[awayeah]

Finally we agree on something - silicon tips do sound awful and that's all I needed to hear from you You can tell yourself that they "don't go in my ear properly" but "It is all a matter of belief:. "Neurology tends to show that we live in a world of imagination at ALL times"

And there's no pricing on silicon tips but universal foams are not much cheaper than audiophile and probably pricier than silicon - so there goes your theory.

Here's a quote from Flares's director: "As we said in the instruction manual, we know these are a very delicate, consumable product, which we included in the package as a value-added product as they give the very highest sound quality and comfort, using as they do, our Acoustic Lens technology. The Everyday EARFOAMS® offer the same Acoustic Lens technology, but in a much more robust silicone material. They are sonically vastly superior to the cylindrical (Complyesque) tips (also supplied)."

"Vastly superior"

 

[sodesuka]

I wonder if there are any Flare Audio representatives here on Head-Fi who are active at all in this thread. I used the contact form on their website several days ago asking a few questions politely of course, but they never responded to me.

Try emailing info@flareaudio.com

They're quite slow sometimes. Took me over a week to sort out a shipping problem (the Flares couldn't be shipped to certain countries at first due to site error).

 

[HiFlight]

I wonder if there are any Flare Audio representatives here on Head-Fi who are active at all in this thread. I used the contact form on their website several days ago asking a few questions politely of course, but they never responded to me.

When I emailed them regarding the lack of a website ordering link on my computer, I received a courteous reply about 10 hours later with an attached screenshot. Hopefully, they will respond in such a timely manner if service is required on their products.

 

[besati]

I am wondering whether stuffing the silicone tip with foam like the Mandarines tips will bring the sound close to the audiophile tips. The shape of the silicone tip is closest in form to the audiophile tips than conventional bell shaped tips.

 

[awayeah]

I am wondering whether stuffing the silicone tip with foam like the Mandarines tips will bring the sound close to the audiophile tips. The shape of the silicone tip is closest in form to the audiophile tips than conventional bell shaped tips.

There's 99% chance that it won't work. I think that silicons, water-based foams and Comply-like foams create different in-ear pressure - that's one thing. Second thing is how deep can you insert the IEM. Shape and lenght also play a role. All this changes the soundstage, bass quantity and quality, fullness of sounds and most important (for me at least) harshness/sibilance.
With old Flares situation was clear for me - either Comply or nothing.
Here is a bit more complicated because while audiophile foams sounds best, they can be used with inAIRS or their own foams and probably others. Comply is not really a good choice here - they sound congested, kind of dark and bassy, plus resolution is way worse. Silicon generally makes them brighter, more sibilant, bass is drier, softer and well - simply of poor quality,

The best thing is to use them with different water-based foams. I was consider that but in the end I've decided to return them given that it won't be 100% performance as with audiophile tips. Such a comprise while maybe accepted by man, it wasn't acceptable by me...
And there's the customer service... It used to was the best there is but ever since the Isolates it went slowly downhill. They were responsive, helpful and very fast with repairs - plus even after 2,5 years after my purchase of R2A they still fixed them for free. Now I think there's new policy... I was one of the first to buy Flares Pro (an hour after the "announcement") and a loyal customer and yet I had to pay 24£ for 3 pairs of replacement foams after they fell apart the same day I got them. True, they send me 5 pairs after some complaining from me but still.... After you sell something that breaks apart from looking at it you should at least try to make some amendments.

 

[sodesuka]

So I was curious and tried the foam tips on my flares at last, they sounded good but the mids weren't as I liked them to be, so I thought of replacing them back with spinfit, and lo and behold, the right foam piece fell apart as soon as I tried to peel it off, these things aren't designed to be taken off once you put it on the flares lol.

For kicks, I stuffed the foam (still in shape) into the silicone tips equivalent (the M size in this case) and put it back on my ear, with the other ear still had the foam tips in. It actually doesn't sound that much different, the silicone foam one maybe has a bit less treble extension and a db or two quieter, but it's not a night and day difference. Might be a good idea to peel off the foam right once you know it's not going to make it and put inside the silicone tips if you like the sounds from these tips.

