There's a certain beauty into just outfitting your entire system with the manufacturer's offerings. It's what I do and I love it.
Yet, there's also the powerful alternative of mixing and matching.
Take for example someone who has invested in an all Stellar system for their home HiFi. Great sound, wonderful synergy. Could it be better? Sure. Mix in a few critical components like an MK2 DAC and you've flipped the system to a new level that's unattainable from just staying with Stellar.
But then there's always risk. Imagine the same scenario but you flip one of the Stellar pieces with another mix and the system gets worse. Could be a lack of synergy, could simply be the hype surrounding the product was more fluff than performance.
Whatever the case, for some of us, half the fun of owning a high-end system can be the mix and match challenge. For the rest of us, there's great value in laying down a system that just works.
Whichever way you slice it—mix and match or tried and trusted—it's all about the music.
