[jon parker]

The reviews LOOK very impressive but....
I cant even see what the DrIVER type is ?? Surely one of the most important aspects of an IEM !!
Basically they are claiming these will be better than anything else out there with ZERO concrete information or details
They keep harping on about the so called USQ technology but WHAT IS IT???
There is ZERO actual detailed information on the site and yet they want £250 ??

Weird

From the video - "you are hearing MORE than the artists and producers did" and now you can can "hear the music as the artist intended"

TBH most artists don't even listen to high quality music or even appreciate or care what that sounds like

One of the dumbest statements being thrown around these days
If they said music 'as the mixing engineer or mastering engineer intended' that would make sense !
Its these guys who know audio and how to manipulate it to sound as good as it can (when producers actually let them!!)

Should also mention that many of these 'top' engineers also dont know or have a lot of experience with IEM as 99% will work with
Speakers

Anyway - there is a lot claimed here and yet nothing of any actual SUBSTANCE

I reserve full judgment having not heard them to be fair but . . . Was interested at first but now...really dubious
The reviewer says 'doesnt know what to say' - Literally not one SINGLE word about the highs, mids or lows ... NOTHING ?????
AND Flarw uses this ;review; on their video . . .why? Im truly baffled
**** me - what a waste of space shill ?!

 

[shiftywxm]

Got a bit of an update. I spoke to Flare Audio again this morning and it would appear that there was no fault on the returned set. They asked if they could send me out a loaner set to try them again. Apparently, a producer that they sent a set out to had the same experience that I had initially, but a certain set of tips sorted it out.

So I've got another set on the way and I'm getting all of my different sets of tips sorted to try a lot more tip rolling. I'll give an update once I've had a bit of time with the loaner set.

I've got to say I'm impressed with Flare Audio. They could have totally ignored my experience, but they certainly want to try to work out any kinks with user experience.

 

[all999]

Got a bit of an update. I spoke to Flare Audio again this morning and it would appear that there was no fault on the returned set. They asked if they could send me out a loaner set to try them again. Apparently, a producer that they sent a set out to had the same experience that I had initially, but a certain set of tips sorted it out.

Did they mention what tips it would be? I'm listening to my set for about 2 hours and initially got the same impression. Bassy, muddy with no definition. Flare Audio audiophile foams helped a bit with bass quantity but still not impressed so far.

But it's getting better and sounds quite good with less bassy and good recordings.

 

[jon parker]

To be fair - these types of sound are what I would expect from a new IEM fresh out of the box
Some drivers improve markedly after anywhere between 20 - 300 hours

Personally I found the Flare Audiophile foams are too soft to be able to offer any definition or tightness of the low end
They may well work with some of the Flares own iems ?

Doe anyone know even what the driver type is they are using ??

 

[shiftywxm]

Did they mention what tips it would be? I'm listening to my set for about 2 hours and initially got the same impression. Bassy, muddy with no definition. Flare Audio audiophile foams helped a bit with bass quantity but still not impressed so far.

But it's getting better and sounds quite good with less bassy and good recordings.

No, they didn't mention what tips worked for that producer. To be honest, I'd also rather not know until I've gone through my full stock of eartips. I've got a pair of the audiophile tips somewhere so will try them - just got to track them down!

If I can't get any good sound from all of my tips, I'll then reach back out to Flare to find out the exact tips used.

 

[beluga25]

DHL just delivered mine (surprisingly fast from UK, feels like I just ordered them few days ago and here they are!).

Sadly, blew out my HD Pro 2s (inadvertently ran a line level into them!) so decided, despite owning way, way too many i.e.m.s and headphones, to order a set of the Prototypes.

Aesthetically, yes, they look like something from the $5 bin at Wal-Mart or the discount rack at CVS (though I do like that the resin is supposedly biologically inert/
relatively non-toxic). The cable is insanely microphonic and anything further about it should probably just remain unsaid (although, to me, it is more or less comfortable/
lightweight, i.e. unintrusive).

Definitely no bass bloat. On 'I Am Shiva' by The Valence Project I can hear okay enough level sub-bass but nothing excessive across the rest of the bass spectrum.
To me they have a forward vocal/mids response, which I like but is probably just the way I hear it, my perceptions don't always match the local audiophiles', lol.
Treble I'm not "qualified" to comment on as, at age 70, my hearing drops off a cliff at 7200 Hz but for my purposes it has much air or sparkle or whatever as I'm
ever going to be able to use. Cymbals, hi-hats don't sound terrible.

