While I agree with everything that has been posted so far, there is another variable to getting the sound of strings correct. Nobody has mentioned the quality of the phono stage. Many phono stages are not that compatible or resolving enough to get this aspect right. What Ralph says above is 100% correct, but IF the phono stage has incompatibility with the cartridge...a problem occurs. The ability of the phono stage to amplify the cartridge signal without distortion is paramount. The more resolving the phono stage, the more the signal will pass through.
