Matching Gear matter to you?

I purchased a phono stage from a company where I had their DAC and preamp.  It was the most disappointing piece of equipment I ever purchased and was happy the day I sold it.

not sure what brand you are talking about and what the difference is between products.  Is this an obvious scenario where the pricier product is inferior?  Is it a divided opinion?  

The phono stage I bought was more than 3x as expensive as the one I had and I heard no improvement.  Part of it was that the unit I had was an absolute bargain and the unit I bought was a bad value even on clearance.  But hey....my one remote turned all three units on.  

I too have all my components from one manufacturer....the only way to absolutely be sure all the boxes work well together.

@verdantaudio  the person who brought this to my attention said the one I was originally looking at IS very good but that the other brand was just better. 
So had I never heard that I would most likely have been very happy with the original. But it seems to me that one that does have synergy with my amp AND has the same basic sound signature but improved on it AND is a few hundred less would be a no brainer.
Not sure what craziness I’m fighting internally right now.

@stringreen  that was exactly my thinking from the start. The person who tipped me off to this component has the same amp and says there’s excellent synergy (we both agreed synergy is very important).

@verdantaudio  the person who brought this to my attention said the one I was originally looking at IS very good but that the other brand was just better. 
So had I never heard that I would most likely have been very happy with the original. But it seems to me that one that does have synergy with my amp AND has the same basic sound signature but improved on it AND is a few hundred less would be a no brainer.
Not sure what craziness I’m fighting internally right now.

@stringreen  that was exactly my thinking from the start. The person who tipped me off to this component has the same amp and says there’s excellent synergy (we both agreed synergy is very important).