringJoy, Ernie Ball, but always came back to the D’s. Well despite already knowing I didn’t like coated strings I had to try the XS. And Lord and behold wouldn’t you know it, I loved them. They aren’t as greasy or as ‘thick’ feeling, as the elixir counterparts, they seemed to have a softer feel to them, no squeak, and I was able to only have to change them every other month instead of ever other week like the EJ16’s. And when I changed them, it seemed to only because I thought I probably should, not because I was noticing any wear on them or dullness in the sound. And having multiple guitars that I don’t use regularly, they don’t get the build up of rust or stickiness the EJ16’s or others would. They are my go-to strings now for sure. Oh, and as a prop to D’Addario, I’ve not had a string break (knock on wood) in over 25 years. But seems like every time I use a different brand the high E or B string is snapping… 🤷🏼‍♂️ Anyways, the XS gets my vote! And with all that bragging on them, lol, I hope I guess correctly that they were string B in the video. Lol 🤞🏼😂 Keep up what you’re doing, love the channel. 🤘🏼❤️

I switched over to the DAddarios for exactly this reason, slightly higher output in mid-highs and highs. Both are great strings, but I could tell the difference straight away in your comparison. A brighter guitar might favour Elixirs more if a direct comparison was to be made, but the XS breathe more imho. I've heard Elixirs last longer though, probably because of the thicker coating, so that is something to bear in mind for a frequently gigging musician.

Damn I got them wrong at the end! I swore what I thought sounded better was the XS. Nah it was Elixir. Sticking with them 😀

In the demo's earlier in the video, the Elixir was first and sounded more mellow (more midrange). Then the D'Addario was second and sounded brighter with more bottom end (more phosphor bronzy). You even said they were "possibly a bit brighter than the Elixirs". To me I thought String A was the Elixir (more mellow) and the D'Addario was String B (brighter with more bottom end and more phosphor bronzy. Yet in the video it is stated the other way around. i.e. String A - D'Addario, String B - Elixir. Are you sure you didn't type it the wrong way around in the video?

Got it right! DAD XS seemed a little brighter; I like them a little better than ELX.

Taylor recently changed to the D’Addario XS.

To my ear the Elixirs were warmer and louder than the D'addarios.

You should've spoken between each playing time, because our brain must be ready to compare, and speaking in the middle do not conditional our brain to a better comparison experience. When I make battle videos, in my video montage I do one sound after another immediately and I think that's better to be aware of the pluses and minuses

NICE~~! I found unmistakably the Elixers have about 20% better "signal to noise."

To me, A was the Elixirs, B was the D'Addario's. I didn't wait until the end, so I'll go back and check now. :)

Nice comparison, thanks! I just can’t get used to the way coated strings feel. “Like wearing a raincoat in the shower” comes to mind. Also, I find the lack of finger noise on coated strings unsettling, and, I don’t know, “destructive” seems too harsh a word, but something like that. It’s certainly taking away a useful and important ingredient of the sound. I’ll take Martin MA550 mediums over any of these.

I’ll be damned… Blind test got me. Now I want to send back my 3 pack of XS’s.

Elixirs better for sweaty hands. Daddario better at high ends esp when you bend but too rough after coatings been removed

Elixir here in Philippines price is 25$

Can some please clarify which string was string A and which was string B?

phosfor bronze o 80/20 help me thanks

D'Addario sent me a freebie set and they are nice. Are they really better than Elixirs? Well, for me, not really, but a bit different, a little less bright. And since the XSs are $4-$5 MORE than the Elixirs...I'll be sticking with the Elixirs.

XS

Daddario is more expensive in Europe. About 19,90€ vs 16,50€ (Thomann)

My soul say D'addario...

9:47 10:00

The best acoustic guitar straings are the Santa Cruz Parabolic strings

I think string B is elixir….

Don't like elixir strings prefer d'addario phosphor bronze and martin SP elixirs are slippery and fall to pieces 😢😢🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Strings sucks... 1,5month and i have corosia on 1,2 strings and dont intonate in frets. Before I use elexyr nano web and i play 1 years, no corosia.