Upgrading from my Gradio sr80i to a close back headphones with a $300 budget.

[pressonly1]

I have a Fiio combo E07K/E09K and I'm looking to upgrade from my Gradio sr80I to a close back headphones with a $300 budget. I was checking out the ATH M50 but I also like the Mad dog. Questions about the Planar Magnetic headphones, are they really that heavy, is there a real big difference in sound and are they easy to drive? I play a lot of R&B, Jazz and some hip hop .I like some bass but I'm not a bass head.

 

[cel4145]

The Mad Dogs will not be as easy to drive as your Grados, but I would imagine that the E09K would do fine. Best way to find that kind of thing out is to google a headphones make/model along with keyword "head-fi" and find a major discussion/review thread. Then ask there

You might consult the Innerfidelity Wall of Fame lists for other headphone options:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-full-size-sealed
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-ear-pad-sealed