Half-way to MS-1000 and Getting Upgrade-titus

I don't post here very often, but I lurk quite a bit.  I haven't yet ordered the GS1000 pads, but I probably will.  My question is whether I would be better served by a DAC or a k701.  I haven't heard too many comparasons between the MS-1000 and the k701, but I have searched quite a bit and only found "the k701 is a class or two above the MS-1's" somewhere on here.  Can anyone compare the two?  Will the MS-1000 with a nice DAC (think Musiland US 02) and the pa2v2 sound better than a k701 x-fi dac and pa2v2?  I listen to a pretty good mix, but lately have been listening to dubstep and trance/chillout, Explosions in the Sky, and some NIN.

Here's my current setup (there's also a USB X-FI card I use pretty often):

Anyone?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dull 

from one noob to another, fwir the ms1000 pads really make a difference in the upgrade of your msi's. i have the hd414 pads and if i ever get my table saw back together i'm going to do the full woodie mod. since the ms1000 pads are only $45 usd, i think you should finish what you started :)

Thank dull.  So I guess I will wait to see what the pads can offer before itching for more expensive phones.  Does it make sense to get a better DAC, or does the ms-1000 not benefit much from it?