Flare Audio R2A / R2PRO: further findings + Variable Bass Mod
As I mentioned earlier, I got a second R2PRO last week (bought for a friend) and an R2A yesterday. So I had 3 Flares to play with on the weekend and that's exactly what I did. I went back and forth between them for several hours with my favorite test tracks, ran frequency sweeps and ended up with a puzzling result:
Subjective rating, based on overall balance and clarity:
- R2Pro #1 (endcap flush)
- R2A (endcap gap 1mm)
- R2Pro #2 (endcap gap 1mm)
Thing is, the R2A sounded much more similar to my first R2Pro than the second R2Pro, with leaner bass and clearer low range, whereas Pro #2 was bassier, warmer and slightly boomy in comparison to both others. On top of that, the A's upper midrange sounded smooth and linear, just like the mids on my Pro #1. Whereas Pro #2 showed a slight dip between 1kHz and 2kHz and reminded me a lot of how my first pair sounded before I screwed the endcap all the way in.
What?
As has been discussed earlier, the caps and housings of both models look identical, save for material and color. So why would the A's stock sound be close to something I could only get from my Pros if I screwed the endcap flush? I decided to take a closer look...
(Warning: lots of crappy pics ahead!)
As you can see, the Pro's slit is slightly larger than the A's, plus it is chamfered, whereas the A's is straight. It seems that the difference in bass levels comes down to a full seal on the A vs. a slightly leaky seal on the Pro, when both caps are in the same position (1mm gap). Screwing the cap further in on the Pros obviously seals those too, that's why my pair with flush cap sounded very similar to the A.
So it all boiled down to the fact that I had to screw Pro #2's cap further in, if wanted it to sound as good as my first pair. However, this pair was destined for a friend and I didn't want to risk his cable getting squashed and damaged like this:
No, I had to come up with a better solution. I took a look at
@tgx78's
brilliant mod, but didn't feel comfortable about using Blu-Tack that close to a vented driver. I was rummaging through my arsenal of IEM accessories and tips, when suddenly something caught my eye...
Introducing... the
Klipsch Oval Ear Tip:
... and that's how the Variable Bass Mod came into being.
Variable Bass Mod Instructions
All you need is one Klipsch oval tip and a small cutter:
Reverse the tip and cut two 1mm slices off the stem. These will serve as washers between the cable and the cap. They even have a tiny notch that fits into the slit.
Remove the endcap, insert one of the silicone washers and put the cap back on. Repeat on the other earpiece.
You can now tune the bass level on your Flares via adjustment of the endcap. Turning clockwise will make the silicone washer gradually decrease rear volume and airflow. Turning counter-clockwise will make it return to its original form. Before the cap even hits the cable, bass will become too muted, so the cable stays safe all the time.
(Disclaimer: I've found this mod to be safe and easily reversible. Nevertheless: try at your own risk!)
Thoughts & Conclusions
So I cannibalized two Klipsch oval tips and applied this mod to both the R2Pro #2 and R2A. The R1Pro #1 was to be my reference phone. I chose some test tracks and tuned both phones to match the bass level of my reference. This took about half an hour of playing short song sections on A-B repeat, going back end forth between the phones and making slight adjustments to the caps.
Once I had the desired bass levels, I used a
tone generator to check L/R bass balance on each phone and made further fine adjustments when necessary.
After both the R2Pro #2 and R2A matched my #1 bass reference and their channels were in balance, I went on to holistic listening and full spectrum sine sweeps, and finally ended up with the following conclusions:
- All 3 Flares sound top-notch now and I'd rate them as on par in sound quality.
- Sound signature and frequency response of all 3 Flares is now 90% identical.
- If I had more patience, I think I could get them to 95% with further cap adjustments.
- The differences between my R2As and R2Pros were mostly caused by airflow / rear cavity volume, not by housing material.
- With these factors eliminated and bass levels matched, the R2As and R2Pros sound pretty much the same.
These are my subjective impressions and conclusions. YMMV.