I agree that “everything matters”. HOWEVER, in my experience the sound of recorded strings, massed strings and violins in particular, pose unique challenges for phono cartridges. The sound of the violin is unusually rich in harmonic content. When a violin string is bowed, many of the fundamental tone’s harmonics are excited simultaneously. The sound of many violins playing together seems to make it very difficult for most phono cartridges to track properly and without breakup or audible strain.
I am not sure what exactly the OP means by “get it right” since a cartridge that tracks well can still have an unnatural tonal balance which would make the resulting string sound not “right”. Conversely, a cartridge can have great innate tonal balance and have problems with tracking and audible breakup. Any other component in the audio system can also have tonal balance problems and make the resulting string sound not “right” and is why “everything matters”. But, I would say that if correct string sound is a priority, exceptional tracking ability is a good place to start in choosing a cartridge. Of course, the tonearm and its synergy with any given cartridge will affect tracking and why, once again “everything matters”. Having said all that, of all the cartridges that I have owned, for sheer tracking ability the Shure’s are hard to beat; but I generally don’t like their tonal character. MC’s with highish compliance (for MC’s) , like the van den Hul’s that I have owned have offered the best balance between innate tracking ability and tonal balance for realistic string sound.
