Why the facination with integrated amps?

Desire is a tricky thought to master. Manufacturers work hard to keep us from
controlling ours. For the most part, they succeed and we all succumb in some area of life. 

I have a Naim Uniti Atom, Totem Signature Ones, my original Thorens from 30 years ago and a Parasound Halo Jc Jr phonostage. Some nice Transparent cables. It all sounds really good. Musical and eminently fun. Do you know when it doesn’t? When I go and listen to a 70,000 system at my favorite dealer. But you know what I do with the 60k difference? I invest it and average a minimum of 12% per annum. In 18 years when I retire, that will be at least 480k. So, does that 70k system sound like it is worth a half a million dollars? Not to my ears. 

And here’s  another thing. My brain can’t readily  hold on to the difference of a 10k equipment bump up after a short period of time. Like doing A/B switching. The brain adjusts. 

Moreover, if I want to hear really good music? I hang and sing with my musician friends. I don’t care what sound system you have, my friend’s Steinway will still sound better. It’s real music, not reproduced music, and it’s made with friends, so I am inside the experience. 

My relatively modest system just works and is compact. And the clean simplicity and ease of use of everything I own reduces my stress level. Lower cortisol? I might just live longer. 

So figure out what your values are, and make a decision on your stereo based on the fullness of your life and the goals you pursue. If you’ve done that successfully, the question is no longer about something as inane as integrateds vs separates. It’s about how well you are living and enjoying your life. 

Yes, you might live longer. Question is what for ?

I had McIntosh amp and preamp in a large living room. I had excellent sound. We sold the house and the McIntosh gear. I now have a dedicated 18 x 12 music room. I purchased a Luxman integrated. I was prepared to have downgraded sound because I went "integrated". I was very pleasantly surprised, the Luxman gave me better sound. (I know different room, different speaker placement) but none the less, better sound, and excellent features on the Luxman. I also have the option to use the "separate" feature on the front panel and remote and use the Luxman as a dedicated preamp, if I wanted to buy a new amp.

Bottom Line... Integrateds can provide excellent sound!

Of course, just not the best sound. As mentioned above, power supply compromise is the last thing that I would want and lack of true separation of low level and high level circuitry is a big audiophile no no. 

That's all well and good but at what cost?   In the real world with mortgage payments, college tuition, and the ever increasing cost of living many people have to find a middle ground of sorts and compromise somewhere