Single brand vs. multiple brand ICs and ACs

Perfectimage, is right on. Unless you have unlimited access: (1)to a variety of cables and (2) time to compare and (3) keep copius records, it can become unwieldly. Of course there always exceptions such as having someone you know and trust with experience with the same equipment, who appreciates your goals and unique circumstances (in which case, the audio Gods are truly shining on you!).

I use to mix and match interconnects using Silver Audio Appassionata, Bear Labs Silver Lighting and Granite Audio #444. When I demoed Pure Note Epsilon Reference I noticed that by mixing, it choked the sonics. Everything improved as soon as I went to all Epsilon Reference. With further experimentation I noticed my secondary system sounded better when I used all Granite Audio #444 interconnects.
(For what it’s worth) ;)

I think single brands approach is an effort to make it easier for the buyer and more sales for the company selling. If you do your homework you shouldn't have a problem. Its all about system matching.As one of the other posts mentioned if you want to go a certain (sound)direction you purchase a wire that will get you back to that.The best way is to try as many cables as you can get your hands on and weed out what you don't like. Good luck

I think using more than two brands of cables at any one time is enough to drive anyone crazy, and the same is true of two cables which are very different also. However, if you stumble across two cables which are generally similar in type of sound, but different in specific ways, it may work very well. After experimenting I have found that in my system using Purist Dominus interconnects and NBS Monitor 0 speaker and digital cables gives me a more detailed upper treble and especially lower bass than I could get with Dominus alone, but a warmer midrange in general, and especially lower midrange, than I could ever get with an entire system of Monitor 0, which I had for a while. But I doubt this kind of matching would ever have worked if the basic sound of the two cables wasn't generally quite close.

It has been my experience that cable companies excel at certain cables more than others. For instance,Hovland makes an excellent phono cable(Music Groove), it is hard to beat the Illuminati digital cable, top of the line Discovery speaker and innerconnects are also excellent. As others have said, it is best to try them in your system as cables tend to be very system dependent. I would not hesitate to pick and choose from various cables and get the best for your system. Good listening