Buying 300$ range over ear headphones

The V MODA m100 are kind of the odd ones out since they sound terrible compared to the others in all areas apart from bass which is pretty much all they are good for. I have the mad dogs on order from what i have read they are on another level ocmpared to the others in that group but i can't confirm that until a couple of days time. The k550 are excellent nice even sounding headphones with good clarity decent soundstage. Momentums are nice also but the k550 are superior headphones in terms of clarity and soundstage. Also consider the DT770 which are on the same level as the 550 and better than the momentums also. great bass smooth treble and big soundstage. I would go K550 because they are cheap and decent. my answer may change when i hear the mad dogs they are being compared to headphones 600-1000.

Most probably like i said i have not recieved mine yet so can't say from experience but judging by what reviews say they are in a different league with the alpha pads. As for driving the mad dog is a modified t50rp which is only 50ohms.. so an e17 would be fine. my k701 is 62ohms and my e5 drives it.

Since your in europe you will have to bare in mind delivery which is about an $40-50 as you can only by these from the states. I am from the uk so for mine it cost £241 which included delivery and also customs charges which is about £30-£40 and post office handling fee which is about £20 so all in all i'm paying £290 which is about $436 dollars for them to be deliverd in europe. If your budget is 300 then i'd stick with the k550 or beyerdynamic dt770.

beyerdynamic dt 880/990 would be good. i'd get 32 or 250 ohm version unless you have a decent amp for the 600 ohms.

i personally enjoyed my 990, it has more bass and a funner sound than the dt 880, which is more neutral

"Usage: at home, public transports, road trips"

This means anything open (ie beyer 880, 990) are out of the equation.

From what i gather the "Mad Dogs" need serious amplification, so that might also be out.

I'd suggest looking at the the senn amperior or beyer dt1350, but since you want circumaural i think your best options are the senn momentum, akg k550 or dt 770(though i'm not sure they're on the same sonic level).

If you have the chance (a nearby audio store) you should go and listen to them yourself, preferably bringing your own gear and music you're familiar with.

The mad dogs will be easy to drive.

Regarding amplification on the Mad Dogs, I think your E17 would do fine, but they do scale with amplification, so if you do decide to take the plunge and upgrade amplification, you'll see returns on the Mad Dogs.

The Mad Dogs are a bit clunky, but unlike alot of members here, I had no real problem taking them on public transport with me (I think of em as earmuffs!) with ONE CAVEAT: if you want to put them away, they can be a little awkward in that they're large, and you either need a case or backpack in that case. In this case, YMMV. I've been spoiled by the asgard 2 and bifrost on these bad boys that I've stopped using them in public, taking into account how awkward they can be to put away + ergonomics of IEMs. For home use and car trips assuming you'll just be in the back seat lounging about, they're great.

The k550 are easy to drive you don't need an amp for them at all. they are only 25ohms. You could also look into the fostex t50rp which are what the mad dogs are mad of of. You can also change the pads to the shure pads and mod them later on if you want to upgrade there sound.

The AKG K550 is actually available for about 150 euros! (check amazon.de and a few other sites) but I would also suggest the soundmagic HP100,(180 euros). It seems to be pretty close or the same as the K550 (haven't heard the HP100, just read impressions here). The AKG K550 is a great headphone but there is always the chance of you having "fit" problems..it seems very good for large heads, for the rest is just hit and miss!