I’ve been thinking a lot about Natalie Imbruglia lately—not about her music, but about the sentiment behind her best-known hit, “Torn,” from 1997. The word captures how I’ve been feeling as I reassess what I really want from my hi-fi system. No, I haven’t been feeling emotionally wrecked, lying naked on the floor as the singer laments in the chorus; but I am torn, more than ever before, as I suspect many audiophiles are these days, pulled between two very different sound-system philosophies. Do I want a sleek, full-featured piece of gear that delivers nearly everything I need—amplification, phono EQ, preamplification, streaming, digital-to-analog conversion, and maybe even a tuner—in one elegant chassis, or do I want a modular, flexible suite of separate components that could potentially, though not necessarily, provide better sound?
This conundrum isn’t new. I was already wrestling with it in the 1980s, trying to decide whether to move from an integrated amplifier to a separate preamplifier and power amplifier. Others were in the same boat. The choice was fairly simple back then. There seemed to be a price line that virtually divided integrated amplifiers from standalone amp and preamp sets. If you wanted decent power and good sound—and I certainly did—you had to look above that line and acquire separate components; if you were content with or willing or forced to accept less power and lower sound quality, you’d look below that line and get yourself an integrated amplifier.
A common problem with early integrated amplifiers was noise, especially at high volume levels. They were also more limited in power output than separate power amplifiers. Moreover, the meager feature set of early integrated amps pales in comparison to the rich feature sets of today’s integrated amplifiers. Apart from their smaller footprint, they offered no particular convenience that separate components lacked. It was simply a question of whether you were willing to spend more to get better sound.
I’m right back in it today, except that cost is no longer the primary consideration. I’ve spent some time with three very different pieces of gear spanning a wide price range: the T+A R 2500 R streaming CD–receiver ($18,800 plus $920 for the optional phono stage; all prices in USD), the Simaudio Moon 791 network player ($14,000), and the Bluesound Node Icon streamer ($1199). These three components challenge traditional assumptions about integrated and separate components, each offering many more features than any component of decades ago did—streaming, for one, which wasn’t even imagined back in the ’80s and ’90s.
The T+A R 2500 R, which I wrote about last year, is not your average audiophile receiver, the age-old product class it gets lumped into. It is an engineering tour de force with a vast feature set. For just shy of 20 large, you get a unit that combines a reference-grade DAC, an excellent phono stage (optional), a robust streaming engine, a tuner that supports both analog and digital radio, a stereo power amplifier, and even a CD transport—all housed in a meticulously crafted chassis complete with analog meters.
The most impressive feature of the R 2500 R is that despite its dense containment of the many various circuits in a single enclosure, it doesn’t sound like a compromise—it sounds sublime! As I wrote in my review, “T+A has built something truly great—because not a single feature of this unit could be considered a weak link.” For an audiophile component, the R 2500 R's feature set is exceptionally extensive. Cheap mass-market components tend to have similar features, but their performance levels are significantly lower. An integrated amplifier eliminates the hassle of component matching and the need for interconnects, and it saves shelf space. It can also save you money: if you tried to replicate the R 2500 R’s performance and features with separate components, you’d likely spend more. If you did, would you get better performance? Probably, but not much better. You’d also have to ask yourself how much you are willing to compromise on convenience and “domesticity.” After all, it would take several separate components to replicate the R 2500 R, not just two.
The Moon 791, which I reviewed in December 2023, lacks an onboard power amp, CD transport, and tuner, but it excels as a streaming preamp. It offers a high-quality preamplifier, a DAC, a phono stage (MM and MC), and streaming functionality. It also has an attractive full-color display for album art and other information. At $14,000, it's not a budget choice, but it delivers top-tier performance. Again, to achieve comparable performance with separate components you would likely have to spend much more.
