Do I really need a Dac?

A new Benchmark HGC might be the answer, but I'm speculating based on their reputation and claims they're making for the new DAC. I know I'll get one ASAP.
$500 for a digital cable? Will all due respect, that's ridiculous in this day and age and with modern DAC's jitter rejection capability. One 4ft/2ft 2" thick sound panel placed anywhere in the room will make a much bigger difference in sound than the difference between a $500 coaxial digital cable and a $3.69 premium cable from monoprice feeding ones and zero's from a transport into a Benchmark DAC, or an Empirical Audio DAC/reclocker for that matter.

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

Donplatt,
We're all assuming the Sony has a digital out? You'll need a decent digital cable to connect with the new DAC.
How about going from your computer to the DAC? That's another possibility.

I say get a new CD player rather than adding a DAC to such an old player. There are lots of reasonably priced players that I think are way better than my 801ES.

I think DACs are generating so much enthusiasm lately because they seem to be the single most rapidly evolving component in high end audio today. Irrespective of the DAC flavor one prefers, its hard to argue with the statement that in a resolving system, the DACs coming out in the last couple years are a leap above what was available five years ago.

The other exciting part is that these products are getting relatively inexpensive. For less then a thousand bucks I picked up a Metrum Octave which sounds far better in my system then it has a right to for the cost of entry. Hell, it actually replaced a far more expensive LampizatOr DAC in my ring.