Integrated vs. Separates on a Budget

Easy! Sugden A21se signature class A integrated @ $3250...there is NONE better at that price, sorry....I should know, as I buy and sell equipment like there is no tomorrow, and thus far, my Sugden is not going anywhere....it is a keeper.

Check out the Peachtree Nova 300 with a bluesound node. You won’t be disappointed. 

big_greg's thoughtful post is very well taken (though I'd not want to draw any inferences from the SQ from my Yammy HT receiver ;))

Certainly, a wide range of implementations could work very well at your price-point.

It does sound like this is early days for you, klimt,; if so, the first and best advice is don't hurry.  First, shopping and learning is fun, and second, you'll save yourself grief.

(Eg., Fairly early on, I sold a nice preamp, because PS Audio said you could get better sound just running the volume control on their then brand new Perfect Wave DAC (thanks Paul!).  I did this without listening (maybe I used the pre to finance the DAC).  Turned out most ANY preamp sounded better in my system than the digital volume in the Perfect Wave, including the ancient ADCOM that had gathered dust in my garage for years.)

Second, keep doing what you're doing, and talk to folks.  COVID makes it's it a bit more challenging, but if things open up, try to get to one of the Spring shows, where you can hear lots of stuff, and talk to lots of helpful folks.

And if you haven't already, do a "Any Audiophiles in [My Area]?" post.  Not only did this help a ton with my system, and lead to a lot of great listening, I've had two good friends for the past 15 years.

Get the Yamaha A-S1200 integrated. The looks and sound of it are unmatched for 3k. If you want to tinker around with a separate preamp on a future budget, you can run it directly to it’s poweramp section.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1569201-REG/yamaha_a_s1200sl_integrated_amplifier.html/?ap=y&gclid=Cj0KCQiA8ICOBhDmARIsAEGI6o03k6PvnNe5dNGQ13qJASWhVPJ-ILuEmYZGtEDEdBNDlV9fhTVFJikaAqC7EALw_wcB&lsft=BI%3A514&smp=y

Just get a 2 channel power amp and use your Denon as a pre for 2 channel. You will be surprised how the dedicated amp helps your 2 channel come alive. You can also get a phono sound stage that can improve your vinyl and connect a dedicated DAC streamer for digital. I bought a Emotiva BAS-A2 (160 Watts per channel) for my Yamaha A-840 and it sounds great with my Tekton Lore Be's for 2 channel. It also lets you use the Audyssey setup and remote features from your Denon.