I like the ride of the LHT better, but mostly because it fits me a lot better. The LHT has pretty different geometry, so it's kind of hard to compare.

The RockHopper was definitely more forgiving. There were times when riding over rough surfaces I could actually see the fork flexing. That was a bit disconcerting, but I generally concluded that it meant I wasn't taking the hit. FWIW, I think Specialized claimed that the RockHopper frame I have was triple butted, which I understand to mean double-butted but with extra marketing thrown in (and maybe different thickness at one end than the other).

People talk about the LHT not riding well when it isn't loaded, but any bike with me on it is pretty loaded already.