[majo123]

I have the Jet 2 fully wired aluminium baby brothers to the pro if like me your an iem killer they are worth a listen for the price. No fancy Bluetooth etc but OK. I would say the the cable is insanely microphonic and not replaceable which is a real shame. They do have phenomenally good bass and very comfortable to wear for long periods.

They maybe a bit bass heavy for my general taste although the pros were no slouch in that department either , I do generally lean to a neutralish sig but I am at times adaptable.

Edit...i fellow headfier posted a few comments about them and said they were quite bass heavy.

 

[spinrite]

Finally a early first impressions review by Headfonia, here’s the link.

https://www.headfonia.com/picture-sunday-flare-audio-flares-gold/

 

[majo123]

After just reading the mini review on the flares gold I find myself frustrated with flareaudio, I was and have to be due to warranty limitations acceptable to the "poor recording" explanation of the tizz/fizz on the pros but it is prevelant on all playback just not as noticeable.
Wish i could try another pair to see if it was still there as others don't seem to notice.

 

[Ultrainferno]

Today's post isn't a review as said above. It's part of our Picture Sunday series. We've been getting asked a lot about the Flare Audio Flares Gold lately, so we wanted to show something already before the review.

Awesome pictures from Nathan, as usual. Review soon!

https://www.headfonia.com/picture-sunday-flare-audio-flares-gold/

 

[Arysyn]

It isn't really a book dedicated to them. It is chapters written by co founder Jason Stoddard. Jason covers every bit of the hi fi business from advertising to design to manufacture. He writes about choices they have to make to bring a new product to market. He relates problems they have encountered. He once built a great amplifier but neglected to design it so it could be mass produced. It had to be redesigned numerous times for all the parts to fit in the case and be easy to assemble.

Schiit also asks customers what they think about new product ideas. They even tell people pros & cons of building their ideas.

I have a business degree and wish this had been available at the time. It is an education and well worth reading. Highly recommended. A
Head-Fi member actually put the "chapters" into book form. Believe it has now been published in hard copy. Check it out.

barondla, good points you made about it, but perhaps you can see how it may appear to people unknowing about this book, as I was before you told me about it more detailed than how I've seen it from the front page. I generally don't like the idea of certain companies getting more attention than others, and Flare receiving hardly any recognition at all on this site besides this thread makes me not supportive of these highlights on the main page so much, which isn't only toward Schiit - I still really don't like the spelling of their name.

I'm also not really favorable towards amp companies, because there is so much time spent competing on very similar products, rather than innovating. I'm very interested in mobile stuff where there is near constant innovation, yet when I switch over to audio, amps specifically) I mostly see these big systems meant for the home, or a few digital audio players - the latter being something that I believe should be converging with smartphone tech, which is going to take an evolution towards more mobile amps/dacs.

Yet there are so few of those truly mobile amps/dacs on the market, but plenty of chips available for them. So then, where are the multitudes of product made for them? Are the main choices going to be Fiio or Chord for several more years? I'm still waiting on a company to use a Cirrus Logic 32-bit chip like Nexum uses in their Aqua+ wireless product, which I would have bought, except for that it doesn't have a wired option.

 

[Arysyn]

Today's post isn't a review as said above. It's part of our Picture Sunday series. We've been getting asked a lot about the Flare Audio Flares Gold lately, so we wanted to show something already before the review.

Awesome pictures from Nathan, as usual. Review soon!

https://www.headfonia.com/picture-sunday-flare-audio-flares-gold/

I posted a comment on the article. Great pictures, btw!

 

[Jonathan Dunham]

Ok so i have come to the decision to sell my flarespro, the tizz or fizz or whatever it's been called is ruining my enjoyment on an otherwise awesome iem could test another pair to see if it's still there but they will probably be gone by Monday

What amp were you using that gave you the fizz on the Pro? I think you’re in the minority of people hearing such an effect if everything is working as it should though Arsyn reported some harshness too. So I do wonder if either they are a few rogue examples gibing hat problem. Or because they are less efficient than some other IEM’s the amp is struggling and you’re hearing distortion? Did you try more than one amp?

 

[majo123]

What amp were you using that gave you the fizz on the Pro? I think you’re in the minority of people hearing such an effect if everything is working as it should though Arsyn reported some harshness too. So I do wonder if either they are a few rogue examples gibing hat problem. Or because they are less efficient than some other IEM’s the amp is struggling and you’re hearing distortion? Did you try more than one amp?

Various sources. .mojo , fiio x7ii , opus1, cayin n3 so as you can see I have a wide variety and definitely not struggling, infact I too think it might be a rogue batch but according to flare audio they are fine.
I'm not happy with the outcome or the explanation of poor recordings , yes poor recordings are worse but let's face it the vast majority are not listening to excellent recordings all the time.
But as I say my hands are tied Its just put me off buying flares again.

