I think you would sacrifice sound quality. I have an 8500 and a variety of separates from McIntosh, Acurus,SAE,ATI,others. I bought the 8500 to try a modern integrated. I like it but its different than the other gear. Less warm and more sterile. Better detail but it has less presence. I think the tradeoffs made in design and cost for an integrated disadvantage it atthe lower price point. I think you would need a higher value integrated to come out ahead.
Marantz PM 8003 v Rotel or NAD sperates
I much prefer integrateds but do not want to go backwards Understanding the power differences would there be any reason from a sound quality perspective to go from say a Rotel RC 995/RB 990 or NAD C162/ 272 to a marantz PM 8003 integrated? I had one while ago but now have different gear so not sure.