Are integrated amps technically better than separates?

Here, if we are going reasonably close to cost, perhaps comparing the top Luxman pre and amp to the D'Agostino amp is a closer match?

https://www.whathifi.com/dan-dagostino/momentum-integrated-amplifier/review

While I haven't heard the integrated, I've heard the amps and they are really good, so I think this would be closer.

And this gets me back to the kind of original point, while I believe it is possible to design an integrated and pre that are as good or better than their separates, with no boundaries the comparisons become kind of meaningless.

"Oh, I once heard a pre/amp that sounded a lot better than X integrated" doesn't prove anything really. Of course, neither does cost.

Best,

E

t I got something that was better for me at $3K. I guess it must not be as good since it is cheaper. This preamp is going to be paired with the Luxman m900u amp or something a little bit higher in cost (must be better then).

I've never supported the idea that cost alone ensured quality or desirability, in fact I've posted many a times that this was short sighted, so you are barking up the wrong poster's tree here.

However, I also think that if we are going to compare maybe something reasonably equivalent would be a better way to go.  An example for this might be the CJ CAV 50 vs. the PV 10 and a similar powered small tube amp.

Maybe not the OP's intent, but I'd phrase the question like this: If you have $10K to spend, will you find better performance with integradeds or separates? 

I compared the Luxman 509x integrated vs the Luxman c900u and m900u.

Oh for peete's sake.  You compared a $9,500 integrated to a combination that runs ~ $40k. How does this tell you anything?

Take for example high quality capacitors which alone take a lot of space.

Right, but you don't need coupling caps if you are designing the pre and amp together. But also, this is very brand specific. Not everyone uses large, boutique caps at all.

So I would be interested to see what the answers would be if the OP had specified "at the same price point."

One reason why most top-end preamps have separate power supplies.

Of course, nothing sells like excess.

Like anything, specifics matter.

Could they be? Yes, certainly. The issues of DC coupling and impedance matching of each stage to the other vanish, not to mention the need for another set of interconnects, and the possible issues with proper connections at each of those points.

One of the other places where separate costs don’t really add up for the consumer is in the cost of the cases. Separates require more casework and associated assembly times, so you pay for that without any direct value add.

I am very happy to have turned into a Luxman integrated owner. It’s solved a number of issues with space and connectivity as well as improved the overall sound quality vs. the previous set up.

At the total price point I am at, I would have a very difficult time doing better with separates. Now, if I were to spend 4x as much with separates, that’s another story. :)