What is the right choice?

   I can't speak about other brands of equipment mentioned here but I can speak about NAD and PSB. When I sought to upgrade my system and went with a NAD amp (C375BEE). I used the amp with an existing pair of Klipsch speakers (their top of the line Reference series). The sound was just OK but I didn't think the speakers were doing justice to the amp. Went back to the dealer and heard the amp thru some PSB speakers. What a difference!
   The 375 came with available ports to install a phono and/or a DAC module. I opted for the phono module. Sounded OK but have since employed an outboard phono preamp. It was an improvement. Don't know how the DAC module would sound since my preference is mostly vinyl and CD's.

   The C375BEE I have is an earlier generation than the 388 series. It is analog rather than digital. Funny thing about these amps that you can never look just as power output. When I compared the C326BEE sounded much better musically than the C356BEE with more power. The 375 brought back the musicality of the 326. But neither with the Bluetooth and streaming capabilities of current models.

   So, it all comes down to personal preference of sound and room acoustics. Those who say NAD has a "warm" sound do not have much experience with NAD. My current system is the C375BEE, a pair of PSB Imagine B's and two subs. Good luck in your hunting.

love my Parasound Halo integrated, you could find one for $1500 if you are lucky...

And speaking of Parasound, they have their new NewClassic 200 Integrated which looks very promising for $1,200. 110 watt Pascal class D power, Burr Brown dac, bass management, HT passthrough (including subs....I think), MM/MC phono. Pretty much everything you can ask for all in a nice small 1U package. If this sounds as good as their Z Custom line of products which I own for a second system, this may be hard to beat.

I like the Parasound integrated idea.  You should be able to buy that for $2,500 with some negotiating.  Last year at the RMAF, they sold 3 for $2,250.  Parasound puts out a lot of current.  Not sure why manufacturers talk about watts when they should talk about amps.

I believe what constitutes 'warmth' is subjective. I have owned several NAD amplifiers throughout the years and have listened to several others. I would not declare them to be, as a class, warm, however in comparison to the A-S701 it seemed to me that the NAD 356 was more so. I might have declared the 701 as more airy, lighter. Since warmth has much to do with the speakers in use, I should add that this comparison was made with a pair of B&W CM5s. 

I also owned the NAD 326BEE prior to the NAD 356BEE, made the change because I was using them in a secondary system for outside use and the slight extra power (headroom?) provided by the 356 proved beneficial. Other wise I would have kept the 326.  I agree with jrpnde that is was 'more musical'.

I have also listened to and enjoyed PSB speakers, most recently Synchrony 1s. And have heard that NAD mates well with PSBs. I have not heard then together however. I do believe NAD provides the amplifiers for PSB subwoofers. 

At the moment, if I was considering the purchase of a new integrated having both phonostage and DAC, at a budget limit of $1600, I am not sure what I would purchase. If wanting to stay closer to $1000 budget and purchase a new product, I would consider the A-S801 or the Outlaw receiver (forgot model). There are likely more contenders.  That said, I would most likely look at purchasing a used recent model integrated which retailed at ~$2500 for somewhere between the aforementioned price points with the features required.