D'Addario chrome flats vs Sunbeam 5's

[Ripley]

I recently acquired a MIM Jazz V and received a new set of D'Addario chromes with it. ECB81-5 (45-65-80-100-132) and they're flats, apparently. I don't know what's on the bass right now but I have a couple questions for anyone with some experience.

I put DR Sunbeams on my 4 string and I'm really pleased with them, so far. I've never used flats (that I know of), and I was considering a set of Sunbeams for the 5. Anyone have comparison experience between the Sunbeams and D'Add flat chromes? The Sunbeams have a slightly lighter B string, which I think I would favor.

I may be a bit confused on the potential sound of these strings. Chrome would be brighter (?) but flats are mellower (?), so... how would these strings sound? (Stock Fender SC pups thru a GK amp/cab) I play with pick, btw.

The tension on the D's is all over the scale - 35.9 to 52.0. Does that make for an odd playing feel? I'm having enough trouble getting a feel for the 5 string and I think I'd prefer a medium tension, but would the D's "level out" once they're on?

I considered giving the D's to another 5 player, but I'm tempted to try them. Also, they're $45-50 strings. Would it be gauche to try and them and give them away if I don't like them?

Quick setup question, also: If I check the action properly the strings seem to be set pretty well, but when they're not fretted they seem to sit really high. They follow the radius of the neck and they're not hard to press but they're kind of "pillowy", if that makes sense. I haven't tried dropping the action yet but I'm curious if this a common thing with Fenders. I appreciate any feedback you can offer.

[Ripley]

Midweek bump. Anyone have experience with these?

[dune2k]

Not with the 5 string set, but with Chromes in general.
They sound bright for flats, so you could compare them to well worn in nickel plated steel rounds (+the general difference in sound different strings have). In the beginning the will be reeeaaally bright, but that'll change pretty soon.
Regarding string tension: I used two different sets of Chromes: 040 to 095 (using this set now) and 045 to 100 and they have a pretty high tension but the tension between the different strings to me feels pretty balanced.
Can't help you with the sunbeams. Haven't tried them yet, but they're on the list.

[FromTheBassMent]

I've used both of these sets in a 5-string.

I read TB comments all the time about Chromes sounding like something other than flats. They sound like flats. If you took the whole range of flat-wound bass strings available and compared them side-by-side, yes, the Chromes would be among the brightest... but we're talking "bright" within the limits of what a flatwound string is capable of doing. No flat wound string can give you the sizzle or the sustain of a roundwound. They are not supposed to. They're supposed to sound vintage and thuddy. I personally do not care at all for the sound of flats played with a pick or slapped... way too clicky-clacky. They're nice for fingerstyle in certain genres.

DR Sunbeams are my permanent go-to string for my Stingray 5Hp fretless. I think they're one of the best sounding strings on the market on certain basses (oddly, they don't sound that great on my Sterling 5HH... that bass comes alive w/ stainless so it wears DR Fat Beams). Perfect balance between warmth and sparkle.

If you try the flats, be prepared that they will feel much more stiff than the Sunbeams... it's just the nature of the construction (wound with a flat metal ribbon rather than a round metal wire). You'll need to take relief out of your truss rod if you switch from rounds to flats, because the tension of flats is significantly higher.

[Ripley]

Cool, thanks for the info, guys! Sounds like the flats are not the best choice for me.

[Jawbone]

Don't give up so quick on flats - I keep D'a Chromes flats on my P and D'a nickels rounds on my tbird. The p is my go to vintage rock sounding old school thumper - pre-90's genre and my tbird provides that post 90's punk/indie vibe. I really couldn't get that differentiation between the genres from my P when I used rounds nor with flats on the tbird.