[sodesuka]

  Yeah the right amount of bass is as least as subjective as any other aspect But I like the speed and texture.
 
But I'm also noticing its more track dependent than other iems, even within bass heavy genres like EDM. Some tracks will sound as if it has no bass, while in other tracks it suddenly hits much harder.

 
Yep, noticed that too. Though I've never heard tracks that makes me think they're thin, thankfully.

 

[RedJohn456]

  Yeah the right amount of bass is as least as subjective as any other aspect But I like the speed and texture.
 
But I'm also noticing its more track dependent than other iems, even within bass heavy genres like EDM. Some tracks will sound as if it has no bass, while in other tracks it suddenly hits much harder.

 
How does the R2 sound with your headstage amp? I was thinking of picking up the 5Tx as my amd/dac for my mac and phone.

 

[flinkenick]

Well you know for some reason I also first bought the Headstage before I got a good source, I purchased the 5TX back in January and got a loan 5P in the meanwhile.
 
But looking back I'd highly recommend getting a good source first. The Headstage is a great amp - but like most portable amp/dac combos (I think) comes with a very crappy dac. The dac isn't better than what you'd get from your mac or phone. As a result imaging will remain very poor. The 5TX is quite expensive, I think $474 incl VAT or so and you won't be able to find one in the classifieds because people hold on to them. For that money I think you'll get a bigger improvement in SQ from something like a second hand DX90 or X5II for $300, maybe even adding a $150 Fiio amp or something. But thats just my 2 cents..
 
But to answer your question, I played a bit of music directly from my mac > 5P > R2A and I'd say it sounds darkish, maybe a but muffled at first. However the treble opens up nicely with the treble switch on I (which I usually don't use), and I put the bass switch on II. The bass doesn't distort (but I find it lighter than what I'm used to for EDM or hip hop with the Velvet).

 

[Deviltooth]

  Yeah the right amount of bass is as least as subjective as any other aspect But I like the speed and texture.
 
But I'm also noticing its more track dependent than other iems, even within bass heavy genres like EDM. Some tracks will sound as if it has no bass, while in other tracks it suddenly hits much harder.

I agree that it doesn't compare to high(er) end customs.  I listen to a ton of EDM and I find the R2A a little bit bass heavy (and that's without any EQ); you must be a serious bass head!  How do the Flares compare to the Velvets?  I've always been curious about Earsonics offerings.

 

[flinkenick]

Hehe yeah maybe I listen to a lot of different music, but when I listen to bassy music like EDM, hip hop, R&B or pop I want the bass to be banging!
 
I really like the Velvet a lot, it's my first love and introduction to a top tier iem (although its not priced top tier, it competes easily with them). Soundstage is wider, much more bass quantity and energizing treble - combined with excellent detail they're very good for EDM etc. Since the Flares has a single dynamic driver, it gives a more coherent presentation since highs/mids etc aren't more or less on the background compared to multiple BA's. Instruments might be smaller on the Flare, but the separation/presentation is better I think, you get more accurate location of each component.

 

[LuckyNat]

Not so much as bass light as devoid of bass

 
Devoid of bass means you're saying it doesn't have ANY bass, let alone some of it being light. So you're saying it's worse than bass light?
 
I really can't relate to what you're hearing at all. The R2Pro does appear to have less of a bass resonance (and therefore slightly less bass in total) than then R2A (I've both) and even that has very deep and powerful bass when it comes up in the track.

 

[LuckyNat]

  For ambient and field recordings, the R2A might be my end game here due to the realistic sound stage, neutral response and low unit profile. Even better if one bothers to remove the splitter. I remember being fully immersed to Parazoan Mapping by Eric La Casa and Taku Unami (great album, I highly recommend this as background/study/book-reading music or to immerse into) where the sound of a door creek gave me a small fright as I thought someone was breaking into my house (this album does seem very well-mastered though).

