here’s the rub. it’s not that simple.
in the modest price range for phono’s and preamps sometimes the cable interface is a big restriction. put them both in one chassis and that whole cable thing is eliminated, and typically that cable is not a spendy one for that price point system. less is more.
the other issue is that a better power supply in one preamp chassis for both pre and phono might be superior to two less performing power supplies. you might get more overall quality for your money in one chassis. and be able to afford a better single power cable.
so you cannot generalize about separates and integrateds being better or worse.
the one attribute of separates is you can more easily read about various choices; there are more separates and feedback about them. but unless you compare them directly hard to know.
at a higher price point i have 4 separate phono stages. two are in my battery powered active preamp chassis, but it’s $50k. two more are stand alone. all three are great sounding but spendy.
so the answer is it depends......
in the modest price range for phono’s and preamps sometimes the cable interface is a big restriction. put them both in one chassis and that whole cable thing is eliminated, and typically that cable is not a spendy one for that price point system. less is more.
the other issue is that a better power supply in one preamp chassis for both pre and phono might be superior to two less performing power supplies. you might get more overall quality for your money in one chassis. and be able to afford a better single power cable.
so you cannot generalize about separates and integrateds being better or worse.
the one attribute of separates is you can more easily read about various choices; there are more separates and feedback about them. but unless you compare them directly hard to know.
at a higher price point i have 4 separate phono stages. two are in my battery powered active preamp chassis, but it’s $50k. two more are stand alone. all three are great sounding but spendy.
so the answer is it depends......