Pros & Cons of Buying an Integrated with Built-in DAC?

Stuartk stated he did not need a DAC at present however MAY find use for it at a later date. Also he is intending to keep the integrated of choice for a very long time. There are far more choices available for finding the integrated amplifier that 'float one's boat' when considering all integrated amplifiers, whether they have, or don't have, an internal DAC. I also can't help but believe that those integrated amps that have an internal DAC, where that DAC does not add greatly to the cost, contains a DAC that could be readily improved by an external one.

Searching for an integrated/DAC combination greatly limits options/flexibility in both units. 

Also the need for a DAC will depend on what digital source will eventually be used. Many digital sources (streamers) have built in DACs. 

I'm thinking back to when I was a kid, in bed with a transistor radio, listening to "Love Me Do" on the Cousin Brucie Show, broadcast from WABC in NYC. Enjoying music sure was a lot simpler back then!  The fact is, there aren't many audio stores in the Sacramento area and as a rule, they don't keep demo units on hand. I learned the hard way that a unit that sounds good in a showroom can sound very different at home. Personally, my idea of fun is listening to music, not buying and re-selling gear, although many audio hobbyists do seem to enjoy the latter. In the end, however, I may have no choice. The Peachtree nova 150 arrives today from Music Direct. If that doesn't, as mesch says, "float my boat", I will, in all likelihood, have to purchase something used that I haven't heard and keep my fingers crossed. The Rogue Pharaoh, for instance, although the reviews are all over the place when it comes to describing its sound. The Rogue website touts its "organic midrange and sweet top-end that only a tube amp can provide" but to others, it apparently sounds more SS than tube. At this point, having read through all the comments, I'm most inclined to find an amp I like, and not worry about a DAC.  many thanks to everyone for your input. 

I'm selling my Job INTegrated if anyone is interested.

I’m with onhwy61 - don’t discount the positives of a fully integrated unit too quickly.

Ironically, someone above who voted for going with separate units also pointed out that good inexpensive dacs are so easily available, which actually makes the point: good dacs today are like squirrels, they’re all over the place, and they don’t require that you spend $2000 to get one. So if someone like Hegel, or Parasound, or Peachtree, or many others are willing to give you one of those inexpensive good dacs as a bonus with your integrated amp, and save you space, the cost of extra cables, etc. why wouldn’t you take advantage of these combinations of great modern technology?  They're not stuffing these units with poor dacs - many use ESS's best reference 9018 chip.  If they're going out of their way to make your life easier, and give you everything you want in one box, why snub the offer and make things more complicated than they need to be?

Look at it this way - if someone could easily make the case that you can’t get good sound without spending $5000 on a dac, but none of the integrateds came with a dac that good, then you’d have your answer...you’d be forced to buy separates. But that’s not the world of dacs today - you can get great sound from a $300 dac today. So why go nuts sourcing something like that separately, when integrateds are offering that same quality built-in?

bcgator; I can't argue with your logic. To clarify, I didn't mean to suggest I'd become opposed to integrateds with a DAC; simply that I would no longer be limiting my search to such units, exclusively. What you say makes a lot of sense, especially given the fact that my finances are limited and getting the most bang for my audio buck is always a top priority.