| Blue steels to me sound very similar to the Lakland SS... nice, but there is an upper mid sort of honk to them that doesn't match up well with my playing style or my more mid present rigs. The tension is moderately tight, and they didn't last very long for me.
The Hi Beams are a little more refined, a little 'flatter' souding, smoother on the fingers, and looser in tension (which can be a good or bad thing, depending on your technique). They have a bigger low end (at least on my J style basses) than the blue steels, and are more sizzly up top for the first few hours, but then settle down nicely, and hold that 'second gig' sort of bright but articulate tone for a LONG time (at least for me).
The DR Low Riders and DM Superrounds are a little closer to the classic Rotosound tone back in the day, but smoother and more 'funk' sounding versus 'Chris Squire/Who' rock grindy. Those are both great strings if you want a tighter tension and a little more mid presence and grind without the 'honk' (again, IMO) of the blue steels. | 
