I get the keep it simple. But we know cables and such can influence sound. Trying a variety of components in conjunction with something new would give you a chance to tune the new component into the system. There is no reason to believe dropping something in has optimized it in some way.
For me, it’s simply which component do I enjoy listening to more. Enjoyment usually means which component sounds more natural. My reference is live acoustic music, both small and large scale, and I do long-term comparisons using a variety of music.
