Wrighty - here's some food for thought: When you ask luthiers and larger manufacturers what strings they use, the answer is usually a somewhat generic string (of course Santa Cruz uses Santa Cruz and Martin uses Martin). I asked Dana Bourgeois a similar question a couple of years ago and his response was, "Experiment and use what you like!" (Bourgeois uses D'Addario)
I like smoother strings for the feel and round core\lower tension for the bendability. Heavier strings generally produce more volume, but can also dampen if they are too heavy. Tuning down a half step can really change an instrument's response, too.
As far as the sound goes, some days all my guitars sound great and somedays they don't. Wonder why that is?
best,
Rick