DAC question - is music streamer DAC better than mcintosh DA2?

All dacs/phono stages built into an integrated amp or separate preamp are comprises vs a good standalone. I had a newer high budget McIntosh preamp a couple of years ago with a built in dac and phono preamp, which didn’t sound anywhere close to my external dac and phono preamp. Now if you have a couple thousand $$$ external dac, then you should compare the dacs to see which 1 you like better.

Other than that, I like the McIntosh integrateds.

I have a MA12000 running NOS tubes.  My sole source is a Pro-Ject StreamBox Ultra 2, plugged into the internal Mac DAC.  It works great, sounds great, and takes up virtually no space.  And yes, the MA12000 never breaks a sweat, regardless of what it's driving.  

The DAC is probably good but not at the level of the amp.

I have a MA 12000 also, with NOS tubes. I like it! The Dac in my Lumin T2 is a touch better than the DA2. But the DA2 beats the heck out of Bluesound Nodes, Cambridge's and the like. Plus... Whenever McIntosh decides to come out with a DA3, it is upgradeable. Buy once, cry once. Another thing I love about the integrated's is fewer power cords and interconnects. Now instead of purchasing many different cables, I can purchase one higher end cable. They add up! 

It was better then a few streamers i've had, including an Aurender A10. Mines in a C2700. took a much more expemcive DAC to outprefomr it. I'd say 4$k and up to get better. not different as many are just that.