A few caveats and some background before my review. I have owned headphones for decades and have had some quite good pairs at times because I really like the way that headphones can immerse you in the music without turning the sound up too loud. Budget was a problem in the early days. And I remember distinctly the first time I heard a pair of Sennheiser HD580s in the high end audio store and my jaw just dropped. However, I couldn’t afford them. I had the HD540s at the time and they would have to do.
This has changed in the last ten years and I’ve been able to try out iems and cans that sit above the mass market. Over the last decade I’ve bought headphones from Shure (SRH840s), Sennheiser (HD280s, IE80s and at last that pair of HD580s) and Flare (R2A, Pros and the Golds). I’m looking for a setup where I can sit back and say that I am truly satisfied with what I am hearing and can’t be bothered seeking anything else. Each new headphone purchase was a step forward and I think that I’ve now reached that point where “I can’t be bothered” looking further and that point is the Flare Golds. While I’ve been on this journey it’s also become very obvious that the source and how it is decoded is a vital part of that journey towards aural nirvana. More about that later.
So what do I want to hear from a pair of iems? As a musician, I am very particular about how all instruments are reproduced, especially through a set of dynamic drivers. They have to sound tonally accurate, and this includes timbre, harmonics plus attack and decay. This has to sound natural, as if I am there live with the musicians. This requires the headphones to be able reproduce this over a very wide range of pitch from deep bass to high treble. If any part of that range is compressed, exacerbated or compromised in any way it can be heard. Detail is also important. If I sit in a concert hall that has good acoustics and watch a string quartet play, the four instruments sound distinct and also have their place in the soundstage. I can shut my eyes and still exactly place the position on stage of the four musicians. This is also true of larger ensembles.
Finally, I want the headphones to be able to immerse me in the music and this is the final factor - pace, rhythm and timing (PRaT). For example, if the iem struggles to make the bass line sound coherent then PRaT vanishes. I want the iem to make me tap my feet, play on my emotions, involve me with the music and the performers.
So back to the Gold’s, which I purchased second hand from a Headfi member for a great price.
I opened the box and saw two little gold gems sitting in the stylized ears that Flare has used in the packaging. Taking them out of the box I immediately noticed that they were considerably heavier than the Pros. The rear bores were considerably wider and had a taper into the middle. The same held true for the front bores. Surely this should have a major effect on how they were tuned? None of the reviews I have read have mention this, some suggesting that Flare made some minor tweaks. A completely redesigned bore is not a minor tweak. Flare’s promotional blurb talks about how the gold finish adds t the quality. I believe there is far more to it than that.
The rest of the packaging is the same as for the Pros. It’s impressive but maybe the tips could have been held a bit more securely in the box. The fact that they are the same is a plus for me as I will sell the Pros and use the pristine condition tips from the Gold package in the Pros sell on box as I have no intention of using the Flare tips.
I tested all the tips (using those from the Pros box) and decided that the silicons gave the clearest sound, best soundstage, and had the most controlled bass. The fragile foamies which Flare recommends, tend to draw a veil across the sound and while that might have been a good thing with the Pros and it’s area of scratchy treble, it’s not the same for the Gold’s. The MandarinE Symbio Wides tips are just awesome with the Golds.
So how do they sound? I don’t have a full grasp of many of the terms that fellow HiFiers use to describe how things sound and can only revert back to what I know about sound as a musician and the criteria I use to judge a pair of headphones.
All my listening was done via my iMac/Burson Play V6Vivid DAC/Amp. I ran the Burson at 7-8 for most tracks but turned it up for classical tracks via Tidal to 12-13. This included streaming 320kbps, FLAC, ALAC, and CD 44.1. I don’t have any hi res music to listen to though my Burson will be able to play it. The Burson helped to bring out the best of the Flare Gold’s. Judging on volume levels they aren’t too hard to drive but an amp like the Burson would surely help them shine.
I put them in my ears and my first thought was ‘OMG these are amazing’.
At this point I’ll look back at the Pros. When I got them the bass reproduction was so impressive without overpowering the rest of the spectrum. It was deep, solid, impactful, fast and tonally accurate. Even at very low levels there was no doof doof – you could hear the notes and feel them as well. This included a 32 foot Organ pipe. The Gold’s also do this but there seems to be an extra layer added. It’s hard to describe, it’s like there is an extended sound stage for the bass but this in itself doesn’t make sense. It’s the best bass I’ve ever heard in any headphone. I made that original statement about the R2As but the Golds are better in that department.
The midrange is also well served and this is where vocal reproduction comes into its own. It’s also where I have an issue with the Pros. Some of my favourite recordings seemed to sound more sibilant with an emphasis on the ‘s’. Now I realize that this is a recording issue but the Pros seemed to exacerbate it and I found it annoying. You can still hear it in the Gold’s as they are faithfully reproducing what was recorded but the annoyance factor is gone. Mary Black is no longer aspirating sibilantly into the mike on her recording of ‘Bright Blue Rose’. I imagine that people sensitive to treble would have heard it and Flare have managed to resolve it. (I’m thinking Arysyn here). Others, like me only heard it on some recordings, the rest being fine.