Me, I'm going back to stuffed spinfit.

 

[Arysyn]

Good news,

I heard from Flare Audio today in a very nice email from the company informing me they are arranging preparations for my requests and that I ought to gear back from them in a few weeks. This not only is great for me, but I'm going to share some of the information here, if I can. I'm very interested in this, especially since Flare could have told me outright that their Flares Pro sound signature isn't close to mine. Yet, they didn't. I'd love to have another iem to compete with my current HiFiMan Re-800, and perhaps this might be it.

 

[awayeah]

Good news,

I heard from Flare Audio today in a very nice email from the company informing me they are arranging preparations for my requests and that I ought to gear back from them in a few weeks. This not only is great for me, but I'm going to share some of the information here, if I can. I'm very interested in this, especially since Flare could have told me outright that their Flares Pro sound signature isn't close to mine. Yet, they didn't. I'd love to have another iem to compete with my current HiFiMan Re-800, and perhaps this might be it.

What was your request, mate?

 

[LuckyNat]

Finally we agree on something - silicon tips do sound awful and that's all I needed to hear from you You can tell yourself that they "don't go in my ear properly" but "It is all a matter of belief:. "Neurology tends to show that we live in a world of imagination at ALL times"

And there's no pricing on silicon tips but universal foams are not much cheaper than audiophile and probably pricier than silicon - so there goes your theory.

Here's a quote from Flares's director: "As we said in the instruction manual, we know these are a very delicate, consumable product, which we included in the package as a value-added product as they give the very highest sound quality and comfort, using as they do, our Acoustic Lens technology. The Everyday EARFOAMS® offer the same Acoustic Lens technology, but in a much more robust silicone material. They are sonically vastly superior to the cylindrical (Complyesque) tips (also supplied)."

"Vastly superior"

The audiophile foams are unique to Flare Audio - so you have to buy them from Flare. Other tips you can buy anywhere - InAirs are ~ £11 for 5 pairs and sound better than complys to me. Hence where I was coming from. Those unique and unobtainable from anywhere else are both expensive and professed by the manufacturer to be "vastly superior".

Oddly enough, despite a brief mention of the tips in the Headphonics review, there was no large differences mentioned between the tips, nothing night and day (else there would have been paragraphs describing the differences... ) . Only a cold preference for the audiophile ones with no further explination. Can only assume from that that the difference was minimal - as I found too.

The silicons really do not go in my ear properly - the iems start to fall out due to lack of fit. Only a good expanding foam both seals and is strong enough to hold the iems as I place them in my ears, as I experience it. True though that I haven't spent too long to see if there's a different way to insert them - I may try the foam around the back trick.

 

[LuckyNat]

Good news,

I heard from Flare Audio today in a very nice email from the company informing me they are arranging preparations for my requests and that I ought to gear back from them in a few weeks. This not only is great for me, but I'm going to share some of the information here, if I can. I'm very interested in this, especially since Flare could have told me outright that their Flares Pro sound signature isn't close to mine. Yet, they didn't. I'd love to have another iem to compete with my current HiFiMan Re-800, and perhaps this might be it.

Please do let us know what the good news is all about! I'm curious now...

 

[HiFlight]

I just took delivery of my Flares Pro and so far am pleased with what I see and hear. I have not used the fragile foams but did try the silicons which did not fit me at all. I do, however, get an excellent fit with both Spinfit L and Spiral Dot L with the Spinfits being more open and airy.

What is truly remarkable is that I placed my order late Tuesday evening and received them today (Thursday) Great service from DHL!

I am now charging the BT module and will give it a try ASAP. It is much smaller than I had anticipated. I do have a set of mmcx couplers arriving tomorrow, so I will also be able to use my balanced sources. Currently, I am driving them with the new Shozy Alien+.

So far, I find them to be tonally well-balanced with satisfying bass impact and realistic vocals. Timbre is accurate and highs are extended but smooth. To my ears, the imaging and soundstage sound similar to that of a high-quality set of nearfield speakers.

EDIT: I have been using the BT module and have to say I have never heard better BT! I have it paired with my Shanling M1 which hosts the Apt-X codec. I can't imagine a more stealth pairing than the M1 and Flares!

