Greetings TBS!
I’m a fellow newbie to high end audio, at least by today’s standards. I totally relate to your dilemma!
I spent countless hours researching and checking out Amps before I settled on what I have. In the end I went with separates instead of an integrated set up.
I bought the Parasound Halo A21 Amp and the P5 PreAmp and I couldn’t be happier. This set up fit my budget which was 3-4K and sounds really nice with a variety of music genres. I listen to a lot of live Grateful Dead music, classic rock, funk, heavy metal.. my musical tastes are all over the map and the Parasound does well. Across the board.
In the end the most important thing is how it sounds to you, technical specs, reviews, opinions etc are great but you’ve gotta like the sound. What you love may sound like holy hell to the next person. Happy Hunting!!