I was in your situation (same budget) and went with the PL EVO 300 and for the money, I personally think it’s a great value. Upgraded to KT-88s and NOS preamp tubes and it never looked back.
Will I go to separates one day? Probably, but that leaves me something to look forward to. For now, a good integrated is better than average separates.
For those who bash the made in China and potential service issues, I’m not sure where the logic is to that argument. These are well designed and well assembled and not sure why a non-Chinese worker would do such a superior job! And I have found Upscale Audio to be excellent with their service.