PRE and AMPS same brand ? or different brand?

I did just that with Classe and run all the same brand electronics. There are huge benefits by doing this. I have found the Classe preamps sounds great and their amps sounds great but together they are unbeleavable. Its total is greater then the sum of its parts.

Its also a great starting point. How do you know something sounds better then all one brand unless you have heard an all one brand system. The problem in synergy is that it really takes time to get a feel to know what goes with what and even then you really dont know what you are getting until the money is already spent. Buying all one brand is a LOT easier.

That said I think that its probably best to mismatch brands. There is no way one company can be the best in everything. You of course still have to match synergy but there are so many brands out there that there are endless combinations.

I decided to go with all one brand to start and now I will switch and swap. Its important to have a good refrence to compare to. If you are unsure, and you wouldnt have posted this if you werent, I would go with an all one brand system to start. At least match the preamp and amp to start and then you can play with cd players from there.

I think it is a good place to start for the reasons stated. My system started out that way as far as the preamp and power amp, but now is different. The amp was changed. After the change I found it interesting that I discovered others have the same brand preamp and power amp combination.
I had a Conrad Johnson preamp with one of their solid state power amps. Now I have a Blue Circle solid state power amp. Better combination for my system. It should be noted that Blue Circle's preamps are also tube that go with the solid state amps.

Even at the very top of the market, it seems that manufacturers, while they always claim to be shooting for "neutrality"-- and may in fact be doing so-- nevertheless design to perfect their "house sound." The result can frequently be too much of a good thing, and it always seems that after I have fallen in love with one company's components, and have a full suite of them, substituting one of someone else's line somehow contributes something that was missing, if it is a comparable product. If nothing else, it keeps the high end in funds.