[JonnyM]

Hi, I've got laptop that has a crappy sound card so I'm mostly looking for a cheap DAC to use with my earbuds. So I was looking on Ebay and found some cheap Muse DACs, Muse X5 and Z3. They both use a PCM2704 chip that is used in more expensive DACs. I haven't found any reviews on the x5 but the z5 have got alot of great reviews on amazon. I also found this very cheap DAC/AMP. Which one of these would you recommend? Or what else DAC or DAC/AMP combo would you recommend for under 25$ A DIY kit would be fun too,I'm good at SMD soldering.

 

[cel4145]

You could start by building a CMOY amp: http://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy/. Then build a DAC later when you can afford the extra parts. CMOY amps are very good for the money.

HiFimeDIY is a popular DIY brand that has some kits: http://hifimediy.com/

 

[JonnyM]

Thanks for the reply! 
That's a great idea I've got a aluminium enclosure that would be ideal for the CMOY amp and I could later add something like the skeleton dac in the same enclosure.
http://i.imgur.com/ElEEnIy.jpg

 

[JonnyM]

The CMOY amp would cost me 3$ to make since I already have most of the components