Opinion: How important is "system dependency"?
I may be opening a can of worms with this post, and if it has been discussed previously, my apologies.
Basically, I'm wondering what your opinions are concerning the importance of system dependency when listening to new components. In other words, will a new disc player/amplifier/whatever make a more or less significant difference in sound depending on the associated components? We've all read the posts asking for opinions on component A vs. component B, and the varying responses ranging from "It made no difference" to "It was night and day!". One opinion saying they loved the difference it made, the next post hating it.
I ask because I recently talked my best friend into the world of hi-fi. In price, his system is comparable to mine, but they consist of very different components, as our priorities with sound differ. Shortly after he bought his new system, I did an a/b comparison in both our systems of both our disc players. I heard a bigger difference between the two in my system than in his, and he concluded when he did his own a/b.
Thoughts?
Mike