Integrateds: Why do they all SUCK?

I sampled this recently vs LTA pre/power and Odyssey Kismet/Candella and it won. The other went back and they Lyngdorf stayed. I'm still amazed by it. Sadly, the Odyssey and certainly the LTA hardware were WAY cooler looking. But this all about the ears. Not the eyes. Find a dealer and give it at try. https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/integrated-amplifiers/lyngdorf-audio-tdai-2170-fully-d...

EAR 834T (and a 324 phono) if you can afford it.

Anthem 225 looks great!  30,000mfd reserve capaitance in the heafty power supply. Toroidal transformer, quality throughout and great specs and reviews.

Looks like the only thing that "SUCKS" is the OP's dumb question.

Integrated amplifier vs. separates?  It all depends on who's baking the bread. Certainly if you tell your design team they can design without sharing the apartment the end results have the potential to outperform.  This assumes we are operating at the same level of engineering, have access to the same technology, and with almost unlimited parts availability. Some IAs will dramatically outperform some separates while also costing more. Like most things it ultimately gets down to money.  Not just the cost of the component. (Some very expensive devices still render poor sound quality). Access to quality R&D (money) is a big deal.  Despite the subjective nature of the exercise this same thing can be said of loudspeakers.  Regardless of your budget consideration should be given to the manufacturers operating budget, access to technology, the quality of the design team, and the overall commitment to excellence.