another rookie question - preamp or or power amp

You already  had some answers by members friends  here ...

And i think if you choose well a 400 bucks a power amplifier will go a long road ...😊

But take the time to decide between the power-amp and preamp option and the only integrated ...The best option can wait for you then wait for it reading about these choices and the market offerings ...

If i had money i will buy a LTA Berning  ZOTL tube pre-amp + S.S. power amp ...

i live well with a low cost headphone and speakers system and i lack the experience to advise you about amplification and pre-amplification for sure... my best advise would be as i did,take a long time to pick it and read a lot.... I was happy only after doing this exploration between choices ... Dont let the fever for change push you to act prematurely ...

I wish you the best Christmas for you and your family ...🎄

@grislybutter one tiny step at a time doesn’t get you the upgrade you’re hoping for. Unfortunately that’s true in this hobby. It will get you possibly something different but not necessarily better.
Are the separates better than the integrated isn’t an easy question to answer without knowing your budget, functionality and features you’re looking for, speaker power rating requirements (Dynaudio love power btw), etc.

In the example of Hegel H190, you get enough power to drive your speakers, good low noise design and an excellent built in dac. Going with separates and adding an amp to your current integrated will result a bottleneck presented by the pre-out section of your integrated. I don’t know what it is you have now but substitute Hegel H190 with whatever other integrated (used) your budget would allow if you had sold your current amp and added whatever it is you wanted to spend on the amp. Don’t get hung up on thinking the integrated is a sub optimal approach. It’s not. 

In that price range you should just sit tight. 400.00 won’t buy much.

What is your current integrated?

Do you feel the need for more power? 

Maybe just looking for a different sound?

@mahgister Merry Christmas to you too!

@ozzy62 right. I know it won't buy much. I thought a Parasound 2125 power amp, the Parasound P3 would be an upgrade.

@mesch it's a Denon receiver. It has what I prefer, it's 2 channel, no phono, with preamp, sounds great. I am looking for a little warmer sound and power = more effortless mids

@audphile1 I see. I don't think a used Hegel H190 will go under $3000 in the near future, I checked hifishark. That's almost 8 times my budget. 

I guess I can conclude that for my budget I can't do much. Still, I was curious if preamp or amp would yield the bigger improvement. 

Another consideration is, I sold some old gear, I have about $400, if I don't use it, it will be gone soon. A pipe will break, a medical need or emergency trip will arise, etc. it will be used for a necessity  

Thanks again everyone!