Best Integrated, period.

Several threads are right on, VERY difficult to say which one is THE best, but for me, not having heard anywhere near the number of integrateds available today, I went on a friend's recommendation and listened to the DK Design/LSA group VS.1, fell in love with it and now I own 2,"nuff said!

I'm kind of torn. I like working with both separates and integrated amps. From my experience, I don't think that sound quality is the issue. I think the Integrated can sound just as good as separates. But with that said, I have never heard separates that are from the same company in my system. So from my understanding that may be the best way for system synergy as long as one likes the sound sig. of the company's products.
I think ergonomics of one's system is more the determining issue. I think people that have a tv/video system (in my case just two channel) that integrated's are better(even though I currently have separates). If I did not have a tv to incorporate, then separates would be okay. There is just so many cords and interconnects and cables all of the place. My back wall is a mess. It was worse when I had a sub.

Some I think a good integrated amp will in most cases out perform a pre/power of the same price class and in some cases outperform pre/power above their price range. Now if only they would add a really good phono amp as an option it would be perfect.

But that is one of my problems with audio gear. That you actually have to buy a whole new amp if you want some extra power,better PSU atc. I would like it if amps, CD players etc were more upgradeble.
Say an amp is standard 100W SS for $1000, then for $500 you can buy a external power supply for the power amp part. Then for another $500 you can buy a an other 100W board. So you can bridge the first one and second one for 200W per channel or you can have 4*100W for bi amping. For $500 add a DAC etc etc.

I just made up the prices but I think audio should be more modulair. I know a company that makes a DAC that comes standard with a RCA and a optical S/Pdif. But the DAC has 2 more slot. So you can also have a USB or AES/ebu or I2S etc input and if they don't have a standard card for like my CEC superlink they can make one. More companies should offer this kind of flexibility.

"The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be"...Mark Levinson No.383!

Bret "The Hitman" Hart quote aside, it's the best solid state integrated I'VE heard (owned). As a 1-box solution for 2-channel audio (why else would you buy an integrated)...it doesn't get much better than this!

Just my $0.02 CAD!

Love my Chord 3300. Beautiful sound and built like a tank.