Q re high quality CD players

My (limited) understanding is that what makes high-end CD players so 
good is their superior Digital to Analog conversion. So if you're going 
to take the digital output (optic or coax) from such players and plug it 
into a amplifier you're NOT going to get any benefit; you might as well 
play the CDs on a 20 dollar CD player. To really enjoy their superior 
playback quality you have to use the analog output and a good quality 
amplifier.

Am I right?