user poll on seperates vs integrated

There is no comparison… separates are better. 
if price is an issue take a look at Parrasound.  Great value there 

I would say those claiming cheap separates (Parasound) are better than Integrated by Circle Labs, Norma Audio, Simaudio, Soulnote…are simply wrong. I will put a Norma IA-140 against any lower end separates system. 

For many years I enjoyed separate preamp and stereo amps (VAC and Ayre mostly) that provided the power (separate power supplies?) for the speakers I was using at the time.  A little over a year ago I moved to a Gryphon Diablo 300 with its DAC module.  The Gryphon easily provides the power for my Rockport speakers and I was able to retire multiple sets of interconnects and power cables.  The main issue IMO with some integrated amplifiers is they do not have a robust power supply to drive hi end speakers.  There are many excellent high end integrateds being produced today but the goal is to obtain one at a cost that matches one's budget and thoughtfully matches the load it will be expected to drive.  

I’ve had separates for over fifty years and bought my first integrated in the end of ‘21.  I’ve been very happy with the Hegel H390, but I’m not using the streaming part and I’m not using the DAC.  I haven’t started looking yet, but it’s only a matter of time before I start looking for a couple of amps.

In general, the decision to separate amp and preamp sections is to keep high power components away from sensitive lower power components. For the same reason some people prefer separate power supplies as well. It makes it much easier for designers to shield from EM fields and associated distortion.