I think single brands approach is an effort to make it easier for the buyer and more sales for the company selling. If you do your homework you shouldn't have a problem. Its all about system matching.As one of the other posts mentioned if you want to go a certain (sound)direction you purchase a wire that will get you back to that.The best way is to try as many cables as you can get your hands on and weed out what you don't like. Good luck
Single brand vs. multiple brand ICs and ACs
Occasionally someone mentions in a post that they use the same brand cable for all their components. At least once I've seen someone say that this is something to be avoided. I'm currently upgrading my system so this is a good time for me to either add or eliminate variety in my cables. Anyone interested in sharing their thoughts on this? Thanks.