The most useless word in high end audio is “always”.
There are cheaply made separates and cheaply made integrateds. Depending on your budget, space and system synergy there are great options for either choice ~ if you do your homework and listen carefully.
Years ago stereo receivers were popular but high end fans panned them because these single boxes were cramming the tuner, amp, pre amp, connects and power supply in one case. The higher end market produced separate boxes for amps, preamps and power supplies with better components and shielding from noise, etc, for those who wanted the ultimate flexibility.
Building a system with a rack full of separate components can be the fun part for some fans. Some folks love this “its the center of this hobby” aspect while others just want great music with as little fuss as possible. No right or wrong here.
But stating that sound quality is missing with separates is just total nonsense...
There are cheaply made separates and cheaply made integrateds. Depending on your budget, space and system synergy there are great options for either choice ~ if you do your homework and listen carefully.
Years ago stereo receivers were popular but high end fans panned them because these single boxes were cramming the tuner, amp, pre amp, connects and power supply in one case. The higher end market produced separate boxes for amps, preamps and power supplies with better components and shielding from noise, etc, for those who wanted the ultimate flexibility.
Building a system with a rack full of separate components can be the fun part for some fans. Some folks love this “its the center of this hobby” aspect while others just want great music with as little fuss as possible. No right or wrong here.
But stating that sound quality is missing with separates is just total nonsense...