DAC/w Volume control + Power amp or DAC + Integrated?

As usual, the answers given here are wrong. They are wrong because no one can tell you which combination of gear will work best given the wide range of available DACs (dedicated or integrated), preamps (passive or active), amps (integrated or dedicated, A, A/B, Tube, D, etc), and cables, not to mention sources. 

Anyone who suggests they know the answer is deluded. One may find a general pattern - maybe - if they build many systems of a variety of configurations, but recommending one setup over another simply by making one or two changes is weak, and it is more personal preference than any meaningful principle guiding setup. 

The fact is that any given set of gear, cables, and speakers in one configuration could be bested by another set of gear in a different configuration. There is no other correct general answer. 

The Hegel and Devialet will sound somewhat different than the LTA Ultra.  The Spatials are reported to work quite well with moderate power, say 20 to 50 watt, tube amplifiers.  I would suspect that the LTA would be a very good match.  There are advantages to an integrated with an internal D/A, but the Chord is probably better sound quality than the internal D/As in this price range.

And just in case you're wondering, my answer is more correct than most!

arron

Jiss49. Do you think tube integrateds don’t have enough juice for M3 Sapphire? Clayton at Spatial claims that low powered tube works nicely though.

a tube amp can certainly drive m3 sapphires but it needs to be a relatively powerful tube amp imo and one that has 4 ohm taps -- if you have a medium to large room

one must not generalize about what it takes drive spatials... those who do don’t know the line...

- m5 sapphire is 8 ohm load, one 15 in woofer on each side 92 db/w/m eff
- m3 sapphires is 4 ohm load, two 15 in woofers on each side 92 db/w/m eff
- x5 is 8 ohm load, two 12 in woofers but with self powered built in sub for the lower woofer, 97 db eff 8 ohm load as seen by your outboard amp
- x3 same as x5 except with larger 15 in internally driven woofer instead of the 12 in unit

so the m3 is the most challenging of the lot... m5 you lose 2 woofers and their output, but sure, it is easier to drive by a tube amp as impedance much more friendly at 8 ohms

x3/5 different can of worms totally - your amp only sees the tweeter and one 12 in woofer... so, easy-breezy to drive above the low pass filter cut off by a connected tube amp, the internal solid state amp doing all the heavy lifting in the low frequencies where the current draw and damping factor is most needed - flea watt amps thus CAN apply for the job successfully here

clayton has indeed used the 13 wpc lta zotl tube amp to drive m3 sapphires at audio shows, but it should be noted that

a) the lta’s are NOT everyday transformer based tube amps... the lta’s use a trick power supply and no output transformers and are a special case and can grip the m3’s woofers especially well

b) note that this set up is being played in a small room, two speakers stradding a single wide equipment rack, side and rear walls nearby... listening was semi nearfield

https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/spatial-m3-lampizator-amber3-lta-z10-integrated-caf-system

FWIW: I bought the Nobsound passive amp because of the discussion in this thread about bit-stripping. The Nobsound was only $60 and it was for sale on Amazon. So, for once, I could try something without consideration of restocking fees, etc. I was thrilled to get it today. And then I put it into my system. No doubt there are superior passive amps. This one reduced the soundstage in my system to 2 dimensions. So, back to Amazon it goes. 

Two components that have added more ‘bloom’ and expanded the height and depth of the soundstage was; An all tube preamp and tHe Audio Mirror Tubsdour III DAC having a tube output stage.