Do I really need a Dac?

No you don't. DAC's are just in the middle of their 15 minutes of fame. It will pass.

Zd542:

No offense taken. No, I am not that new, I am just more into the music side of things as opposed to the gear. Sometimes I get confused and say things that on retrospect seem strange. I'm confused because, if you look at the most expensive systems on this site, owned by the most experienced audiophiles, they all seem to play LPs thru Tube amps. Silly me, I thought that was vintage stuff. But, on this site it's considered the highest-fi possible. So, you can understand why I assumed that all this digital stuff was just a passing fancy. That's one of the reasons I have three of everything. I expect any day to not to be able to buy 2 channel ss amps or cd players. DACS: I will get the oppo 103 when it comes out. That built in DAC should hold me for a few years. with Blu Ray and SACD as icing on the cake. However, your entire statement is correct.
Cheers

Zd542: You missed my pitiful attempt at irony.:)
BTW, cars are not vintage products, but the model T is, even one recently built.

Your last statement is absolutely true and could not be stated more concisely!!
Cheers.

the oppo 1003 is the best bang for the buck. That's the one I just ordered. I think these things, all disc players, will fail sooner or later and / or become obsolete, so the key is to get the most for the least money. Oppo is a good choice. NO ONE has ever said anything bad about the oppo line. My marantz player died several months ago. I paid $300, and had it for 8 years. Just threw it in the garage and moved on. Now, if my $1000 dollar marantz had failed, I would be one sick puppy about now. "sound' is not a consideration. IMHO.
Cheers.