Flare PRO 2HD are the latest and greatest iteration of PRO range first introduced by Flare Audio in 2017.
They were introduced in the last weak of March 2019.
According to Flare Audio:
"...PRO 2HD generates the highest quality sound ever...".
Let start with some history...
Flare Audio started their adventure with in-ear monitors in 2015 when R2 range was introduced via Kickstarer campaign. The range included aluminium R2A, stainless steel R2S and titanium R2PRO. And boy, did they sound good... You can go ahead and check reviews on Headfonia and Headfonics - I dear you to find any review in there that would praise earphones in more enthusiastic and enticing way.
I've bought R2A (entry level) on Kickstarter and then R2S (midrange) and R2PRO (flagship) as well. They're still one of the best IEMs ever in my humble opinion. They combine good technical skills with musicality and ability to play great with just good enough source. Even though there was quite big price gap between R2A (180£) and R2PRO (400£) I would't say that one was actually better than other - it depens on the source. All of those models used the same cable, the same driver and the same enclosure (design-wise). The only difference was the material of the enclosures and it turn out it did have big impact on the sound. R2PRO was the fullest sounding and has highest musicality factor, R2S was closest to armature driver sound with more clinical and precise approach and R2A was what I would call thinner, lighter R2PRO (but that could change with proper source). I think their biggest flaw was the inability to scale up with better sources and amps. Most of the time those earphones sounded better from various Samsung Galaxy phones than from high-end DAPs...
Source: Amazon.co.uk
In 2017 Flare introduced Flares Pro and it was quite a different beast than previous range. It used beryllium driver and while it might be considered similar in design to previous R2 range, it actually wasn't similar in sound. Flares Pro were much more neutral, technical and deprived of any sound coloration. They were definitely on higher technical level but at the cost of musicality and pure pleasure from listening to music. And they had a flaw, which make them sound a bit metallic and thin in highs and upper midrange. But the texture, resolution, soundstage were sublime. And all that sublime sound came from bluetooth module, that they shipped with. So you didn't need any great DAP or DAC/amp to enjoy high quality audio - just any smartphone with aptx BT...
Source: flareaudio.com
Then, not even a year later, Flares GOLD were introduced. Again, as with previous range - it use the same driver, the same cable, the same BT module and it was shipped with the exact same box (albeit with different emblem colour) and with the exact same accesories. But this time, instead of using titanium enclosures, they use brass with gold plating. This again affected the sound, though less than in R2A range - GOLDs have a bit deeper soundstage, less metalic and thin upper midrange and highs and maybe a bit more detail and better texture (but the difference was not day and night). So it was the same old good Flares Pro but with more polished enclosures and more polished sound. And they were almost 3 times more expensive :/
Source: flareaudio.com
Not a long after there was Flares Pro 2 model but this one I haven't heard yet... It supose to sound less V-shaped than first Pro and take more musical approach. I think the changes were subtle though, as usual. Owning Flares Gold, I wasn't really interested in buying this model, as it was positioned below GOLDs in Flare Audio range.
And finally, just week ago, when I was visting Innsbruck, I've got a mail, that Flare PRO 2HD is launching... What surprised me most, was the information that it takes GOLDs place at the top of Flares range and its actually 60% cheaper than GOLDs starting price. It wasn't because of no longer using expensive gold to plate the earphone, no. This time they used rhodium, which I think is even more expensive than gold. It was because they wanted to introduce a great product available to wider range of people, than expensive GOLDs. Kudos for them
When the whole industry is going different way, with more and more expensive products (not always, or rarely even better), Flare Audio takes much more pro-consumer approach.
And here they are:
Source: flareaudio.com
So what's different? As with GOLDs, PRO 2HD use brass but with rhodium plating this time instead of GOLD. And that's the only "hardware" change. The other changes are in shape and thus acoustics of the enclosures (rhodium is also a factor here).
So, with the same driver, the same cable and what would seem like similar enclosures, they should also sound almost the same, right? Well, surprise surprise, this time around the changes are not so subtle. Gone are the sound flaws of previous models (as small as they were) and enhance are the sonic capabilities.
