This is a question I had at the beginning of my journey, too. It simplifies things but it’s more like having the waitress order for you -- takes away the fun and eliminates the easy-to-discover variety of the many things that can work for you. There are some rules of thumb for avoiding MISmatches (that are easily researched) and that’s probably the limit of caution you need. I’ll spare you links to my unmatched system, as explaining this doesn’t require hubris.
Matching components?
I’ve read a couple of posts on this site alluding to the notion that one can be best assured of positive results by matching components produced by the same manufacturer when assembling a stereo system. Is this really a thing? Should I worry that a Decware phono stage won’t play nice with my ARC linestage? Or that I would have been better served by finding an ARC DAC in lieu of the Black Ice FX DSD I recently acquired?
Just looking for a little guidance, as my budget is such that I really can’t be screwing this up...
thx
Just looking for a little guidance, as my budget is such that I really can’t be screwing this up...
thx