JDS labs cMoy?

Thinking of building one of these to give myself a little project.  

I read a review somewhere (can't remember which but was recommended on here) that suggests it has a better sound than the FiiO E11.  The only thing putting me off is the case.

So rather than just buying a pre built one, I am toying with the idea of a DIY project and making case to my own tastes.

One things that strikes me is it is quite thick due to the use of 9V batteries and from what I can see from photos, the large capacitor.  

The capacitor I can take off the board and mount on its side, but I would need an alternative to the 9V batteries.  

Has anyone done something similar?  Maybe a bank of 6 AAA's or are there any suitable mobile phone type batteries that could be used?

I am handy enough to be able to build an enclosure, assemble the components etc, but my electronics knowledge is very limited.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  

I am thinking of something a bit more 'sexy'.  A nice wood/aluminium combination maybe, I have a couple of ideas floating around in my head.

Also trying to rough out some ideas to incorporate an ipod dock to avoid having external wires and rubber bands.

Unfortunately most of that has gone right over my head.  :lol:

Battery wise, to keep it simple it looks like a bank of either AAA or AAAA rechargables will the the easiest thing to source.  Can make it a lot smaller by using AAAA's but obviously a lot lower capacity.  300mAh vs 800mAh.

Any idea how much use that would provide?