[StiffTacos]

I'll keep it short and sweet:
 
I just discovered what DAC's were. I'm looking to buy my first one, but my money is tight. Whats the best DAC you guys can recommend for about $50? 
 
Using a HP Pavilion dv6 with Beyer DT770's.
 
Thanks

 

[nagual]

I have one Fiio D3, look for post in this same forum, that sounds good to me.  Only has digital imput (toslink and coaxial), and RCA output.  US$28, when I bought it.

 

[christophrowley]

Personally, I'm sceptical a $50 DAC will be a worthwhile upgrade. Unless the headphone out of your laptop is atrocious, then I'm not sure an external DAC in that price range will make a considerable difference. It might be worth saving your money and upgrading later when you've had chance to read up a bit more and build up a little more cash. If you have an iPod, or something to that effect, often the headphone outputs are higher quality than those on computers, so that might also be worth a look too.