11earl,
I don't think anyone will tell you that one is better than the other.
Different? Possibly.
But you would have to play both guitars and judge for yourself which you liked better.
I would say--IMHO, YMMV, and such--that
I do hear a subtle difference in the Tacoma D55s I have owned (2005 Nat, 2008 ITB, 2008 ATB) and the NH D55s I have auditioned in stores in and around Chicago. The NH D55s and F50Rs I have played have been lighter, and to me, have a tad more of the "bark" I associate with Martin guitars, and a tad less "balanced, rich smoothness" that I love about the Tacomas I owned and currently own. They are still fantastic guitars and I would pick one over a Martin or Gibson, or just about anything. I am really splitting hairs here.
The NH guilds sound great, but there is something that really floats my boat about the Tacoma models. And the 2005 was the standout of the ones I owned in tone, but was the weakest in fit and finish and had plastic saddle and nut. So you just never know what individual guitar is going to grab you.
I know Frosty and I agree about this (or did in the past) as I sold him my D55 ITB and later bought it back from the gentleman he sold it to. (you can see it in a video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRaRL9sWGcc )
Frosty posted about the new (at the time) NH D55 and we spoke at length off line about what we saw as slight differences in the tone like two nerds (sorry Frosty
.
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?153811-First-impression-of-CT-D-55
But all this is conjecture and personal opinion, and again, subtle differences that could as easily be associated with the individual guitars as the manufacturing facilities and changes to spec.
Guess I am saying if you can't play them first, pick the cheaper one. If they are the same price, pick the one you like the looks of the best. You will end up with a great guitar.