I never heard MS-1s/Ms-2s which you seem to favor, however I currently own Grado Sr60s and have owned Grado Sr325is' in the past. My main pair right now is Beyer DT990s. I owned and sold my DT880s - I found them slightly boring for my taste. If the Alessandro's are similar to the Grado sound...

Quote: I've gotta agree - you've received a boatload of suggestions - time to pull the trigger and tell us what "you" think!    

Quote: I don't care - I love mine - for mid level gear - don't think you can beat it. I've owned and sold a VDac also - this drives both my LDMKIV and also my Tannoy 501A Monitors via balanced connections - it's a beautiful piece of equipment. Likely never will I own another Dac!    

Based on what I've read - I think a uDac2 would be the perfect start for you. I use mine primarily as a dac/amp combo out of my Macbook Pro (or iPad) with my k271s and think it drives them perfectly. I've used a host of other amps that have come and gone (incl Matrix M-Stage, LD MKIII, LDI+...

Just to chime in - I own the Dacmagic - I also have owned the VDac which doesn't fit your needs but is regarded by many to be an excellent mid range dac so I mention that for comparison sake. I specifically bought the DacMagic for my headphone setup (LDMKIV currently) but also because I liked...

DT990s (simply my favorite) K271s UM3Xs MDR7506 (beaters)   If I ever have a chance to try T1s - who knows but it's these for now

I'm a happy owner here of my UM3Xs - easily the best IEMs I have ever owned or heard. Incredibly detailed, remind me a lot of my Beyer full size phones in their presentation. I have spent a lot of time trying to get the right tips and the best seal and have read a lot about it in this thread. I...

Quote:   I'm going to agree with this. I too like my DT880s - but I simply love the DT990s. I find the 990s more exciting - the high end is really strong - not overdone at all - acoustic guitars shine and cymbals are crisp. The lows are deep and rich - and I don't feel the mids are...

I love it when comments about these pop up - I simply adore mine, nearly an all time favorite of the many phones I have owned. For listening - isolation is almost as good as I've ever had - I listen in bed through a udac2 out of either my macbook pro or iPad and my wife hears virtually nothing...

Quote:   I recently sold the M-Stage (along with my k701s) - just a consolidation move because I love my Beyers and the tubes on the LD MKIV - BUT...to answer the question - the DacMagic and M-Stage are a heavenly combo. Incredibly detailed, superb with AKGs - not sure of your phones but...

Quote: Here's the deal - you can spend all of your time reading about other people's opinions based on their tastes or just dive in and form your own. I've finally come to peace with what I love - you can only get there on your own. And that starts with listening with your ears, not...

I simply love the k271s - easily among the most favorite phones I have ever owned. I use them primarily with my uDac2 and Macbook pro or iPad - and mostly as a secondary set when I'm looking for some isolation (i.e in bed). To be honest - they are one of the main reasons I felt ok to part with...

I've been greatly enjoying my UM3X's for several months. The only other decent IEMs I owned were Shure SE420s, which I found rather underwhelming and sold. They were very thin IMO, simply not my cup of tea. I had thought IEMs just were not for me, finally took a chance on the UM3Xs and am so...

Quote: Explain....?

I can't comment on the balanced LD amps but based on the question of Little Dots in general (esp. with Beyer DT990 600ohm) - I have found that the Little Dots are fantastic amps at the mid-level (as well as the lower end). I've owned a few LDs - including the I+, MKIII and now MKIV. I recently...