The treble could be best described as seamless because you can’t tell where the midrange ends and treble begins. It’s very clear and not recessed like it was in the R2As. It’s also very sweet, no harshness is evident. Female voices especially sound glorious such as Ann Murray singing Schubert’s “Nacht und Traum”. High piano notes don’t have any unnatural ringing and the complex harmonics of a note two octaves below middle ‘C’ ring deep and true on well-recorded piano. Cymbals and high hat drums sound very natural with no tizz and instruments like the piccolo and recorder do as well.
Soundstage is quite staggering. When I first heard the R2As I was blown away by the ‘out of head experience’ they provided as the soundstage seemed wider than the space between my ears. The Pros went so much further by giving instruments a place on that soundstage that you could easily identify from left to right. How you do that with dynamic drivers is something that Flare have obviously worked out. It makes the Pros a great set of iems to listen to. The Gold’s have taken this into two dimensions with both width and depth. Listening to the Pavel Haas Quartet I can hear how they play in a semicircle. It’s this effect that made me initially go “wow”.
Clarity and detail are superb. There is a part in Dire Strait’s “Private Investigations” where a bottle is dropped and smashes in the back ground. You can now hear how it breaks and tinkles and exactly where it happened.
The final test for me is “do I want to take these out of my ears?” If I’m engaged by the music then the answer is no and that’s what these iems do so well. They present all sorts of music so naturally and as a classical music junkie these are just the bees knees. I also listen to EDM, all sorts of classic rock, Deep House, soft jazz, etc – my music interests are fairly eclectic. The Gold’s do all of it so very, very, well and I’ve yet to find a genre that the Gold’s don’t do justice to. My thinking is that these don’t sound like iems. It feels as if I’ve got a top pair of headphones on my ears.
If there are any negatives then my ears can’t pick them though some might as no iems are perfect. Some might like theirs a little more coloured/lean/Vshaped/whatever. These are very close to neutral but maybe a fraction too warm to be classed as fully neutral. That suits my listening preferences fine.
Epilogue:
As mentioned, I have the Burson Play V6 Vivid which is an amazing DAC/amp with an incredibly powerful amplifier section (2W into 16 Ohms). I have the Flare Gold’s. I can use these out of any system but from my iMac is the most convenient. While some wouldn’t describe it as audio nirvana it’s good enough for me. My wallet will now thank me as I don’t intend to invest any further for the forseeable future.
This has changed in the last ten years and I’ve been able to try out iems and cans that sit above the mass market. Over the last decade I’ve bought headphones from Shure (SRH840s), Sennheiser (HD280s, IE80s and at last that pair of HD580s) and Flare (R2A, Pros and the Golds). I’m looking for a setup where I can sit back and say that I am truly satisfied with what I am hearing and can’t be bothered seeking anything else. Each new headphone purchase was a step forward and I think that I’ve now reached that point where “I can’t be bothered” looking further and that point is the Flare Golds. While I’ve been on this journey it’s also become very obvious that the source and how it is decoded is a vital part of that journey towards aural nirvana. More about that later.
So what do I want to hear from a pair of iems? As a musician, I am very particular about how all instruments are reproduced, especially through a set of dynamic drivers. They have to sound tonally accurate, and this includes timbre, harmonics plus attack and decay. This has to sound natural, as if I am there live with the musicians. This requires the headphones to be able reproduce this over a very wide range of pitch from deep bass to high treble. If any part of that range is compressed, exacerbated or compromised in any way it can be heard. Detail is also important. If I sit in a concert hall that has good acoustics and watch a string quartet play, the four instruments sound distinct and also have their place in the soundstage. I can shut my eyes and still exactly place the position on stage of the four musicians. This is also true of larger ensembles.
Finally, I want the headphones to be able to immerse me in the music and this is the final factor - pace, rhythm and timing (PRaT). For example, if the iem struggles to make the bass line sound coherent then PRaT vanishes. I want the iem to make me tap my feet, play on my emotions, involve me with the music and the performers.
So back to the Gold’s, which I purchased second hand from a Headfi member for a great price.
I opened the box and saw two little gold gems sitting in the stylized ears that Flare has used in the packaging. Taking them out of the box I immediately noticed that they were considerably heavier than the Pros. The rear bores were considerably wider and had a taper into the middle. The same held true for the front bores. Surely this should have a major effect on how they were tuned? None of the reviews I have read have mention this, some suggesting that Flare made some minor tweaks. A completely redesigned bore is not a minor tweak. Flare’s promotional blurb talks about how the gold finish adds t the quality. I believe there is far more to it than that.
