Headphone newbie seeking recommendations

[Entrigo]

Completely new to the world of "proper" headphones (have only had Bluetooth NC ones).

I have been quite curious to try some for a while but always put it off, but time is ripe.

I have a Rega Elex-R amp, which has no headphone out so here I am looking for recommendations for both headphone amp and headphones.

My speakers are Focal Aria 906 which I like well enough - and looking at PMC/ ProAc as my upcoming upgrade. And I love the energy of the Rega Elex-R,

Ideally I would be looking for a amp and headphones which can paint a good soundstage and are resolving but not too dry.

I obviously considered the Rega Ear but read a few reviews /reports of a quite high noise floor which is quite off putting.

Budget - first of all I would be looking at the amp used/ex-demo and ideally looking be looking for around £100/150. Headphones I'd strongly prefer new but looking at £2-300 max.

Don't want to spend too much as my first pair, in case I decide headphones aren't for me - or more likely, in case I like it and quickly decide to upgrade to a higher end pair.

 

[RTHerringbone]

Do you know if you'd prefer / require open or closed-back? A simple generalisation is that open-back have advantages (more spacious sound) and disadvantages (sound leaks in and out).

I think there's an argument that as you cite soundstage as a requirement, then open-backed would perhaps be a better bet.

Then you have the choice between Dynamic Driver or Planar. Historically the latter were more expensive, but the rate at which models are appearing means that now last year's models are massively discounted to make them pretty comparable to DDs.

My initial thoughts would be that you may like the FiiO K11R2R which as new comes in at £150. The definition of "dry" can vary from person to person, but the R2R architecture can add some colour to the sound. It's not a particularly highly-revered architecture on sites where it and its acolytes appear to prioritise looking at graphs over listening, but I think it's an enjoyable sound.

The budget you've set for headphones is decent and you'll have loads of options, but I'd say you need to decide between those two thing: open vs. closed, and DD vs. Planar.