Do I have to brand match preamp and amp?

I already did. Arrived yesterday. Ayre K-1xe

Mixing and matching is not a problem UNLESS you're talking about tubes and solid-state. There's a huge impedance difference between a tube pre-amp's output and a sand amp's inputs. It *can* be corrected by re-capping the tube pre-amp but IMHO not worth the hassle. Pardon a bit of thread drift here, but IMHO far too much attention is paid to the amp's specs, while the pre-amp, which really provides flavour to the sound, is oft overlooked as a mere switching device. It's not.

OP here, posting an update on my new addition- the Ayre k-1xe Preamp to complement my Ayre v-5xe amp.

Until now, I was going direct fro DAC (PS Audio Directstream) to Amp.

I am so happy with my new Preamp!

Weird to explain. It should not be better than direct to amp. But it is. I would explain it as much more “musical”. More “real life”. And no, I don’t think I am losing any detail or resolution.

I also think that my k-1 is better than the k-5xeMP that a friend brought over for me to audition prior to my purchase. That one had a bit more “meat” but was not so sweet and so musical.

I know here is very lengthy thread over at computer Audiophile forums on direct to amp vs. using preamp, and to me, using this Preamp improved thing hands down. No question about it

Once, I did have a set of amps that matched the pre-amp. The same manufacturer but different generations. The only thing that matched was the name plate. My entire system does not even match color. Some is black and the rest is brushed aluminum.