 
For me, this is the true test of a monitor! The brain is tuned to react to real sounds and easily and quickly determines when something is fake or unrealistic. The sounds in the recordings are also unpredicable or unmemorable in comparison to music so the brain always reacts to the sound, never replaying from memory. Sound recordings also encompass unmusical sounds (e.g. percussive) which a monitor never gets tested on when only listening to music.
 
With music, many many studies have shown how the brain fills in what is expected of a known tune or track - if there are deficiencies, the brain fills them in, effectively singing along replaying your memory of the music, much like face recognition or filling in missing letters in words (I'm sure you've all seen those sentences which have missing letters and no spaces and yet most people can still read it just as fast as normal).
 
Once a monitor can do well at field recordings, then it should be perfect for accurate reproduction of music (to a non-human, music is just as much noise as any field recording. It's only our brains which create music).
 
However, so many people just don't want music to be reproduced accurately and naturally, they want it to be more pleasingly musical to the natural tastes of the musical human brain, softer, sweeter, more 2nd order harmonics etc etc etc.... which is fair enough and why people have different tastes in audio gear.

 

[Midgetguy]

  Yeah the right amount of bass is as least as subjective as any other aspect But I like the speed and texture.
 
But I'm also noticing its more track dependent than other iems, even within bass heavy genres like EDM. Some tracks will sound as if it has no bass, while in other tracks it suddenly hits much harder.

This is definitely true in some cases. I have a track that sounds like it should have a lot of bass, but doesn't. The thing I like most about the R2A is that it feels like it reaches the deepest of any of my IEMs. Not totally sure if that has to do with the tuning in terms of balance (and it being a more bass biased earphone), but it delivers the goods to my ears.

 

[RedJohn456]

  Well you know for some reason I also first bought the Headstage before I got a good source, I purchased the 5TX back in January and got a loan 5P in the meanwhile.
 
But looking back I'd highly recommend getting a good source first. The Headstage is a great amp - but like most portable amp/dac combos (I think) comes with a very crappy dac. The dac isn't better than what you'd get from your mac or phone. As a result imaging will remain very poor. The 5TX is quite expensive, I think $474 incl VAT or so and you won't be able to find one in the classifieds because people hold on to them. For that money I think you'll get a bigger improvement in SQ from something like a second hand DX90 or X5II for $300, maybe even adding a $150 Fiio amp or something. But thats just my 2 cents..
 
But to answer your question, I played a bit of music directly from my mac > 5P > R2A and I'd say it sounds darkish, maybe a but muffled at first. However the treble opens up nicely with the treble switch on I (which I usually don't use), and I put the bass switch on II. The bass doesn't distort (but I find it lighter than what I'm used to for EDM or hip hop with the Velvet).

 
I have been recommended the head-fi a few times but haven;t heard them yet. Thanks for the impressions! It looks like I can get something better for my money then. As for the source, I don't really listen to music offline all that much as most of my music is from spotify so an amp/dac that works both with my phone and mac would be perfect  
 
would the aforementioned DAPs make for good amp/dacs for my laptop?

 

[Midgetguy]

   
I have been recommended the head-fi a few times but haven;t heard them yet. Thanks for the impressions! It looks like I can get something better for my money then. As for the source, I don't really listen to music offline all that much as most of my music is from spotify so an amp/dac that works both with my phone and mac would be perfect  
 
would the aforementioned DAPs make for good amp/dacs for my laptop?

DX90 and X5 are dedicated players and require you to load music onto them I believe.

 

[LuckyNat]

 

You guys aren't paying attention.

  I TRIED rolling tips, basically skimming over the Complys because I didn't like them in the first place. I Have a HUGE amount of different types, but I whittled it down to what I thought sounded the best. After an extended 8 Hour listen, I was Totally Un-happy with the sound of the R2As and ready to throw them into the Drawer and forget about them. PLUS, I posted a first impression a while back, not being very kind to them. Several Guys commented and advised me to use THE COMPLY TIPS, (to which I have a real aversion having had less-than-desirable results in the past with many other earphones).
 