More clarity, more texture, better resolution... Even though Flares Pro and Flares GOLD were at the very top level of what modern IEM flagship is capable of delivering, new model is somehow even better. I was sceptic at first, but when I heard them, I believed their slogans. They actually deliver. Amazing.
Gone are somewhat harsh highs of first PRO gen. and now the sound is smooth as it can be, given how good these sound. There seem to be no compromise at all. I mean, sure they're not musicality kings or most analog sounding IEM but they definitely are the best dynamic driver earphones on the market that I've heard and I've heard a lot. I would say that multi armature IEMs are also beaten by those, at least those I've heard (including stuff like Andromeda or tia Fourte). They still extremely neutral and colorless but in good way this time around. It doesn't bother me any more and if I want some more musicality I can always hook them up to some tube amp (BTW. Flare IEMs like tube amps a lot - especially R2A - pure analog magic).
How would I decribe them to someone who never heard any Flare Audio product?
They are big sounding IEMs, with great and big soundstage (not extremely big though), with amazing depth to the sound and with unbelivable clarity and texture. I would't call them V-shaped or even U-shaped, they kind of neutralish, but bass is very strong (not Vega or Atlas strong but with better texture and quality), mids are forward and natural and highs are sharp (not overly though). I guarantee you'll hear things you've never heard before, even on well known songs.
The isolation is very good, I would say 8/10 even though the driver is practically bare naked at the back end.
The comfort is good to very good, depending on your ear size. These are fairly big, considering deep insertion but rather small comparing to other TOTL IEMs or even very small.
These are TOTL IEMs and top of what you can get sound quality-wise, no matter what price point to consider.
Flare is also offering 30 days return policy, so you can'g go wrong with this purchase even if you don't like the tonality of those (we all have different preferences after all and these are extremely neutral). What I can promise is that you won't be dissapointed with the quality of sound, because there's simply nothing better out there... Though I haven't heard Shure KSE1500 yet
What do you get in the box? A lot....
There are 9 pairs of tips (3 pairs of what they call audiophile foam tips, 3 pairs of regular foam tips and 3 pairs of silicone tips - all made by Flare Audio).
There's a balanced, great sounding bluetooth module.
There's a nice enough case, standard 3,5mm cable and usb cable for charging BT module.
It all looks impresive at first and the box itself is also very special and nice.
I've tested them using mainly Sony NW-ZX300 and the BT module.
Selected comparisons:
Campfire Audio Vega / Atlas - these are more bassy and less balanced than PRO 2HD and there's less overall clarity. They also hiss a lot, even on sources with relatively small hissing problem. You won't hear any hiss on Flares, even on hissy sources. Flares seem more elagant and polished sound-wise. Campfire are also bigger and less comfortable in ears. Beside more bass quantity, Campfire loses on every front here.
Sony MDR-EX1000 - legendary dynamic driver IEMs, still great even by today standards. There are 2 outstanding things about this earphones - subbass and soundstage... How do Flare compare to these? Well, there's no such outside of head experience as with Sony's but there's also isolation... MDR-EX1000 don't isolate a bit - it's like listening to fully open headphones. Flare is on the same level soundstage-wise but offers more traditional for IEM experience. Sony do seem to have larger overall soundstage but at the same time Flares have better depth and width, it's just more congested (there is still an excellent separation). When it comes to subbass, I think Flares beat Sony here with better texture and more details. Mids are better on Flares and highs... I thnik Sony might actually be better in high frequencies but that's due to the characteristic sounstage and more open sound.
64 Audio tia Fourté - I very much liked tia Fourté combined with SP1000. There might be a bit better layering than on PRO 2HD but other than that I can't see anything that tia Fourté would do better than PRO 2HD. They somewhat comparable generally but Flares have better bass and resolution.
I could do a lot more comparisons but in the end they would all end up the same - PRO 2HD are a bit or a lot better. I simply haven't heard anything as good as new Flare Audio product.
