Complete desktop audio setup for < ~$800-900

So I've been out of the loop for quite a while. I never considered myself to be an audiophile, but I could always appreciate budget low-end audiophile equipment. I used to rock a X-Fi XtremeMusic, Klipsch Pro-Media's, and Grado SR80's, but I ran into some financial troubles and had to sell a lot of my toys ~5 years ago. Well times have changed and my work as a web developer has steadily increased to the point where I can barely handle it all. I had been living pretty scantily all this time though, just in case work slowed down for a period of time, but it never did... and only continues to increase. So I guess it's about time to indulge in the audial pleasures after being patient for so long.

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Ok, so I recently built a new machine for work, play, and leisure. It's an absolute beast in every department except its audio capabilities. They are absolutely horrid. I have onboard sound & incredibly cheap Logitech headphones/speakers. I want the whole experience now. I use this machine for everything: watching tv/movies, playing games, but most importantly, listening to music. Nearly the entire day while I work and into the night. I listen to everything though: rock, rap, classical, jazz, electronica, and everything in between, so I know that makes things a little more difficult.

After all the research I've done, I've come to a reasonable degree of decisiveness, but I wanted to get some feedback before I actually pull the trigger.

Soundcard: ASUS Xonar Essence ST (~$190.00)

This seems to be the best choice and value if I want to keep it simple and not deal with an external amp. I hear a lot of praise for the internal amp saying that you can't get much better for the money. I may go the external amp route at some point, but I really want to cross that bridge down the road after I wet my beak. Going ST instead of STX because of the apparent lack of jitter due to some hardware differences. Am I completely wrong here and would I be better off going with a cheaper sound card and external amp instead?

Speakers: Swan M200MkII ($289.00) or Swan M200MkIII ($399.00)

The amount of praise Swan seems to get is pretty hard to ignore. I've looked into M-Audio, Audioengine, Klipsch, and countless other brands only to come back to Swan every time. I was originally interested in the Swan D1080MkII08, but it seems that there is a very large boost in overall sound quality as well as bass by going up to the M200 line. I'm just not sure if it is worth going from the II to the III and I'm having a hard time finding any clear advantages. I hear it's better overall, but is it $110.00 better? Unfortunately there is no where nearby where I can test them out, so I may just decide to go big and not have any regrets later on. There is still a side of me that wants to get the best bang for my buck. Any comparable other options I may be missing?

Headphones: Grado SR325si ($299.00)

Now these I have chosen without any indecisiveness. Like I said, I used to own a pair of SR80's and I loved them. I am a huge fan of the Grado "sound". I had a chance to test out everything from the SR60's to the RS-1's and the 325's seemed like the sweet spot for me as they sounded nearly as good as the RS1's, but at half the price. They were already fully broken in and the "harsh" highs that people speak of didn't seem apparent at all, so I already know what to expect after breaking them in. Unless someone wants to convince me that the RS line is that much better, $300 is about as much as I would like to spend on headphones.

What do you think? Am I making a huge mistake or is this a good direction to be heading starting out in the audiophile world?

I wish I could do that, but unfortunately I just can't invest that kind of money right now. Like I said, I'm upgrading from some pretty terrible stuff, so whatever I get is still going to be worlds ahead. I'll go ahead and bookmark those bookshelf speakers though for down the road. I appreciate your comments on my choices though.

I went ahead and ordered the Asus Xonar ST and Grado 325si headphones. I just want to do a little more research on speakers before I commit to something. I may try to get ahold of Jon from the Audio Insider and see what he thinks. I hear he's really helpful and not just trying to make you walk out with the most expensive item possible. It also seems that they have some open box specials for a lot of their speakers for ~20% off, so I might check that out as well.

Are you still using the STX or did you get something else? I couldn't seem to find anything that offered what the STX offered without going external and into a new price point. I imagine some tweaking could cut down on the brightness a bit, but replacing the opamps would probably be the last option if it was still to bright. I don't get headaches from that kind of detail, which is why I like the Grado's so much, but thanks for the heads up.