@bound4h, so much in audio, like life, is satisfying personal needs.
My first stereo included Dynakit amp and preamp in the late '60s. Until last year the only integrateds I owned were a classic used NAD 3020 I picked up for a second system and a 300B PP unit with HE speakers.. Over the years I had tubes and solid state, stereo amps and mono blocs, preamps and line stages with separate phono stages. I know there are claimed advantages with each choice but I found it was more of a matter of overall system matching than one particular component type.
Recently (and admittedly due in part to my age) I wanted to simplify my system by taking out the mono blocs, line stage, and extra wires. I found a nice deal on a demo Accuphase integrated (making it more affordable) and I've not been disappointed.. A bonus was having tone controls (switchable) for the first time in years, plus a built-in headphone amp.
I can't answer your specific questions but part of that may be resolved by carefully defining what is most important to you. Then planning the step by step path without compromises to achieve that system.