Do Integrateds sound better than Receivers?

Posting to a thread that has been idle for 8 years, I am obviously wacko.
I have a Rotel RX-1052 receiver. I'd love to experiment with a pre-amp upgrade; but the 1052 does not have a mains-in or any way to bypass the pre-amp that I am aware of. It does have a pre-out, so I could experiment with different amps and use the 1052 as a pre only.

Does anyone think that would be a worthwhile step between where I am and moving to separates, or would it be better to chuck it and get an integrated? I was really looking for an integrated when I bought the 1052 used for $200 (well worth it!!!), but could not find one with the power I was looking for that was manufactured in the last 10 years.

I'd love to upgrade to a Prima Luna or Belles Aria, but I'm not at that budget level yet. Also, since I have Stax headphones, I really need A+B speaker connections to avoid running my speakers through the Stax power supply.

When I was young I did save, save, save and go to retailers to listen, listen, listen. There wasn't as much of a used market because there was no internet. I don't remember ever seeing any desirable equipment in the newspaper classifieds. When I could, I bought some demo units. Reached a point where I was satisfied and then the kids took over my attention.

Things are much more fun now. You can get reliable opinions on a lot of quality used gear and get some real value. Unfortunately, I can't listen to much at retailers anymore. There seems to be nothing between the big box stores and ultra high-end in my area. Three of the high end audio dealers are great places run by great people who will help you put together a nice system at a reasonable cost. It's just that they don't have any tower speakers or pre-amps below $2,000 each on the floor. They'll be happy to order it for you; but you don't get to compare. So I guess, as Joni Mitchell said, something's lost but something's gained.

Either way, I;m much more obsessed now then I was 30 years ago!