[besati]

Yeah, I find that you have to have your ear canals covered to get the full quality and quantity of bass with Flares IEM (was the same with R2), so you either want to use spinfit with foam inserted (like those mandarines tips), or with moldable silicone earplug, practically making it like custom sleeves

You can get 6 pairs of moldable earplugs for $5 https://www.amazon.com/Macks-pair-Pillow-Soft-Plugs/dp/B007P8CZS0 only need a pair to cover both ears fully, or half a pair if you only need them to fill the spinfit/eartips.

In my experience, it gives me the best of both world, very nice mids and high with textured bass and for some reason, very good headstage. Waaay more comfortable than foam too since they don't expand once they're set.

Many thanks. Looks like a cheap and effective custom mould. Does it come with full and clear instructions? I have no experience with custom moulds. Is there any risk of the jelly plugging the tip? Is the yellowish thing the Mandarine foam to fill up the spinfit in your earpieces?

 

[sodesuka]

Nope, those earplugs aren't intended for this kind of use so the only instructions on the packaging is about how to put them in your ears. The way it's used on this DIY custom tip thingy is very similar to its intended use though so there should be no danger. The silicone is moldable and non-curing (at least not after heavy use in days to weeks time) so if you don't get it right the first time, you just need to add/remove them as needed and mold them.

There's no risk of plugging since the silicone is actually quite firm (nothing like jelly) and easily removable, you want them to fill the inside of the tips under the umbrella though. They look yellow because of my phone's flash, they're actually pink in person.

And no I'm not using any foam in there, those are all the silcone earplug with spinfit. (By the way, the foam used on Mandarine tips are actually made from 3M earplugs which can be had for very cheap https://www.amazon.com/Foam-Ear-Plugs-Pack-200/dp/B000J6BK04 )

 

[besati]

Really clear and comprehensive instruction indeed. Thank you very much. I imagine my next diy project will be a lot of fun.

 

[sodesuka]

double post.

edit: ok What, my post above is gone. head-fi pls. can't delete either now, so please ignore this post.

 

[holden4th]

So who will be the first to put custom shells on the Pros? I shelled my R2As and it made a significant difference/improvement.

 

[Jaunty]

Should you be able to source a cable to go from the USB DAC to single ended, so you can use your existing wired headphones wirelessly? Creates more value for me and I would probably buy. Or could Flare sell it as an accessory?

 

[xoxiax]

Hi folks!

After almost one month with the FlaresPro, surpassed the passion of the first days, how do you rate them? Still punching well above it's price?
Did audiophile tips continue breaking?
Would you say that they are more on the analytical side of sound?
Any other problems or positive discoveries?

Thanks in advance for your answers, i'm seriously considering now buying them...

 

[Haden2866]

Hi folks!

After almost one month with the FlaresPro, surpassed the passion of the first days, how do you rate them? Still punching well above it's price?
Did audiophile tips continue breaking?
Would you say that they are more on the analytical side of sound?
Any other problems or positive discoveries?

Thanks in advance for your answers, i'm seriously considering now buying them...

Still enjoying mine on a daily basis. I posted initially that the treble was occasionally bright - don't feel that now. Crisp and well extended, but never bright - I believe the drivers have burnt-in somewhat since then. Others have commented that perhaps there's some airiness lacking in the treble compared to TOTL IEMs. Can't comment as I don't have enough experience. Treble is certainly far more present than with Flare's previous model, the heavily rolled-off R2. Same goes for sub-bass, which appears to have a very nice little bump, making these much more suitable for on-the-go use.
Haven't dared use the audiophile tips so can't comment. I am so far happy with the sound using Crystal Tips and will try @sodesuka 's Spinfit & silicone putty mod tonight. Haven't used any of the stock tips, in fact.
These are really versatile IMO - kick hard when needed, can be laid back when not.
I wouldn't say they're analytical - a clean presentation maybe; in comparative speaker terms we are certainly towards the monitoring end of the hi-fi spectrum, but certainly not lean, at least not with my setup.
The Bluetooth DAC seems to work well, paired with my iPhone 5c. Haven't tried aptX yet but I expect it to be really, really good, like game-changingly good.
Having seen the film Hellraiser, I was somewhat concerned about the presentation box. No demonic manifestations observed so far.
Do they punch above their weight? Good amping seems to be a requirement for best performance, when wired, as they don't seem to be very efficient, but with that caveat then yes, I would think so, especially if you have an aptX-enabled source and value a wireless use case.
Am I still pleased I bought them? Yes, definitely.

 

[sodesuka]

I'm using Spinfit L size for those tips thing by the way.

Hi folks!

