Not sure. Haven't tried them yet, but they DO look the same as the Aquila Carbon Blacks. Maybe Mimmo can chime in. I've tried the Carbon Blacks Tenor and Concerts. They are definitely very unique feeling. Their sound is very loud and forward, and depending on which uke you put them on, they can sound amazing, or the opposite. I've tried them on 10 of my ukes of different woods and builds with mixed feelings. To me and my ears, they sounded good on my laminates. but for most of my solids, they sounded too zingy and bright. When i say Zing, they sounded more like metal twang rather than "string". Hard to describe, but it's subjective as you all know. Some will love them. For me, I prefer mellow and rounder and fuller tones, so the Carbon Blacks didn't work for me. They also felt like wire under my fretting hands, so not for me. So if the Martins are similar to the Carbon Blacks, then perhaps they're not for me too...but i don't know.
Mimmo if you're reading this, if the Carbon Blacks are the same as the new Martins, it would save us some money if we don't have to buy them only to find out they are the same. but i understand if you can't say more. : )
I'm going to order the Lavas today to try. On some of my ukes, the supernylguts do sound great, so having dark versions of this would be awesome.