A higher-end sibling of the 791 is the Moon 891, priced at $25,000. I haven’t heard the 891 myself, but Aron Garrecht reviewed it on SoundStage! Ultra last year. It offers refinements across the board compared to the 791, which is already spectacular, raising the bar for what an integrated preamp and source hub can do. It’s possible to surpass the 891's performance with separates, but it’s not easy. For most audiophiles, the Moon 891, as a streaming preamp, could definitely be an endgame product. It could still be that even if used strictly as a preamplifier.
On the more affordable side of the price range is the Bluesound Node Icon. At $1199 it might seem outclassed by the high-end gear mentioned above, but, like the Moon 791, it offers an extensive feature set with very little compromise compared to similarly priced separate components. The Node Icon combines streaming, a DAC, and basic preamp capabilities in a compact, easy-to-use package with a good-looking color screen. While it was not intended to compete directly with high-end separate or integrated components, it delivers a surprising level of performance for its price. The option to add Dirac Live room correction to the Icon, albeit at a cost, is invaluable in certain situations. Consider the Node Icon a compact, technology-rich, high-value solution for music lovers who prioritize simplicity and great sound and wish to avoid high cost and complexity.
The traditional belief that separates almost always sound better than integrated components no longer holds. Yes, separates still offer unmatched flexibility: Want to try a new DAC, switch preamps, or add a different streamer? Go for it. And true, the romantic idea of building a system piece by piece, of creating something truly personal, has been irresistible to disciples of the separates paradigm. But integrated components have distinct advantages—tighter internal control, optimized signal paths, fewer interconnects, among others—that can improve performance as well as facilitate setup. They have also undergone substantial evolution over the years.
At the higher end, products like the R 2500 R and Moon 791 demonstrate that consolidation does not necessarily entail compromise. As I previously mentioned, in decades past an integrated amp was demonstrably inferior to a pair of separate preamp and power amp and light-years ahead of a typical receiver. Contrast that with the T+A R 2500 R (a receiver!), which I’m convinced could hold its own against many integrated and separate solutions. The same goes for the Moon 791 and 891: you’ll have a difficult time finding better preamp, DAC, and phono-stage separates than what’s inside these streaming preamplifiers.
Ultimately, the decision on whether to choose an integrated system or one consisting of separate components hinges on how important the convenience of an integrated system is to you—specifically, whether you’re willing to trade that convenience (and probably spend a lot more money) for a potential gain in performance that is likely to be marginal at best. Now that the performance of integrated and separate-component systems can be practically on par, I find that I’m drawn to the freedom and flexibility of separates on some days, the elegance and simplicity of a one-box solution on others. So I’m still conflicted about this, but not everyone is.
I discussed this dilemma with Gordon Brockhouse, our managing editor and former senior editor of SoundStage! Simplifi, which focuses on integrated and all-in-one solutions. For Gordon, the choice is simple. He is done with the clutter of separates and will have none of it anymore. I can appreciate Gordon’s take on the matter. The new generation of integrated components do get so much right. They are legitimate high-end solutions nowadays, far removed from their sonically-compromised predecessors.
In the end, it seems to me that to resolve this conundrum you must know what matters to you most and be comfortable with trying different system arrangements as your priorities change, novel technologies emerge, and new components become available. Whichever path you choose, whether it’s separate components, an integrated system, or something in between, the goal remains the same: to enjoy the music and the system you build to play it.
Remember, too, that the integrated solutions of yesteryear were nowhere near today’s integrated components in terms of connectivity and flexibility. Provided it has appropriate inputs, it is simple to upgrade a modern integrated amplifier with an external DAC, a streamer, or a phono stage and continue to use it for amplification and its other features. You might not have the same flexibility with an integrated solution as with separate components, but you’re not locked in to their built-in sections.
In “Torn,” Imbruglia bemoans losing faith. I may be torn, but I have plenty of faith—in where hi-fi equipment is going and in the rewards of the audiophile pursuit. Things are constantly evolving, and it’s important to remain open-minded and flexible when deciding on a hi-fi system, that’s all. There can be worse pickles in life. Just listen to Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn.”
. . . Doug Schneider
das@soundstage.com
