Matching Gear matter to you?

My main system is a Frankenstein combination of different components, almost all are second hand. So no, I don't care, but I'll be the first to admit that my system is less than aesthetically pleasing.

It's up to you to decide if you're willing to sacrifice some money and from the sound of it, some sound quality, for the sake of looks. There's nothing wrong with that if that's your preference. 

It might be helpful if you stated the components you're considering. You might get some opinions that differ from your friend's.

Yeah it seems like most systems are a mush mash of components chosen for sound. Which totally makes sense.

i think my dysfunction is that I feel like I’m not being patient and going for a less expensive device vs staying the course and following through on my vision. Even though it’s not the case it’s evidently better than what I had planned. I’m dysfunctional. It shows.

My integrated tube amplifier, tube CD player, and tube phono stage are all from the same manufacturer. I've never had any regrets about any of it, but I did do some rather diligent research before I got any of it. One of the things that stood out to me was that there is no plastic on any of these units; even the remotes for the amp and cd player are metal with little ball bearings for the buttons. You can't hear the "no plastic" feature but to me it indicated a serious effort and I doubt they put more effort into the remotes than they did in the design of the equipment.

One brand systems outperform, unless they don't. 

Most audiophiles are OCD about their system...LOL. I have gone through few iterations of having multiple components from ‘same’ manufacturer. There are advantages to do so...you get the tonality and synergy right from get go, since they are all cut from the same sonic fabric. Not to mention the uniformity, I have seen Naim stack and they look pretty dope.

IMO, above approach is safe and easy way to build your audio system. But it also limits you to one manufacturer’s vision of sound. I have gone through four systems from same manufacturer and I can say unequivocally, nothing is more fun and satisfying when you take time to put together a system from different manufacturers. You’re bound to endure few headaches going this route but you could end up with a system that’s just as gratifying and SOTA. 
Good luck!