plz,

ok i think perhaps you are oversimplifying.

a network audio system will go through the following stages (not including ripping).

1) reading the data off the hdd and transfering it over the network to a ram buffer in the media device. this ram buffer allows for network errors, dropouts and lag.

2) the data is clocked out of the ram to the digital output and squirted down the interconnect to the dac

3) the dac recieves the data and converts it to an analog signal.

stage 1 happens so quickly and the ram buffer holding everything means that jitter isn;t a factor.

stage 2->3 is where jitter can occur - basicly errors and interference with the clock signal transmitted with the data.

stage 3 can also introduce jitter if the dac reclocks the signal badly.

with a traditional cdp stages 1 and 2 are combined. naim claim the in order to reduce jitter between  stages 2 and 3 the transport and dac should be in the same box and close together in order to minimise interference.

as for the price of a hypothetical cds3 dac. well in order to perform the same you'd still need 2 boxes to keep the psu seperate along with all the attendant costs. also mechanical isolation would still be necessary along with the 50 or so stages of regulation that happen inside the box(es). so it would still cost a fair bit. still, i recon you can do better for less though.