I have also been reading about mismatch between amps, dacs and pre amps that I assumed that if I buy an integrated, I wouldn’t have two components exacerbating certain frequencies and making the sound too harsh. not sure if makes sense :)
It makes some sense, but only if the DAC/Amp combo itself elicits overall sound that’s pleasing to you, which may or may not be the case. Toward that end, it would help immensely if you could describe in more detail what sound characteristics of a system are most important to you as well as what characteristics you’d like to avoid. You’ll get much better and more meaningful recommendations here, combo or otherwise, with that crucial info.
And yes, in general there can be some value advantages to buying integrated audio products, but as usual in audio there are trade offs. In this case, combining noisy digital components in the same box as the amplification components is less than optimal (although you do save a digital interconnect). Plus, as DAC technology progresses, which it is doing at a rapid pace, having a separate DAC makes some sense as it makes future upgrades much easier — trying to resell a DAC/Amp combo with an older DAC section will likely negatively impact its future value. Just some things to consider while making your decision.
