Separates vs. Integrated

My past experience includes mono amps from Ralph Karsten, Nelson Pass, Jeff Rowland, BEL, and stereo amps from those above plus Goldmund, Audio Research, Levinson, Ayre, Boulder,Spectral and others. Preamps have included Encore, CAT,Reference Line, Krell, Threshold and some of the makers mentioned above. Eventually I downscaled to a Classe Six and a Seventy amp. So I've had a good taste of separates over the past 20 years but I have never owned anything superior to the JRDG Concentra 1 I now use.
Jeff's web site offers some of the innovations and design decisions that make him so proud of this piece.
I agree that most of the integrateds available in this country in the past were basically just a receiver without a tuner but I think a lot of the reason for that was the perception that (still prevalent) only separate components can deliver true high end sound. Jeff, among others, has most certainly put the lie to that belief.
Now that you can buy a Concentra used for $3K or less, there are strong arguments against the need for separates. That really isn't much to lay out for a preamp and amplifier of such high performance and pedigree. And considering that there is almost no wire inside my amp, I think there is a definite advantage in eliminating an interconnect.

SDT99, in separates there is less noise interference from neighboring circuits but it does not mean a human can hear it (as I stated in my response above). Just check out noise specs for the separates and integrateds that share the same circuits and you will find objective proof. So yes, separates are quieter and thus (for some) better.

Didn't Nudell and McGowan once make a monster integrated? There are good arguments for both approaches. Keeping amps away from low level signals is always a good idea, especially with tubes and phono stages. What better way to reduce the chance of microphonics and cross-talk. I like the post above that suggests separating all channels all the way. IMHO using cross-overs before the amp stage makes the most sense. I suppose that could be "integrated " as well. Some big amps really need space to disipate heat and as they require little in the way of hands on control, why not separate them?

I agree with Khokugo. Having said that most newer integrated amps are just a power amp with a passive pre.

I think the decision as to whether to get separates or an integrated largely comes down to power requirements. If it's 60w per channel or less then an integrated is probably OK, if 100s of watts then separates are probably required.

Interesting that noone mentioned the relative importance of long interconnects versus long speaker cables. One of the advantages touted for monoblocks is that the monoblocks can be placed by the speakers, with the preamp driving a long interconnect. This is apparently better than having long speaker cables, because the long cable is carrying very little current, almost just a pure voltage signal.