To me, it sort of depends what you're looking for. JRAD is really great, and it feels to me like they take more chances, expanding the "boundaries" and taking the jams out for a walk more. They do their own thing with them a little more, while staying true to the core of the music. Also, their tempo is faster.
Dead & Company, on the other hand, feel closer (to me, anyway) to the original vibe of the music when the Grateful Dead was touring (except tempo). I.e., to me, they're not stepping outside of the old box as much as JRAD might be. That said, I feel like D&C plays REALLY tight once they get going, especially the younger guys. Feels like jams flow very organically. But, the tempos are not as fast. I don't know if that allows them to play tighter or not, but it's a slower, maybe slightly more precise, layered feel with D&C, to me.
I prefer Dead & Company, but I like them both. When John and Jeff start playing off of each other in a jam, boy is it fun to listen to and watch. Or if Oteil really gets in a groove (if you can find it, check out Eyes Of The World from 7/6/19...it is so syrupy and tasty you can almost drink it).
Ultimately, though, I'm just glad the music is still evolving and being played and enjoyed!
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