After almost one month with the FlaresPro, surpassed the passion of the first days, how do you rate them? Still punching well above it's price?
Did audiophile tips continue breaking?
Would you say that they are more on the analytical side of sound?
Any other problems or positive discoveries?

Thanks in advance for your answers, i'm seriously considering now buying them...

This might seem dramatic but I'm literally selling all of my headphones (locally), including HD6XX and Periodic Audio Be, in favor of Flares Pro as I find them redundant now (and can't be bothered enough to find the right amp for 6xx). I'm still yet to try the higher end of this hobby like Vega, RE2K and Dream so that's where I'm planning to go next (gonna audition them first of course), I hope they can surpass Flares Pro, I'd be ecstatic if they did but I somehow doubt it.

They're more of live sound, it's hard to describe but let me just say that they have the best piano reproduction sounds I've heard in any form of personal audio yet. They're very clear which could lend to them sounding bright at times but everything still sound solid, with convincing body, amazing timbre. Based on memory, I think they also sound more 'dynamic' than R2Pro, whereas there were tracks that just sounded dull with R2Pro, I have yet to find any in my playlist that invoked that feeling (song preference aside) with the new Flares.

So yeah, it's way past the new toy syndrome phase and I'm still in honeymoon mode, in fact, I'm actually tempted to purchase another as a backup pair lol. Gonna hurt though, maybe Flare should partner up with Massdrop and offer FlareX or something... pretty please?

So who will be the first to put custom shells on the Pros? I shelled my R2As and it made a significant difference/improvement.

I'm planning too, but not anytime soon, pretty satisfied with the makeshift custom sleeves for now.

 

[ryanjsoo]

Hey guys, just got the Flares Pro in and am really getting into their sound. I don't think they're as neutral as some people have been saying, they have some really visceral sub-bass and details are quite aggressive though I really enjoy both. Ergonomics are fabulous and the isolation/wind noise are way better than I expected given that exposed rear vent. The Bluetooth implementation is also exceptional, the best I've heard to date, I just wish I could find a mmcx to mmcx cable to use the module with my other in-ears. I'm currently in the process of writing up my review, are there any comparisons that you would like to see or features that you want me to have a look at? Happy to expand this review a bit since these are a really interesting earphone.
P.S. The box is art

 

[sodesuka]

They're the most sensitive IEM in regards to tip changing I've ever encountered, like, their tonality can completely change just by swapping from silicone to foam to spinfit, so I'm not going to contest your finding. Just saying that I don't particularly care for their mids without spinfit at least.

And their sub-bass is actually a tiny bit less visceral than the more closed R2Pro imo, but everything else is just better.

Edit: sorry should have worded it better (non native speaker here), I meant to say that for people used to R2, the new flares's bass feels right at home so you probably won't see many, especially here, referring to that.

 

[besati]

I agree that the sound is very sensitive to the tips used. Probably the original cylindrical foam tip is the best and should be the house standard, but it's just too fragile and expensive. Mine lived for 2 weeks only.

 

[holden4th]

I'm almost ready to get these. I just need reassurance regarding the bass. I'm not a fan of foamies and would probably run with either Spinfits, but more likely to see what the Spiral Dots, with their larger bore, would do to complement the 'acoustic lens' technology. Headfonics reviewed it very well and did mention that the bass was an improvement over the R2Pros. I've got the R2As which supposedly have better bass than the P2Pros according to review that Headfonics did a couple of years ago.

Before I do buy, I've got to put $1000 worth of rubber on my 4X4 this weekend.

A couple of questions. The R2 series had an adjustable cap at one end which you could use to tune the bass. Is the cap on the PROs adjustable or fixed?

Can anyone compare them to the R2As who have heard both?

 

[barondla]

I just wish I could find a mmcx to mmcx cable to use the module with my other in-ears.

Here is a possibility. Never knew mmcx was a rf connector? Lots of companies build this stuff. Don't know how they sound. http://www.alliedelec.com/pomona-electronics-73077-uu-36/70197533/

 

[ryanjsoo]

They're the most sensitive IEM in regards to tip changing I've ever encountered, like, their tonality can completely change just by swapping from silicone to foam to spinfit, so I'm not going to contest your finding. Just saying that I don't particularly care for their mids without spinfit at least.

And their sub-bass is actually a tiny bit less visceral than the more closed R2Pro imo, but everything else is just better.

Here is a possibility. Never knew mmcx was a rf connector? Lots of companies build this stuff. Don't know how they sound. http://www.alliedelec.com/pomona-electronics-73077-uu-36/70197533/

I've considered it, might try to build one myself, only two channels anyway.