integrated help please

In your budget I would be curious to try the Core Audio Technology level 2 all in one machine. It will have everything you need except speakers, supposedly makes cable choices and power conditioning irrelevant (I'm skeptical here) and goes for around $4k with a 30 day guarantee.

I'm waiting for a local buddy to get one so I can demo without popping down the cash. It seems to have a lotf promise.

I agree with Jkj25 above that you should separate the amplifier from the DAC. Yes, I know it means two boxes (and maybe more money) but it gives you maximum flexibility to select the best amp and the best DAC for your system. It also enables you to upgrade one piece and not the other, if needed.

the new ModWright Integrated has an built in DAC option and it is in your price range.

I've never heard a Modwright I didn't like, so yes, I'd put it on the short list.

I've bought the Peachtree Grand Integrated last week. It requires ~250 hours of breakin. I've only pout ~30 hours so far. I'm using them with a new speakers (Joseph Audio Pulsar) so can't really do a meaningful comparison to my old gears. But I'd say it already sounds great. The looks and the build is very good. Having the Dac, Preamp and amp building into one chasis with the best possible matching and shortest distance electrons have to travel. The sound is ahh so glorious.

I've two compalins so far about the GI. No balanced input/output support. Volume control rotary knob doesn't glow or anything, so its hard to tell in a semi-dark room which position the volum knob is.

I've thought long and hard about the flexibility having a separate dac. I'd have used a $1k-$2k separate dac. My previous dac was W4S Dac-2. I could easily live with the dac inside of GI for next 4-5 years or so. If I can't resist buying a dac in next 2 years, I can always use GI as preamp and power amp combo with a outboard dac.