 

[awayeah]

The audiophile foams are unique to Flare Audio - so you have to buy them from Flare. Other tips you can buy anywhere - InAirs are ~ £11 for 5 pairs and sound better than complys to me. Hence where I was coming from. Those unique and unobtainable from anywhere else are both expensive and professed by the manufacturer to be "vastly superior".

Oddly enough, despite a brief mention of the tips in the Headphonics review, there was no large differences mentioned between the tips, nothing night and day (else there would have been paragraphs describing the differences... ) . Only a cold preference for the audiophile ones with no further explination. Can only assume from that that the difference was minimal - as I found too.

The silicons really do not go in my ear properly - the iems start to fall out due to lack of fit. Only a good expanding foam both seals and is strong enough to hold the iems as I place them in my ears, as I experience it. True though that I haven't spent too long to see if there's a different way to insert them - I may try the foam around the back trick.

Well basically that's what I wrote. Old Flares were Comply or nothing because the difference was in fact night and day.
New Flares are different in that manner. Audiophile foams will most probably give you 100% performance but other tips might get you 90-95%. It's good enough for most but in my case the dissonance was caused by the fact that I want 100%, not 80%, not 95%, not even 98%. It's like buying Ferrari that can go up to 320kph but only on tires that will fall apart after 1km. You can go up to 300kph on other, more durable set of tires if you'd manage to find one.... Not acceptable.

 

[LuckyNat]

Which is where I was coming from.. The dissatisfaction comes not from the reality of how the Ferrari feels to drive, the quality of build, how it looks how it feels to own, how it accelerates and how it is everyday, it comes from somewhere in ones mind that you know it's not performing as you expect so everyday there is a mental block in your enjoyment. The car itself will be absolutely fantastic everyday, even at 95% of its potential.

That feeling of dissatisfaction can really make people blind to something's real positives and even make people feel those positives to anyone else are bad and negative. Happens in relationships too . It's psychological, completely.

I personally advise to buy them again and. Really concentrate on their positives with a '95%' performing tip - I think then the sound will get better to you - then you can call it burn-in too if that fits with the normal culture of an audiophile

 

[awayeah]

There's no need to analyze me
I'm planing to buy them back but... I still have all three previous models and I'm very happy with them. I'm hoping they'll address those issues and try to fix them by either designing more durable foams with better adhesive for their core and/or introduce more sizes so one can have better selection and thus eliminating the risk of tearing them apart.
If they don't do anything I'll buy them anyway because for better or worse it's still my favourite brand and the bluetooth module is awesome. Until then I'll patiently wait and enjoy the "old" versions.

 

[Arysyn]

What was your request, mate?

Please do let us know what the good news is all about! I'm curious now...

I apologize for the delay in my responding here to you both. I had a busy few days that had me away from the internet and Head-Fi, yet still close to the web technology in trying to get my internet speed issue resolved with Comcast and its fractional download speed of the gigabit service I'm paying for.

Anyways, I had written to Flare Audio about my wanting to know how the Flares Pro sound signature varies from my HiFiMan Re-800, which the Re-800 has the closest audio frequency response to my ideal preference, and asking Flare if they could either describe the Flares Pro in reference to that, or send an audio frequency response graph to me.

In the nice email they sent to me, they didn't tell me exactly which request they were going to do, but asked me to wait a bit to prepare it. So, I'm awaiting that glad they are doing something to help me have an idea on it.

The reason for my interest in the Flares Pro, is in my first line of research, when there are enough details positively leaning towards my preferences, the next step is looking for an audio frequency response graph. If I can't locate one online, but still have reason to have enough interest in an iem, then I contact the company.

I'd say the Flares Pro definitely has my strong attention. Although, it has strict competition with the HiFiMan Re-800 I already have and now with the excellent Meridian Explorer2 dac that is in my opinion a near-perfect match for the Re-800 (my reviews of both coming very soon), the Flares Pro has to match in in most ways, while lessening the bass slightly and moving the vocals a bit more forward, then it will win over the Re-800.