Belles Virtuoso or PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP

I've been doing this for a long time and have dabbled in SOTA stuff as well as some moderately high end stuff, solid state and tubes. I have now settled into two PL Dialogue integrateds, the One and the Two. Two systems. They are about 4 to 5 years old and have not required any service. They are infinitely tunable by selection of power and small tubes and having that ability will keep you occupied for a while. :-). That said I must admit I have not heard the latest PL's. I'm happy with what I've got.

Since you're just speculating (:-) so will I. I've never compared them. It is likely that the pre/amp combo will have at least slightly better resolution, or at least presentation of detail, but unless you have very high quality speakers which have been set up to optimize their sound/room interface, it is more likely that you will not detect the difference. You will also optimize your ability to change the tone because you will have more tubes to play with (and IC's, etc). I subscribe to the KISS philosophy and maintain a decent level of sanity. :-)  BTW I think I read about some comments in one of the mag's (Stereophile (?) about the Amp/Pre combo which indicated the combo might not be optimum but I never actually researched it further. You might.