Edit....also there is no distortion across all frequencys it is a rasping tizz or fizz which is noticed more when the sound of s or f is pronounced in vocals , i actually have a theory it maybe being caused by a design flaw in the jet tech (or as you say a few batches jets) as they have changed the jets in the gold which haven't been reported to have an issue ??? I could be wrong though and guessing.

 

[Jonathan Dunham]

Having nice high end sources for playback is nice but not entirely essential, I’ve used smartphones in the past that have had reasonable dac chips and it’s only really power to drive ear/headphones that lets them down.
Even though I own reasonable gear I could make do with a phone and most of my earphones, there is a lot of snobbery and elitism on head-fi in regards to equipment. Of course source makes a difference but I’ve had dac/amp setups that have added nothing to what I was already getting from the phone.

I’m sure there is some elitism about sources on here, but that wasn’t my point. My point being that there appear to be those that will continue to spend increasing amounts on IEM’s (or lots of different pairs) but only use them with lower end sources. And thereby never hear the true potential from the IEM’s.

A phone is a notably inferior source compared to some computers or a dedicated playback device. I’m not saying you can’t enjoy a phone into an amp or dac/amp, as if portability is important there aren’t many choices, but to use a phone. But if you’re listening at a desk regularly, a lower cost mains only / desktop system is likely to provide better sound quality than using portable devices.

Unless you can provide some examples of “setups that have added nothing to the playback” your statement doesn’t help support your point. Of course there are inferior desktop dac/amps that will sound worse than some portable gear. But my point was that pound for pound you can get better sound quality from a dedicated mains only set up than for a portable setup.

 

[Jonathan Dunham]

Various sources. .mojo , fiio x7ii , opus1, cayin n3 so as you can see I have a wide variety and definitely not struggling, infact I too think it might be a rogue batch but according to flare audio they are fine.
I'm not happy with the outcome or the explanation of poor recordings , yes poor recordings are worse but let's face it the vast majority are not listening to excellent recordings all the time.
But as I say my hands are tied Its just put me off buying flares again.

Edit....also there is no distortion across all frequencys it is a rasping tizz or fizz which is noticed more when the sound of s or f is pronounced in vocals , i actually have a theory it maybe being caused by a design flaw in the jet tech (or as you say a few batches jets) as they have changed the jets in the gold which haven't been reported to have an issue ??? I could be wrong though and guessing.

That’s really unfortunate then, it does sound like you got a duff set of Pro’s. That’s poor customer service from Flare just to blame something else in the chain and not resolve the issue satisfactorily.

Having said that, I don’t know about all your sources you’ve quoted, but if all are dac/amps it’s conceivable that the one source (I.e. phone, dap, streamer etc) could be causing an issue in the treble region. For example from digital distortion where the dac is being overloaded.

 

[majo123]

That’s really unfortunate then, it does sound like you got a duff set of Pro’s. That’s poor customer service from Flare just to blame something else in the chain and not resolve the issue satisfactorily.

Having said that, I don’t know about all your sources you’ve quoted, but if all are dac/amps it’s conceivable that the one source (I.e. phone, dap, streamer etc) could be causing an issue in the treble region. For example from digital distortion where the dac is being overloaded.

Its definitely not singular to one source, and very hard to describe in a message what I'm actually feeling is at fault here , i said in my previous post "not across all frequencies" I think i should of said not noticeable across all frequencies , the tizz or fizz reminds me of air being passed at speed through a small opening and i feel lows and highs might mask this sound.
As i said I'm guessing and I'm no engineer all I know is if I put on other iems the mids/vocals sound smooth and precise then I put in the pros and they don't sound right .

Edit...im listening to Nick cave the ship song with the pros and fiio x7ii as I type, reasonable recording but he sound like he has a speech impediment/lisp.

 

[awayeah]

Its definitely not singular to one source, and very hard to describe in a message what I'm actually feeling is at fault here , i said in my previous post "not across all frequencies" I think i should of said not noticeable across all frequencies , the tizz or fizz reminds me of air being passed at speed through a small opening and i feel lows and highs might mask this sound.
As i said I'm guessing and I'm no engineer all I know is if I put on other iems the mids/vocals sound smooth and precise then I put in the pros and they don't sound right .

Edit...im listening to Nick cave the ship song with the pros and fiio x7ii as I type, reasonable recording but he sound like he has a speech impediment/lisp.

Flares Pro just sounds like that. You don't have a faulty unit. I've had two Flares Pro (and send one for check-up). Some people (many actually) just don't pay attention to some things in sound and don't listen closely enough.
First of all - I've tried many different sources and the truth is nothing sounded as good as their bluetooth module. Of course, bass was tightier and more impactful on some of them, etc. but as a whole the bluetooth module is best I've heard.
Second, choosing the right tips is extremely important. Comply's are best to eliminate your problem but at the same time, they take away a bit of clarity, texture and make soundstage smaller... INAirs are a quite good compromise - somewhat smoothing the harshness (not completely though), without taking anything away that much.

