First DAC purchase: A few options, what do you think?

Hey guys, I'm in the market for my first DAC. I just purchased myself a new set of headphones (ATH-AD900) and a new soundcard (Auzentech Forte). The soundcard will be primarily used for gaming for CMSS 3D, so I am after a higher quality DAC and amp in the pursuit of pure musical pleasure that we are all after, without spending thousands upon thousands of $$$.

I was looking at some raving reviews of the NuForce Icon HDP and was wondering, for it's price range, is this the best option in terms of sound quality? I know there will always be differing opinions, but as a general consensus how does this fair to other options available? I have read the review on this forum and by the sounds of it, it does a brilliant job. That being said, I don't really have much to compare it to!

One more thing in relation, is it best to use this just as a DAC only and get a Firestone Audio, Schiit or maybe a Little Dot to use as amplification, or is the quality of the amp already pretty much up to par with these mentioned? Please keep in mind my price range for a DAC and Amp is about $600 combined. Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate any help.

Yeah I have heard it's main competitor would be the FUN. I have little experience in this area, so I am not quite sure whether I would be better off getting a seperate amp and DAC rather than a combo. I've heard the Fubar III and uDAC 2 are really good as a stand alone DAC in that price range, backed up by maybe a Firestone Audio Cute amp or Little Dot MKV? Not too sure, so many options. Would be amazing if there was such a place in Australia to try these things out! Appreciate the responses :)

I don't believe it does. Here is the link:

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=211&products_id=8756