This was discussed on Violinist.com as well before you posted about it there:

violinist.com/discussion/threa...page=7848

I’m copying my response from that thread:

I think the descriptions in the video are meant to sound definitive, but they’re not at all. The idea of ultimate strings and string tensions and bows for each violin is nonsensical. Players do (sometimes) end up with clear personal preferences for their equipment, but other players will disagree. And if you look at violins as objects that have existed over time and are subject to some change, it’s silly to expect that there’s such an ideal. The same violins have been played over centuries with different string sets at different tensions and with different bows. Are we supposed to believe that without an Arcus bow and a set of strings promoted by Bernd that we haven’t really heard what the violins can do?

KenR - There are several string tension charts online. Here's one I like because it shows the tensions of individual strings as well as sets: violinstringreview.com/tension-chart.html Also, some manufacturers provide the tension of the various strings they make.
As far as the video, I only watched a little, but bear in mind that he is trying to sell his ideas and products.
The "right bow" will be not so much "for your violin," but the one that suits YOU as a player.

Well, tone is, and will remain a personal preference. Technique, the music chosen to be played and ability will add up to the aural image of what a player wants, at a given time, over time. The ringer is that as technique improves / changes choice may change also. To add, this may come under the heading of "when you think you need a new violin, buy a new bow first". Play on friends. R/

I use the charts from violin string review for basic reference, but I’ve come to question their accuracy a little after hearing from the founder of Larsen that the values given are simply what the manufacturers provide, but in third party testing, the strings don’t conform to the numbers, even measuring a few of the same string models. Data sheets sound nice, but they’re only as valuable as the accuracy of their information. I’ve since placed more trust in my ear and the responses of my customers. Shar also has some string descriptions plotted on an xy axis, but I find that completely useless.

I don’t think string selection is arbitrary. I do think there are good sets and bad sets, but I don’t buy the argument that a set that’s bad on one good violin will be good on another. I was taught to adjust every violin to sound as good as I could make it with any set of strings. Of course some slight adjustment of the post is necessary when changing sets sometimes, but any decent quality set should perform well on a good violin. It’s really more a question of what kind of sound a player wants. Some just like a bright and crisp sound, some like a warm and dark one. But as romantic as it sounds, that’s not actually the violin whispering in the player’s ear asking for the “right” set, it’s just the player selecting for personal preference. Some luthiers and dealers can evaluate a violin and make suggestions for strings to emphasize certain characters in a violin, but that ability comes after working with thousands of instruments. And even then there’s still a lot of subjectivity.

It’s just a reality that great violins sounded great when they were string with gut and now that they’re string with synthetics. More good sets may come out in the future that will be equally good.

Bows will change in preference with time, as they are already doing. In the19th and early 20th century light and flexible bows were much in demand. After the mid-20th century that changed and heavier bows began to get more attention. That trend continued for a good while, but I’ve heard that players are currently starting to gravitate back toward the lighter bows again. The point is that the “right” bow for the violin isn’t a scientific quantity. But the data that’s being supplied isn’t even strict science anyway, just some tabulated observations.

Arcus has some worshippers but it’s heavily disliked by players as well. The bows are polarizing, more so than any other brand. That alone is reason to take claims of ideal matches with a sea of salt.

Seems all of this is a lot of Sales Promotional material, made up by Marketing Depts. Trial and error is the way I always determine what strings and what bow I use with each fiddle, and I have quite a few. Expensive, but what isn't with fiddles.

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Originally posted by DougD

KenR - There are several string tension charts online. Here's one I like because it shows the tensions of individual strings as well as sets: violinstringreview.com/tension-chart.html Also, some manufacturers provide the tension of the various strings they make.
As far as the video, I only watched a little, but bear in mind that he is trying to sell his ideas and products.
The "right bow" will be not so much "for your violin," but the one that suits YOU as a player.

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That is an interesting chart for what it includes and what it doesn't.  Are Old Fiddler strings still made? D'Addario bought out Super Sensitive during the pandemic and they only produce the Red Label strings last I saw. They nailed the strings for quality, no change that was detectable. Their Preludes are a very good alternative. It is interesting to see how the string compare tension wise. They don't list Prims, a favorite of many fiddlers. The only thing that matters is that you like your strings and have found a bow that lets you express yourself.

quote:

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Originally posted by RobBob

quote:

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Originally posted by DougD

KenR - There are several string tension charts online. Here's one I like because it shows the tensions of individual strings as well as sets: violinstringreview.com/tension-chart.html Also, some manufacturers provide the tension of the various strings they make.
As far as the video, I only watched a little, but bear in mind that he is trying to sell his ideas and products.
The "right bow" will be not so much "for your violin," but the one that suits YOU as a player.

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That is an interesting chart for what it includes and what it doesn't.  Are Old Fiddler strings still made? D'Addario bought out Super Sensitive during the pandemic and they only produce the Red Label strings last I saw. They nailed the strings for quality, no change that was detectable. Their Preludes are a very good alternative. It is interesting to see how the string compare tension wise. They don't list Prims, a favorite of many fiddlers. The only thing that matters is that you like your strings and have found a bow that lets you express yourself.

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The list was compiled at least a decade ago and hasn't been updated since. It does not include newer string sets that have come out. The reason it was not comprehensive at the time of its launch was that the tensions listed were based on whatever numbers the manufacturers publicized; if a company didn't list the tensions, it didn't make the list. That also means there was no independent testing--it was just a compilation of the data given by the manufacturers. Of course that data ought to be accurate, but there seems to be some question as to its validity. The chart is somewhat helpful in demonstrating roughly where the string sets line up in comparison. 

D'Addario acquired a few low-end string producers a while ago. To me, this was a decision made because it became apparent that their attempts to break into the higher-level synthetic string market were embarrassments. To maintain a market share in a quality market that had long eclipsed the company, they chose instead to focus on the bottom of the market and buy out smaller companies to work toward a monopoly of the cheap string market.

Red Label has a bad reputation as the cheapest and worst steel strings, with only Prelude as a competitor. Preludes are similarly terrible and their failure rate is surprisingly high for a steel string. Having seen them in use on a rental fleet of 2000 or so, I can personally attest that they were a nightmare. The shop had a policy that covered strings for customers as part of the maintenance plan, and the constant breakage of strings was so severe that it was a money sink for the shop, even with bulk discounts for quantity from the dealer price. When Thomastik brought out its Alphayue line, I asked the shop to consider switching. It took a little while to get the shop on board, but when that happened and the strings were gradually replaced, the failure rate dropped dramatically. Teachers also had much nicer things to say about the sound of the rentals. I would not wish either Red Label or Prelude on anyone, not even detractors here. 

Don't knock the Super Sensitives! I used them for decades on my electric fiddle and they worked just fine. But these days I've gone to playing an acoustic fiddle with a DPA4099 mic and then those def do not cut it.