The rest of the packaging is the same as for the Pros. It’s impressive but maybe the tips could have been held a bit more securely in the box. The fact that they are the same is a plus for me as I will sell the Pros and use the pristine condition tips from the Gold package in the Pros sell on box as I have no intention of using the Flare tips.
I tested all the tips (using those from the Pros box) and decided that the silicons gave the clearest sound, best soundstage, and had the most controlled bass. The fragile foamies which Flare recommends, tend to draw a veil across the sound and while that might have been a good thing with the Pros and it’s area of scratchy treble, it’s not the same for the Gold’s. The MandarinE Symbio Wides tips are just awesome with the Golds.
So how do they sound? I don’t have a full grasp of many of the terms that fellow HiFiers use to describe how things sound and can only revert back to what I know about sound as a musician and the criteria I use to judge a pair of headphones.
All my listening was done via my iMac/Burson Play V6Vivid DAC/Amp. I ran the Burson at 7-8 for most tracks but turned it up for classical tracks via Tidal to 12-13. This included streaming 320kbps, FLAC, ALAC, and CD 44.1. I don’t have any hi res music to listen to though my Burson will be able to play it. The Burson helped to bring out the best of the Flare Gold’s. Judging on volume levels they aren’t too hard to drive but an amp like the Burson would surely help them shine.
I put them in my ears and my first thought was ‘OMG these are amazing’.
At this point I’ll look back at the Pros. When I got them the bass reproduction was so impressive without overpowering the rest of the spectrum. It was deep, solid, impactful, fast and tonally accurate. Even at very low levels there was no doof doof – you could hear the notes and feel them as well. This included a 32 foot Organ pipe. The Gold’s also do this but there seems to be an extra layer added. It’s hard to describe, it’s like there is an extended sound stage for the bass but this in itself doesn’t make sense. It’s the best bass I’ve ever heard in any headphone. I made that original statement about the R2As but the Golds are better in that department.
The midrange is also well served and this is where vocal reproduction comes into its own. It’s also where I have an issue with the Pros. Some of my favourite recordings seemed to sound more sibilant with an emphasis on the ‘s’. Now I realize that this is a recording issue but the Pros seemed to exacerbate it and I found it annoying. You can still hear it in the Gold’s as they are faithfully reproducing what was recorded but the annoyance factor is gone. Mary Black is no longer aspirating sibilantly into the mike on her recording of ‘Bright Blue Rose’. I imagine that people sensitive to treble would have heard it and Flare have managed to resolve it. (I’m thinking Arysyn here). Others, like me only heard it on some recordings, the rest being fine.
The treble could be best described as seamless because you can’t tell where the midrange ends and treble begins. It’s very clear and not recessed like it was in the R2As. It’s also very sweet, no harshness is evident. Female voices especially sound glorious such as Ann Murray singing Schubert’s “Nacht und Traum”. High piano notes don’t have any unnatural ringing and the complex harmonics of a note two octaves below middle ‘C’ ring deep and true on well-recorded piano. Cymbals and high hat drums sound very natural with no tizz and instruments like the piccolo and recorder do as well.
Soundstage is quite staggering. When I first heard the R2As I was blown away by the ‘out of head experience’ they provided as the soundstage seemed wider than the space between my ears. The Pros went so much further by giving instruments a place on that soundstage that you could easily identify from left to right. How you do that with dynamic drivers is something that Flare have obviously worked out. It makes the Pros a great set of iems to listen to. The Gold’s have taken this into two dimensions with both width and depth. Listening to the Pavel Haas Quartet I can hear how they play in a semicircle. It’s this effect that made me initially go “wow”.
Clarity and detail are superb. There is a part in Dire Strait’s “Private Investigations” where a bottle is dropped and smashes in the back ground. You can now hear how it breaks and tinkles and exactly where it happened.
The final test for me is “do I want to take these out of my ears?” If I’m engaged by the music then the answer is no and that’s what these iems do so well. They present all sorts of music so naturally and as a classical music junkie these are just the bees knees. I also listen to EDM, all sorts of classic rock, Deep House, soft jazz, etc – my music interests are fairly eclectic. The Gold’s do all of it so very, very, well and I’ve yet to find a genre that the Gold’s don’t do justice to. My thinking is that these don’t sound like iems. It feels as if I’ve got a top pair of headphones on my ears.
If there are any negatives then my ears can’t pick them though some might as no iems are perfect. Some might like theirs a little more coloured/lean/Vshaped/whatever. These are very close to neutral but maybe a fraction too warm to be classed as fully neutral. That suits my listening preferences fine.
Epilogue:
As mentioned, I have the Burson Play V6 Vivid which is an amazing DAC/amp with an incredibly powerful amplifier section (2W into 16 Ohms). I have the Flare Gold’s. I can use these out of any system but from my iMac is the most convenient. While some wouldn’t describe it as audio nirvana it’s good enough for me. My wallet will now thank me as I don’t intend to invest any further for the forseeable future.