Hello,
I would agree with Towertone in 99% of the cases when you are using an internal DAC versus a stand alone. One of the only companies I feel that makes an incredible DAC for the integrated amps is Hegel. It does everything and has really good sound. I am a separates guy for the most part. Hegel is one company that does this extremely well. Also by getting an internal DAC you do not need to spend money on power and interconnect cables which can easily add $500 to the price. Nor do you have to spend the time figuring out which interconnects sound right with your system. This is a very common rabbit hole that can really get expensive. With this setup you only need to add a something for streaming and you are ready to go. You already figured out the hard part of figuring what pre/ amp sounds best with your setup. The rest is really about money for the sources. It took me 20 years to lock in my power plant.
I would agree with Towertone in 99% of the cases when you are using an internal DAC versus a stand alone. One of the only companies I feel that makes an incredible DAC for the integrated amps is Hegel. It does everything and has really good sound. I am a separates guy for the most part. Hegel is one company that does this extremely well. Also by getting an internal DAC you do not need to spend money on power and interconnect cables which can easily add $500 to the price. Nor do you have to spend the time figuring out which interconnects sound right with your system. This is a very common rabbit hole that can really get expensive. With this setup you only need to add a something for streaming and you are ready to go. You already figured out the hard part of figuring what pre/ amp sounds best with your setup. The rest is really about money for the sources. It took me 20 years to lock in my power plant.