Apparently the FLARES are designed FOR these tips. I retried them taking great care about preparation and deep insertion. I was amazed and rewarded with GREAT sound. WHO KNEW? Yes the Complys are a PIA to use, and they wear out rather quickly, BUT they work exceeding well with the Flares.
 
Try them again. These are NOT Bass light by any means, that is your first clue you don't have the right tip. The 2nd clue is DISTORTION at a good volume, particularly if you boost your Bass, because you don't have the right tip. CATCH 22? When you use the complys these problems are eliminated.
 
JMHO
 

TWIN

 
I'm not sure how the wrong tip would do this.
 
All the wrong tip can do, surely, is prevent the driver facing right down your ear canal. If it makes the driver face the wall of your ear canal or it buckles and bends so it is obscuring the driver completely, OR there isn't a seal made then I can understand a big change in sound. But really that's not down to the make up of the tip but purely the fit.
 
The make up of the tip only determines if there is a seal or not and comfort.
 
I don't really think the Flare are particularly made for these tips at all. It's only that they recommend them for consistant seal, comfort and isolation. I always use memory foam type ones for this purpose on my iems. That and they are industry standard for the Pro industry.

 

[RedJohn456]

 
DX90 and X5 are dedicated players and require you to load music onto them I believe.

Yup am aware of that, but I have read that they have USB dac functionality right? Man, if the Pono had USB dac functionality I would be all over that like white on rice and I would reterminate the R2A with balanced cables! Has anyone modified their R2 to run balanced?

 

[LuckyNat]

  If you got only a single size of complys, it might well be that they fit neither you, nor your son. Very odd decision by the manufacturer to include only one pair / size of tips.
 
 

 
Somewhere in the Kickstarter comments and replies from Flare it was discussed: how many they included with each was determined by the distribution agreement put forward by Comply. In other words it was "1 with the As and Ss and 3 for anything "Professional" " or they go use someone else's tips !

 

[Midgetguy]

  Yup am aware of that, but I have read that they have USB dac functionality right? Man, if the Pono had USB dac functionality I would be all over that like white on rice and I would reterminate the R2A with balanced cables! Has anyone modified their R2 to run balanced?

Good question then, I'm not sure about using them as just a connected DAC. Is the Pono Player good? I've read very mixed things about it.

 

[LuckyNat]

 

Even if the fit was the case James, that doesn't account for the Distortion on a "Distortionless Earphone", (their Claim not mine), that I experienced using my Auvio Mediums (Sony hybrid wide bore clone) tips. It was fixed by switching to the Complys. I'm thinking it's because I can get a deeper insertion with the complys. BTW I tried my small Auvio and experienced that exact leakage you are talking about.
 
I agree their accessory packaging was mighty sparse considering what the MSRP of these things are going to be. Nearly $300 for the R2As.
 

TWIN

 
What we got was purely their Kickstarter packages. Who knows what they will provide when they are in full production as a commercial product. They are still not at that stage! People do seem to think that they got a full commercial package - even some of the reviewers commented on that and they really should know better !
 
I hope that isn't a genuine thought about the "Distortionless Earphone" claim, and just a throw away comment? The distortion they talk about is asymetric wave distortion and they are quite clear and specific on that. NO earphone distorts within it's stated normal use (unless it's an airline freebee perhaps).
 
If you drive ANY earphone too hard it will distort - that's outside of normal use. If you boost the EQ on a DAP, often the amp within the DAP will begin to clip and distort, moreso at certain load impedances depending on the amp design. If you try to drive the tiny amount of air trapped in a sealed ear canal too hard with certain frequencies, the air itself will begin to distort, the pressure wave moving from it's intended smooth wave to something full of turbulence.. If you drive the air hard in you ear, sometimes part of a tip will physically move about and make it's own sound.
 
Distortion from turning up the bass is not necessarily caused by the driver in the earphone...