Soundstage isn't anything exceptional. Not strait-jacket like or anything, just sort of generic. Details are at least okay, maybe better than okay once I wind up
listening more. Overall am hoping after some hours of settling in things will only improve.

In the meantime, running errands today, using them with my LG-V60, I was happy listening to Emily Palen's 'Glass' album which the Prototypes appropriately rendered with all the caustic stridency she brings to her violin playing, lol {will nevertheless do some tip rolling when I have time).


As an aside just completely out of curiosity, I'm sure in some months there'll be a 'Pro' or '2' or 'HD', or whatever but why are people saying they need to sell some of these
to raise money for the later version? I thought they were super successful selling the sleep buds/Calmer line and so they had plenty of cash. Why would they need
to raise some more money by selling these rather than just continuing development?

 

[all999]

Are You guys getting a lot of driver flex when aplicate them and a suction when getting out of ears? They look like open, semi/open design like their previous iems. Apparently they're not, so what about "Long Live Ears" slogan?

I also still didn't get the way to settle down a midbass which is way to much for my taste. And I'm a basshead.

 

[Jackpot77]

Are You guys getting a lot of driver flex when aplicate them and a suction when getting out of ears? They look like open, semi/open design like their previous iems. Apparently they're not, so what about "Long Live Ears" slogan?

I also still didn't get the way to settle down a midbass which is way to much for my taste. And I'm a basshead.

Still getting driver flex, which is weird given the design. It's definitely a slamming IEM, so not sure if there is any pressure relief in this particular design. Jury is still out at the moment, bit I think they could be decent. Will give then a proper go this weekend and decide.

 

[shiftywxm]

Had two days with the loaner set now and it sounds much better than my first set. I’ve also settled on the audiophile tips that came with the pro2hd. They make the earphones sound much better.

One thing I did notice with the original tips was if I put slight pressure on either side of the earphones, changing the angle of the nozzle in my ear, this changed the presentation of the music quite a bit. I was even able to replicate the bad bass, I had previously experienced, at some angles. Unfortunately though, when I did find a good angle and released the pressure, the original tips wouldn’t keep to that angle. Using the audiophile tips negated this as changing the nozzle angle didn’t seem to change the sound as significantly as the OG tips.

I also get driver flex putting them in, but they seem to settle as soon as I remove the pressure having inserted them.

 

[beluga25]

Yeah, the driver flex was so transient for me at insertion I didn't really give it any thought.

 

[shiftywxm]

So after having the loaner set from Flare Audio for a week, my impressions on the sound of these have changed.

My thoughts on the unboxing experience and cable/accessories hasn’t though.

I’ve been using Flare’s own audiophile tips instead of the included ones and the sound quality is so much better. The tips reduce the bass slightly and this helps to create a more even response. It’s still a warm sound signature, but enjoyable.

I’m in the process of returning the set to Flare, so I’m now weighing up on whether to get another set of my own. On the one hand, I’m liking the sound of these iems, but I don’t know whether I can justify the price tag considering the lack of accessories and non-swappable cable.

For anyone who has these, I’d recommend trying the audiophile tips. I also tried the everyday tips, but they weren’t as good as the audiophile ones.

 

[linnsondek]

I have had these IEMs for about 10 days. I agree the shells look cheap and understand they are 3D pri Ted, b7t the sound is just amazing. I have Layalas, Sony and I basso iEMs and these Flares can definitely match them for great sound. The bass is amazing. They have absolutely no hiss. I have had other fFlare IEMs which I always liked although they were quite hard to drive. These are much easier to drive. They are well worth trying. For the price I:think they are good value.

 

[Haden2866]

Original Flare R2 backer and current Pro2HD owner here, following with interest.

 

[Jackpot77]

Knee jerk reaction after a few weeks intermittent listening: sonically, they are like someone has taken the bass forward tuning of the Jet and added a later of clarity to bring it a lot closer to the Pro 2 HD sound. Fit wise, they are excellent with the right tips (I use the Azla Xelastec). Build quality wise: they look and feel like they come out of a Christmas cracker.

I sincerely hope these are actually just a prototype, and they start offering an updated version in metal or acrylic at some point. Although that will be annoying for those of us who have shelled out a few hundred in the "prototype" version.

 

[all999]

Mine are going back tomorrow, unfortunately I didn't get satisfying sound quality out of those. Not even close to 2HD imo.