An integrated amp with a built-in D/A is the modern equivalent of a receiver and all the old pluses and minuses apply. It's a single box as opposed to multiple boxes and requires only a single shelf space. You don't need interconnects (or additional power cords). No need to fret over mismatched gain or impedance matching. A single remote control. The downside is you can get better quality (at a higher price) with separate components.
Newer D/As will decode higher sampling rates of both PCM and DSD. If you are downloading these hi-rez files, then get a recent model converter. My experience is unless you go above $3k all D/As more or less sound the same, which is uniformly good. My question to the OP is "do you have a reason not to go with an integrated solution?"
Newer D/As will decode higher sampling rates of both PCM and DSD. If you are downloading these hi-rez files, then get a recent model converter. My experience is unless you go above $3k all D/As more or less sound the same, which is uniformly good. My question to the OP is "do you have a reason not to go with an integrated solution?"