I debated for a while about separates v. integrated. IMO, we spend too much time talking about how it looks, and not enough about sound. I ended up with an Ayon integrated that is amazing, but had to remove a shelf to place on the rack. I am not a fan of accidentally kicking components not neatly placed on a rack. That said, I have no issues with integrated, and in fact will stay with this brand (Ayon), and integrated from now on. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, and nobody can prove differently. You don't need dual amps, quad amps to make the music sound better than you ever wanted it to. You usually need a separate phono stage, but not always the case.
After years of separates, I'm going integrated. Anyone else do the same?
I'm rethinking my listening room. I want my audio rack to be more minimalist vs lots of boxes, wires, and clutter. I know separates, in general, will sound better. However, at the level of my system, I'm not certain the difference would be as apparent. In the grand scheme of things of Audiophilia, my level of components are mid-fi at best (BHK Pre, First Watt J2, Elac PPA-2 phono, Pro-ject s2 Dac, ZU Omen Defs)
I'm favoring one of the Luxman Class A's (I know Luxman is getting out of the Class A business. The only way I would favor a built-in Dac is if it were upgradable like McIntosh or Accuphase. I'm guessing a Luxman or Mac built-in phono would sound just as good as to what I have now (Elac PPA-2).
So the question is, who else has gone to integrated? Do you regret the move or are you glad you did?