As a cable manufacturer, it may come as a surprise that I agree with the Balderdash comment. Each interface is its own problem and therefore may need a unique solution. I wouldn't go so far as to say that you can put a syrupy, rolled off cable together with a bright cable and get anything coherent. But each step in your audio chain is likely to present a different challenge in terms of mating output impedence with input impedence, as well as potential phase related issues. It is also not true to assume because a manufacturer's interconnects are great that therefore their speaker cables will be great too. To be ompetitive in the cable field these days you really need to come up with something of a breakthrough, not just apply conventional wisdom. The breakthrough that makes your interconnects special is unlikely to have the same, or perhaps any, relevance to speaker cables. For each interface in your system you need to find the cable that enables the music to be a combination of lively, well-balanced, with nice black backgrounds (these are the things that will be right when you have the interface right). The rest of the characteristics of the cable are the house sound and you either like it or you don't. Lack of liveliness, phase related anomolies (which we perceive as tonal abberations) or grain are an indication that the cable is not a good electrical match for the particular interface. All of tyhis is just my opinion, of course, and I love it that we all perceive the world differently.
Does using same brand cables improve performance?
I have read several recommendations that one should stick with one brand of cables throughout the system to get the best result. What say you? Is this just dealer hype or does it really make a difference. I am buying a system with Wilson Sophia's, ARC ref 110, and a Esoteric DV60 and am struggling over the cable question. It is easier to find good deals on Audiogon if mix and match doesn't hurt performance.