Hi Peter,
I see from your post that we have something very much in common:
It's a sentiment shared by many, but when it comes to string choice, the #1 rule is, what works for someone may or may not be right for you. Ultimately, you’ll have to find your favorite through trial and experimentation. But it’s definitely worth the effort.
And what works for one guitar may not for another. Fortunately, you only have one nylon. At this time.
(What is the scale length of yours btw?)
What I’ve found over the years: (and I’ve tried a lot!)
I’m a traditionalist. I think clear nylon (as opposed to any of the new novelty types) provides the warmest and clearest tone for trebles.
I also think that high or hard tension strings project and articulate tone better on Spanish style classical guitars than normal tension, for average scale lengths from 640 to 660. (Caveat: This is very subjective. Also, I learned technique on hard tension strings, so that may impact my judgement as well on what works.)
Lastly, I have yet to find a manufacturer that offers a complete set to my liking. That’s why I mix and match basses and trebles from different sources.
(something that is very common on nylon, and not so much on steel).
In my opinion, D’Addario and Savarez are at the top of the heap for offering quality, choice and value for the money.
For a long time now, I’ve used Savarez Corum HT basses and D’Addario J46 HT clear nylons.
On one guitar though, I recently found that the new D’Addario Xtra Hard Tension Trebles (CNX-3T) worked even better in terms of clarity at no expense for warmth. (And I don't feel any appreciable difference tension wise.)
Playing both steel and nylon, I find that, generally speaking, tension is much more an issue on steel than nylon as far as what your fingers perceive.
That's why, on nylon, I usually base decisions solely on tone vs. tension. Again, that's just me. Not a rule.
Finally, you might find this article of general interest:
Luthier Martin Keith on nylon strings
Good luck in your search!
