Are integrated amps technically better than separates?

I've used separates for years, right down to phono preamps and MC step up transformers.

I sold hi-end gear during college to pay the bills working at a local tweak shop. As you might imagine, I received professional training from the different reps who called on us.

The pitch for separates of course was flexibility to customize the sound and to reduce the possibility of signal "smear" from everything being on the same chassis with the resulting improvement in sound.

At the end of the day, practical matters of available space, budget, etc come into play.

Buy what you can afford and still manage to enjoy it!

You know, if you think about it, a well designed integrated amp will have a perfectly matched preamp to the internal power amp, taking the guess work out of matching separates. In addition if the preamp section is passive so it will take up less space in a single cabinet thus giving more room for the power amp section and its large power supply.
Here is one disadvantage of an integrated amp that I can think of:One, you can't try different combinations of separate preamps or power amps (tube or solid state) unless the integrated amp has pre-ins or pre-outs
But an integrated is a space-saver if this is important to your set-up and I have heard some very good sounding units.

The limitation with integrated amps used to be noise levels cramming more circuits into close proximity with power transformers, etc.

That limitation seems to have been largely resolved these days. Integrated amps seem able to deliver more juice while maintaining dead quiet noise levels. The all digital Class D Bel Canto C5i I have in my second system is a good example. Even a $90 Fosi 40 watt Class D integrated amp with Bluetooth (about the size of a pack of cigarettes)I use in a third system is dead quiet.

Would you fill in some of the details of what you know about power cords? You've told us that a power cord that's not up to the job is going to hurt the sound, but what are the basic requirements for an adequate power cord? One that will not degrade the sound in a system the average 'Goner might own.  

As a general rule of thumb I go with heat. If the cord makes any heat at all, in the middle or on either end after several hours of operation, then its not up to the task of working with the component its powering. At that point a heavier power cord can be very nice. The connections on either end can be important- if they heat up it won't matter much about how good the cord itself is as the voltage drops on the connectors (hence the heat) will overpower that.


I have a cheap solid state amp in my bedroom system that makes about 5 watts per channel on a good day. It does not need much of a power cord. But with a 60watt tube amp you can notice differences (and measure differences too) quite easily. So there is a scale issue here due to Ohm's Law; consequently what will work varies from product to product.