Streamer/DAC+integrated vs All in one?

I'll be 100% honest I just got into HiFi at the beginning of the year when my wife got me a record player, but I went the buying all individual source components route and feel a little bit over my head. I do like the idea of some of these all-in-one units nowadays, most notably the Cambridge Audio Evo 150, but as of right now I've been buying and selling various pieces of my system already and feel like I'm coming into a sweet spot, it wasn't cheaper easy however. There's pluses and minuses to both, but I think from a money standpoint the all in ones are the way to go (probably what I would've done over).

You just have to ask yourself how much time and money do you want to spend? If you don't want to spend a lot of time, an all in one is great! If you also don't want to spend a lot of money, again an all I want is great (most of the time).

I would only recommend buying individual source components to those who want to spend a lot of time and potentially a lot of money, cuz that seems to be how it goes on these HiFi forums.

Current system

Innuous Zenith
Matrix Audio X SPDIF 2 (Small Green Computer LPS)
Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Technics SU-G700 i-amp
Cambridge Azur (Dual Mono Block) 851w power amps
JBL-100 Classics 75th Anniversary Speakers
Dual Kef Kube 12b subwoofers

I have no idea what I'm doing for cables (just use so/so ones) other then a $150 usb audio cable from my Zenith, and a Gustard i2S cable from my Matrix to my DAC, and XLR cables when I can run them, lasting making my own speaker level connections for my subwoofers.

I do like my system a lot and it was all my own creation more or less.

Buying a decent Int. Amp/DAC/Streamer makes a lot of sense to get started. Buy brands in demand so if decide to trade up people will want your gear. Hence I suggest Hegel. I missed your budget but Hegel goes from $2k-$10k as I recall.
If you stream signup for Roon Service and add Tidal or Qobuz.
All others are cr-p.
Keep us posted on your decisions please!

i second the recommendation for hegel... be sure to get their current gen gear (not older models) as the current gen has their best dac sections

for a lower budget option, consider the nuprime ida-8 - doesn't sound quite as nice as the hegels but reasonably close, at much lower cost

Look at the KRELL K-300i. It is amazingly convenient all in one which sounds great, and can incorporated HDMI inputs and HDMI output to a excellent TV picture. I both he internal DAC and also an external DAC.

Stereophile compares it to the $15K Boulder 866 in the online site this month.

I was going to sell mine but I am so glad I did not now since I have a new way to use it (my headphone amp).

I think it depends on whether you see yourself continuing with the hobby and going deeper down the rabbit hole. If you know you’ll want to upgrade in the future, I think it’s a good idea to keep the digital components separate from the amplifier. Digital seems to be evolving all the time and certain digital components may be more likely to lose value or become obsolete in the near-future, which could negatively impact the re-sale value of your amp (if you get an all-in-one). If you get a separate DAC and an integrated, you could just upgrade the DAC and keep the integrated, or sell the integrated for a bit more since it won’t be affected by having an input or feature that a potential buyer won’t use. 

Thanks for the comments here - they led to loads more research. While the gold note is1000 sounds like an amazing piece of gear and tough to beat for the convenience and price, I’m heading down the path of separates as a better bet long term. Picked up a lumin T2 and shopping for a used Luxman integrated.