Can anyone give a detailed description of the difference in consistency between the two versions?
Soft soap: softer than the hard soap, but the different isn't night and day. Kind of like Proraso in a tub. Its harder than Cacao/Fresco/Classic/XXX. It's like the La Famiglia line of soft soaps, and has that "springiness" to it.
Hard soap: slightly harder, not even close to a triple milled soap. Like an old Proraso in tub after it has dried.
Performance of both are good. I don't have many shaves on both of them, but I think I like the hard soap better due to its consistency. Of course I need more time with them to get a better idea.