I think you run into a conundrum of mass appeal when you talk about preamps vs. receivers.
First off... Stereo is dead.
Not in the morbid - buried six feet under, being gnawed on by ants sort of way, but more in the "Geez, did that guy just fall off the face of the earth?" kind of way.
While the are afficianados of stereo, for the most part, everyone and their uncle.... and their kids - they
all want surround sound.
Throw in the fact that people are idiots.
Yes, you may disagree and point out with all your heart, that you indeed are not an idiot... But you would be wrong. The first step in life is admitting you are indeed, an idiot. Because we all are. There is just to much that we are supposed to know, and no way in the world for us to have enough time to know it all. So, for most of the world, that idiocy lies squarely in the world of A/V. So, yes, you may not be an A/V idiot, but when 99.9% of the world is an A/V idiot, the manufacturers are just a bit more likely to cater to them, instead of... oh say... you.
With that knowledge at hand, we now can start to understand why it is that a $500 receiver, can sound just as good - if not better - in the preamp stage as a $2,000 one-off hand build piece from a high end, nose in the air company. You see, the high end piece just isn't any better. Sure, those guys have the knowledge, but in reality, the company making the $500 product often has 10 guys with that knowledge for every one guy that smaller company has. Those guys also have a budget that makes little countries, like Canada, a bit jealous. You see, they have the technological resources, the in-house testing facilities, the experience, and the sheer capability to put out a product that meets, or exceeds almost anything else that can be made.
For stereo, they don't - because they don't care.
You hear, already, such silly statements as "Buy a really nice amplifier, then buy a really nice pre-amp FROM THE SAME COMPANY". Yet, somehow, you are now under the impression that if you put them on top of one another in an equipment rack you will somehow generate better sound that if you put them one on top of the other inside the same equipment case.
Do you really think that makes any sense at all?
Now, a good company, with high dollar product, that is actually a GOOD company, will deliver good product. It doesn't matter if it is separates or integrated, the bottom line is that good is good, and you must evaluate every piece you listen to individually.
IMO: If you are considering separates, then get a good amplifier. One that is specifically good. Don't think about who it comes from or what the brand name is, just get one that is good for your speakers, room, and needs.
Then go find a preamp that is good. A good amp isn't going to add color to the audio, and a good pre-amp is going to work with any amp perfectly. My biggest headache is that I really want a preamp that does very little... but does it all. That is, one with HDMI in/out, but not 10 HDMI connections, just one.. or two. One with a few analog audio inputs, and limited video connections. Maybe a 2 or 3 space preamp, at a reasonable price. Give me a Denon 3808 without the amp, and with a quarter the inputs/outputs, but with ALL the underlying processing.
Then give me an amplifier that really knocks my socks off.
One they can hear in Canada would be nice.
