Possibly, you may be correct. To look at things one way though the best thing around at the moment in that fashion is the Naim SuperNait at around £2.5g. You will get more competition at this market when CD players start to sell less well and this price will fall to the mid thousands. My money will for a long time be on the separate amp DAC scenario though. This allows you to buy a reputable amp along with buying a DAC put together by people who know how to construct an external DAC which will without doubt have many more plus points to an internal DAC. Then again the miniature football analogy springs to mind.