For what it's worth,

Looking around for Martin SP mediums to experiment with, I called Martin Tuesday to ask why the literature for SP+ read suspiciously like literature for Elixirs.

After a bit of stammer, the admission that Martin was going after the "coated string" market came out, but with some double-talk about how SP+'s were different due to the way their made.

Anyway, the SP+'s are so new the rep for my local store hasn't produced them (announced last Fri, due any day, per him).

No price yet, but best guess from Tobias Music, Downers Grove, IL (authorized Martin Center) is around $11.00.

That beats Elixirs around here by at least $5.00.

So maybe Elixirs days are numbered as the "coated string of choice".

Bob P