Synergy

Compatibility does not cover it.

Mabe we're cutting hairs, but for clarity sake, most components are "compatible" ie they utilize standard interfaces, like SPDIF for example to be able to function together, but different compatible components do not all necessarily sound good together. There is more to it than just that obviously.

Impedance matching is the technical key but even tossing that into the mix does not cover it all. Two different components with identical impedance specs will still sound different I believe. Seldom do two components sound identical in the same system otherwise. Specs alone do not cover all the necessary parameters. You have to hear the result to know if everything is working well together. Your room and your ears are part of the equation as well.

I always like the soup analogy. You might follow the same recipe and even use the same ingredients (or not) but each pot of soup will most likely still taste slightly different in the end, especially to two different partakers .

Obviously, the chef is the key to good soup. The chef knows what it takes to mak the soup taste good. Synergy is just a term that relates how well multiple factors are applied to deliver a good result.

Look up the definition of synergy. It really does describe what it takes to do most anything well in life, including audio.

The soup analogy is very misleading. Cooking is more akin to making music as an activity in that it has an element of creativity. The reproduction of music is of an order of magnitude less complex than those activities as it lacks the creative part. Putting together a system seems to be a very mechanical process. You gather information about what you think will work well and then you try it. If you like the results you say it works synergistically. If you don't like the sound you fiddle until you do like it or you move on to the next "upgrade". Trail and error ain't creative. It's a rote process.

Furthermore, the soup analogy is misleading because it gives too much freedom of expression to the audiophile. Unless a cook is working in a commercial environment, there is no compelling reason for tonight's soup to taste just like yesterday's version. Cooks are expected to experiment and modify. Audiophiles don't have that leeway because we are trying to reproduce something that is a known quantity. (We may not know exactly what the recording is supposed to sound like, but there is an artist/producer/engineer somewhere that does.) This limits what the audiophile can do and still call the result high fidelity sound.

Jaybo,when buying equipment rules your life, it's probably time to quit!!

We all know and have experienced it's all just magic and pixie dust. Sarcasm intended.

i to believe in the like brand synergy thing. there is something to it. i think mostly what happens , using myself
as an example. i had a matching pre, amp , and cd player. wanting to upgrade i believed the amp was my week link , bought an ayre, am thrilled to death with it and am now broke. so i now have a two brand system better than my one brand, and so it goes. good luck