Hello again, Vasa
On the one hand it seems that you've spent a lot of money until now - for finding the "right strings library".
On the other hand I don't know what your aim is.
Are you a composer who wants to listen to its compositions or are you a musician who wants to play the orchestra at home as close as possible to the sound of a real orchestra?
If you are a "true-musician" you never will be happy with samples because there is no "sad legato", no "shiny legato" there is a legato with vibrato and one without. Maybe there is a Miroslav-legato, an EWQL-legato or also a VSL-legato - but not the sad one which you are looking for.
If you are a "true-musician" you never will be happy with samples
because there is no diminuendo of 2,32 seconds. You will only find one of 2s, 3s or 4s or maybe one of 2,5 with the Miroslav strings.
If you are a "true-musician" you never...
Putting together 1: Producing music with samples also means "constantly making compromises. This is not really a happy situation for a true musician.
Knowing this, you only have the possibility to find a library which can come as close as possible to original situation.
The VSL libraries have...
A) a large pool of different articulations which you can find with all instruments (full - Libraries)
B) the wonderful legato libraries
C) the libraries are more or less dry recorded (so you can put the ensembles into nearly all wished concert rooms)
While A) and B) are an advantage, C) could also be a disadvantage because it needs a bit of knowledge to get good results here - beside a good reverb-system of course.
Further, as you've recognized: There are many of such Strings Libraries on the market. Most of them are showed with nice demos containing nice effects.
But when it comes to play a classical mock-up - there is silence.
I invite you to my homepage where you can listen to dozens of pieces - all made with VSL - from small ensembles to large orchestras - played in small rooms or large halls.
http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/demos/index.html
Even if you say: "These are demos!".
Yes, but I made them myself. I know that there are no tricks, no swindle - poor VSL. And there are many classical mock-ups as well (E-music).
I don't say they are all perfect - but I've not the time to fiddle around another 100% for getting 1% more quality.
Putting together 2: With VSL you can come as close as possible to results which are as good as the can be with samples today.
Putting together 1+2
It is up to you to accept the "borders" which you will get with sample-orchestras or not.
If you are looking for the true orchestra sound you will get ill with samples - more and more - sooner or later.
I know musicians who are taken ill when they hear the words "computer and music" within one sentence.
A bit more than 10 years ago I dreamed to have my own orchestra.
Today the dream has become true:
I got a never tired orchestra which is available for 24hours, which can play as fast as I want, which plays in every key, which has a pure sound.
My orchestra got a bit a limited number of articulations but this is much more better than the infinite articulations of an amateur-orchestra...[;)]
All the best
Beat