user poll on seperates vs integrated

seems like for the most part, people feel that while integrated amps have improved considerably in recent years, separates remain the better overall solution for reasons like being able to upgrade single elements in the future without having to swap out the whole thing, but at the cost of more cabling to purchase and more space needed for all the boxes.

i didn't really come in thinking there was a definite answer, i just wanted gauge if there was a general feeling one way or the other and seems that "it depends" is the answer, due to too many variable to rule out.  the truth is i'm sure i'll enjoy whatever i end up doing down the line, as any sort of upgrade will still sound like an upgrade, and i'll never know what i'm missing in the gear i didn't go with.  i appreciate everyone weighing in with their thoughts and experience though.  and obviosly with specifics they've tried and did or did not care for.  there are so many options it would be impossible to try all or even very many of them.

when i was shopping for speakers a few years back i had to just read and read and read and narrow it down to 4 or 5 options that i could check out locally, and rule out anything that wasn't available locally, so i'll never know if i might have liked one of those better that didn't have a local dealer, and not knowing is probably for the best, since i love what i ended up with.  i just prefer to come to a place like this to solicit info vs a shop who is trying to sell me on what they carry, or a magazine that just loves everything they write about.

I have both a tube integrated amp and a SS integrated amp. I also have a tube preamp paired with a SS amp. I would say I  like both integrated units.... more than the separates. I think they sound better and offer better performance.

There's always a compromise and I currently use an amplifier and a source that includes preamp, streamer/dac and phono stage (Moon 390).  There are several manufacturers with similar products (Moon 390 with 330 is about $11k)

Keeping the amplification in a separate case from the the other electronics provides flexibility in upgrading. 

A bank robber will always rob. One job can net him all the money he'd ever need in life but the money is not the goal. He'll find some reason to blow it all so he can get back to robbing. 

It's the same "for the most part" with some here in this hobby. The sound they get can be fantastic and satisfying, but that's not why they're in this hobby anymore.

All the best,
Nonoise

My very first HiFi was a Marantz 1060 and Large Advents, a Philips 212 and B&O SP-12 cart. Since then I've had a bunch of separates, 150W/ch HK Citation 16, 40W/ch MC240. This time around I went with a Marantz PM7000N Integrated driving LS50s , now  MA Silver 300-7 and a VPI Prime w/Hana SH..

If I were to upgrade, My next move would be a McIntosh MA-252 Hybrid Tube, above that, a Levinson 5802 or 5805 with a possibility of a Luxman 509. And I still haven't touched $1OK, and I haven't blown a European vacation on interconnects. 

So if none of the above float your boat, and you gotta have separates, I'd start with Parasound, maybe NAD, and from there it's a 3-Way between your discretionary income, marital considerations, and how much fiddling around you want to do with components and cables. 

For me, there's just too much value in integrated amps, and at the end of the day, I just want to listen to some music, maybe spin some vinyl.