They were introduced in the last weak of March 2019.
According to Flare Audio:
"...PRO 2HD generates the highest quality sound ever...".
Let start with some history...
Flare Audio started their adventure with in-ear monitors in 2015 when R2 range was introduced via Kickstarer campaign. The range included aluminium R2A, stainless steel R2S and titanium R2PRO. And boy, did they sound good... You can go ahead and check reviews on Headfonia and Headfonics - I dear you to find any review in there that would praise earphones in more enthusiastic and enticing way.
I've bought R2A (entry level) on Kickstarter and then R2S (midrange) and R2PRO (flagship) as well. They're still one of the best IEMs ever in my humble opinion. They combine good technical skills with musicality and ability to play great with just good enough source. Even though there was quite big price gap between R2A (180£) and R2PRO (400£) I would't say that one was actually better than other - it depens on the source. All of those models used the same cable, the same driver and the same enclosure (design-wise). The only difference was the material of the enclosures and it turn out it did have big impact on the sound. R2PRO was the fullest sounding and has highest musicality factor, R2S was closest to armature driver sound with more clinical and precise approach and R2A was what I would call thinner, lighter R2PRO (but that could change with proper source). I think their biggest flaw was the inability to scale up with better sources and amps. Most of the time those earphones sounded better from various Samsung Galaxy phones than from high-end DAPs...
Source: Amazon.co.uk
In 2017 Flare introduced Flares Pro and it was quite a different beast than previous range. It used beryllium driver and while it might be considered similar in design to previous R2 range, it actually wasn't similar in sound. Flares Pro were much more neutral, technical and deprived of any sound coloration. They were definitely on higher technical level but at the cost of musicality and pure pleasure from listening to music. And they had a flaw, which make them sound a bit metallic and thin in highs and upper midrange. But the texture, resolution, soundstage were sublime. And all that sublime sound came from bluetooth module, that they shipped with. So you didn't need any great DAP or DAC/amp to enjoy high quality audio - just any smartphone with aptx BT...
Source: flareaudio.com
Then, not even a year later, Flares GOLD were introduced. Again, as with previous range - it use the same driver, the same cable, the same BT module and it was shipped with the exact same box (albeit with different emblem colour) and with the exact same accesories. But this time, instead of using titanium enclosures, they use brass with gold plating. This again affected the sound, though less than in R2A range - GOLDs have a bit deeper soundstage, less metalic and thin upper midrange and highs and maybe a bit more detail and better texture (but the difference was not day and night). So it was the same old good Flares Pro but with more polished enclosures and more polished sound. And they were almost 3 times more expensive :/
Source: flareaudio.com
Not a long after there was Flares Pro 2 model but this one I haven't heard yet... It supose to sound less V-shaped than first Pro and take more musical approach. I think the changes were subtle though, as usual. Owning Flares Gold, I wasn't really interested in buying this model, as it was positioned below GOLDs in Flare Audio range.
And finally, just week ago, when I was visting Innsbruck, I've got a mail, that Flare PRO 2HD is launching... What surprised me most, was the information that it takes GOLDs place at the top of Flares range and its actually 60% cheaper than GOLDs starting price. It wasn't because of no longer using expensive gold to plate the earphone, no. This time they used rhodium, which I think is even more expensive than gold. It was because they wanted to introduce a great product available to wider range of people, than expensive GOLDs. Kudos for them
When the whole industry is going different way, with more and more expensive products (not always, or rarely even better), Flare Audio takes much more pro-consumer approach.And here they are:
Source: flareaudio.com
So what's different? As with GOLDs, PRO 2HD use brass but with rhodium plating this time instead of GOLD. And that's the only "hardware" change. The other changes are in shape and thus acoustics of the enclosures (rhodium is also a factor here).
So, with the same driver, the same cable and what would seem like similar enclosures, they should also sound almost the same, right? Well, surprise surprise, this time around the changes are not so subtle. Gone are the sound flaws of previous models (as small as they were) and enhance are the sonic capabilities.
