I've been working with Chamber strings since they came out - first on Giga samples then on VI. I've always liked their inimate sound, so when Ch Str 2 was announced I jumped straight in (esp. with the extended set offer). The new collection is recorded with mutes, filling in a vital missing part of the original set.
After working with them for a week I have to report that the sonic qualities of the new collection surpasse the original Chamber Strings VI by a considerable margin. Now this is obviously a very good thing, however Chamber strings 1 now sounds so dull and old by comparison, that I have been using this set as the muted section, not the new one!
I would love to hear what other users are making of the comparison. To my mind, if the new Chamber Strings 2 set was recorded with mutes, then VSL should seriously look at re-recording the original collection afresh, without mutes, to achieve parity between the collections.
Chamber Strings 1 is seriously showing it's age...