Corda Aria DAC vs some $250 DAC

[Xirj]

Hey there. In a couple weeks I'll be getting a PA2v2 and a pair of Grado 325i's. Towards the midsummer I'll be looking to upgrade both my source (currently it's the headphone out of an X-fi) and my amp. I'll probably want to spend around $500 on this whole combination of DAC and amp, so here's what I've sort of been looking at:

Corda Aria (has a built-in amp and DAC) or the Headfive amp and some $250 recommended DAC from you guys

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I guess I am just wondering which path will net me a greater increase in sound quality. The Corda Aria should be a better amp than the HA-1 MkII based Headfive, but is the DAC in the Corda a good one, or more of an afterthought. I like the idea of separate components as it allows me to upgrade separately later, or lend one part to a friend. Or allow me to carry the DAC to a party rather than just using my laptop straight out.

My headphones: Shure E4, Grado 325i (couple weeks) and a long term goal of K701's or DT770.
My music: mostly electronic to rock and all the subgenres, but really a huge variety of music. CD's, FLAC's, and 256 VBR or up MP3's is what my music library is.

Thanks for any input and also if you have any ideas of other combinations for around $500.

 

[Xirj]

Bump for good measure and...

Been looking at the separate DAC's and one that have caught my interest are the firestone audio 'Spitfire' DAC and the HeadRoom Micro DAC both weighing in at around $250-300. I am leaning more towards the Micro because it has more inputs, although the ability to run it on batteries to me is meaningless.