Mixing and Matching Cable Brands: Bad Idea??

I've actually had success both ways.

Initially for two years I tried a hodgepodge of different brand of cables without getting satisfying results. I then went to a single brand throughout my system including power cords and this worked very well.

A year later I got the upgrade bug and started to change out cables one at a time with different brands, and this worked great.

Eventually this led to outfitting my system with cables from a single manufacturer again and it was even better.

Just last week I received speaker cables from a maker different than the ones I'm using now.

So I guess the moral of the story is...
you can find success both ways as long as you find cables that work with your equipment. Or a combination of different cables that work together.

Sorry if I've confused you even more.

Do not do it! You will create a soup sandwich. How will you be able hear which is speaking the truth. Well the most truth. You must be consistent to be coherent... Tom

It's no more right and wrong than mixing and matching your components and as such you'll hear about good and bad results of such endeavors. Just like good and bad stories about mixing and matching components.

-IMO

As Duke Ellington said...."If it sounds good, it is good".

Same "Brand" probably does not matter. Most brands make many "Models" that have nothing in common with each other. Only the company name on the jacket is the same.

I assume your gear (Preamp, Amp, CD, Phono, Tuner, etc) is not all made by the same company, and is also not the same company as the cables are using. So using the same cable should not really matter much, when most likely the gear is not all the same brands as well?

I must admit though that I do like what happens when I connect a Blue Circle preamp and amplifier together with the Blue Circle BC-95 interconnects. This is a case where gear and cables are all the same company. That does not mean that other brands of cables will not work as well or better.

I'm a French-Canadian descendent who drives a Japanese car made in Indiana with German tires rolling on American asphalt, powered by fuel imported from only (Dutch) Shell-knows-where!
Then I bought a German car with French snow tires that was otherwise really terrific. So I put on exotic Japanese tires that are a bit disappointing. Must I really get German tires and move to Berlin, or is wearing a TAG-Heurer enough?

I try to keep it simple. Granted, I have a different amp, pre-amp and front end. But I have eliminated for the most part as many other variables as my brain and my wallet will allow. All the speaker wire is the same thru-out even internal to my speakers and crossovers. All signal wire is the same thru-out my amp and pre-amp. Much of the signal wire in my transport and dac are the same as my amp and pre-amp. All the connectors on my amp,preamp cd and dac are the same. All the new wire and connectors when replaced were soldered in place with the same material. Replaced the so called isolation racks and high mass platforms with Sistrum technology thru-out. It becomes a complex procedure to keep it so simple. I feel my system sings as if it were a quartet instead of the childrens choir at the local place of worship. Tom

i think that this is all about matching cables and components.
thus there is no advantage for one brand only.

especially if we're talking about not netural (aka VDH) or very revealing (aka XLO or silver made) cables - if you take them all the path - you'll get too much of revealing or "color".

so, i'm totally OK with "mixing".

Eur how can you say which cable is not neutral or is, revealing? Have you ever heard a system you new well that was wired thru-out with any of the two cable brands you mentioned? I haven't.. If you haven't either then can you assume it was not interaction of the various cables placed at random locations thru-out the system..Tom