More clarity, more texture, better resolution... Even though Flares Pro and Flares GOLD were at the very top level of what modern IEM flagship is capable of delivering, new model is somehow even better. I was sceptic at first, but when I heard them, I believed their slogans. They actually deliver. Amazing.
Gone are somewhat harsh highs of first PRO gen. and now the sound is smooth as it can be, given how good these sound. There seem to be no compromise at all. I mean, sure they're not musicality kings or most analog sounding IEM but they definitely are the best dynamic driver earphones on the market that I've heard and I've heard a lot. I would say that multi armature IEMs are also beaten by those, at least those I've heard (including stuff like Andromeda or tia Fourte). They still extremely neutral and colorless but in good way this time around. It doesn't bother me any more and if I want some more musicality I can always hook them up to some tube amp (BTW. Flare IEMs like tube amps a lot
- especially R2A - pure analog magic).How would I decribe them to someone who never heard any Flare Audio product?
They are big sounding IEMs, with great and big soundstage (not extremely big though), with amazing depth to the sound and with unbelivable clarity and texture. I would't call them V-shaped or even U-shaped, they kind of neutralish, but bass is very strong (not Vega or Atlas strong but with better texture and quality), mids are forward and natural and highs are sharp (not overly though). I guarantee you'll hear things you've never heard before, even on well known songs.
The isolation is very good, I would say 8/10 even though the driver is practically bare naked at the back end.
The comfort is good to very good, depending on your ear size. These are fairly big, considering deep insertion but rather small comparing to other TOTL IEMs or even very small.
These are TOTL IEMs and top of what you can get sound quality-wise, no matter what price point to consider.
Flare is also offering 30 days return policy, so you can'g go wrong with this purchase even if you don't like the tonality of those (we all have different preferences after all and these are extremely neutral). What I can promise is that you won't be dissapointed with the quality of sound, because there's simply nothing better out there... Though I haven't heard Shure KSE1500 yet
What do you get in the box? A lot....
There are 9 pairs of tips (3 pairs of what they call audiophile foam tips, 3 pairs of regular foam tips and 3 pairs of silicone tips - all made by Flare Audio).
There's a balanced, great sounding bluetooth module.
There's a nice enough case, standard 3,5mm cable and usb cable for charging BT module.
It all looks impresive at first and the box itself is also very special and nice.
I've tested them using mainly Sony NW-ZX300 and the BT module.
Selected comparisons:
Campfire Audio Vega / Atlas - these are more bassy and less balanced than PRO 2HD and there's less overall clarity. They also hiss a lot, even on sources with relatively small hissing problem. You won't hear any hiss on Flares, even on hissy sources. Flares seem more elagant and polished sound-wise. Campfire are also bigger and less comfortable in ears. Beside more bass quantity, Campfire loses on every front here.
Sony MDR-EX1000 - legendary dynamic driver IEMs, still great even by today standards. There are 2 outstanding things about this earphones - subbass and soundstage... How do Flare compare to these? Well, there's no such outside of head experience as with Sony's but there's also isolation... MDR-EX1000 don't isolate a bit - it's like listening to fully open headphones. Flare is on the same level soundstage-wise but offers more traditional for IEM experience. Sony do seem to have larger overall soundstage but at the same time Flares have better depth and width, it's just more congested (there is still an excellent separation). When it comes to subbass, I think Flares beat Sony here with better texture and more details. Mids are better on Flares and highs... I thnik Sony might actually be better in high frequencies but that's due to the characteristic sounstage and more open sound.
64 Audio tia Fourté - I very much liked tia Fourté combined with SP1000. There might be a bit better layering than on PRO 2HD but other than that I can't see anything that tia Fourté would do better than PRO 2HD. They somewhat comparable generally but Flares have better bass and resolution.
I could do a lot more comparisons but in the end they would all end up the same - PRO 2HD are a bit or a lot better. I simply haven't heard anything as good as new Flare Audio product.