Same goes with Flares Gold. Unfortunately "the tizz/fizz" is still there - it's the same driver after all but it's better to some degree. Fortunately, with Comply's it's completely gone and this time without the downsides like with Flares Pro.
I don't have many sources right now to test Flares Gold wired but with Shozy Alien+ (class A amp section) and Sabaj DA3 (cheap but great DAC/amp - I like it better than Mojo or Oppo HA-2) it sounds worse than with bluetooth module. Same goes with Sony WM1A or Galaxy S8+.

For long sessions I still prefer R2pro's. I think they're the best IEMs from Flare and my favourite IEMs on the market (sadly no longer on the market). Not as good technically as PROs and GOLDs but still great and much more musical and natural sounding.

 

[majo123]

Flares Pro just sounds like that. You don't have a faulty unit. I've had two Flares Pro (and send one for check-up). Some people (many actually) just don't pay attention to some things in sound and don't listen closely enough.
First of all - I've tried many different sources and the truth is nothing sounded as good as their bluetooth module. Of course, bass was tightier and more impactful on some of them, etc. but as a whole the bluetooth module is best I've heard.
Second, choosing the right tips is extremely important. Comply's are best to eliminate your problem but at the same time, they take away a bit of clarity, texture and make soundstage smaller... INAirs are a quite good compromise - somewhat smoothing the harshness (not completely though), without taking anything away that much.

Same goes with Flares Gold. Unfortunately "the tizz/fizz" is still there - it's the same driver after all but it's better to some degree. Fortunately, with Comply's it's completely gone and this time without the downsides like with Flares Pro.
I don't have many sources right now to test Flares Gold wired but with Shozy Alien+ (class A amp section) and Sabaj DA3 (cheap but great DAC/amp - I like it better than Mojo or Oppo HA-2) it sounds worse than with bluetooth module. Same goes with Sony WM1A or Galaxy S8+.

For long sessions I still prefer R2pro's. I think they're the best IEMs from Flare and my favourite IEMs on the market (sadly no longer on the market). Not as good technically as PROs and GOLDs but still great and much more musical and natural sounding.

Thanks for your post and it's good to hear others have had the same experience , and i like you tried numerous tips foams inairs, spin fits double flange off of re600v2 ( these weren't bad ) and slight improvements but still there, I will say that some of the tizz/ fizz seemed track related at times and other times not so.
These are great iems but I couldn't live with it especially when I have other iems that handle vocals much better.
I sold them this morning took a bit of a loss but hey at least the money can go to some other iems.

 

[McCol]

I’m sure there is some elitism about sources on here, but that wasn’t my point. My point being that there appear to be those that will continue to spend increasing amounts on IEM’s (or lots of different pairs) but only use them with lower end sources. And thereby never hear the true potential from the IEM’s.

A phone is a notably inferior source compared to some computers or a dedicated playback device. I’m not saying you can’t enjoy a phone into an amp or dac/amp, as if portability is important there aren’t many choices, but to use a phone. But if you’re listening at a desk regularly, a lower cost mains only / desktop system is likely to provide better sound quality than using portable devices.

Unless you can provide some examples of “setups that have added nothing to the playback” your statement doesn’t help support your point. Of course there are inferior desktop dac/amps that will sound worse than some portable gear. But my point was that pound for pound you can get better sound quality from a dedicated mains only set up than for a portable setup.

I've tried sources such as the Oppo HA-2 and 2se edition, various lower end dac's from the like of Fiio and other companies. Most of these devices either added nothing to the sound quality or minimal differences that were not worth the price paid.

On the other hand my Mojo/Poly combo and Ibasso Dx200 give a far better example of what can be achieved when willing to outlay larger amounts on portable gear. I can't comment on desktop solutions as it's an avenue I have not explored, I may do at some point in the future though.

It's worth remembering that outside of site's like head-fi most people have no knowledge or desire to spend money on the type of gear like we do, this is what led to my comment regarding phones as source devices. I've got friends and colleagues who want better sound quality but will not spend any more on devices such as desktop or portable rigs, so they then tend to concentrate on brands that are overpriced for earphone/headphones. I let them listen to my set up and although they acknowledge that the sound is great and they can hear a difference between phone only and dac or dap they dont see the justification on spending that kind of money.

 

[majo123]

I've tried sources such as the Oppo HA-2 and 2se edition, various lower end dac's from the like of Fiio and other companies. Most of these devices either added nothing to the sound quality or minimal differences that were not worth the price paid.

On the other hand my Mojo/Poly combo and Ibasso Dx200 give a far better example of what can be achieved when willing to outlay larger amounts on portable gear. I can't comment on desktop solutions as it's an avenue I have not explored, I may do at some point in the future though.

It's worth remembering that outside of site's like head-fi most people have no knowledge or desire to spend money on the type of gear like we do, this is what led to my comment regarding phones as source devices. I've got friends and colleagues who want better sound quality but will not spend any more on devices such as desktop or portable rigs, so they then tend to concentrate on brands that are overpriced for earphone/headphones. I let them listen to my set up and although they acknowledge that the sound is great and they can hear a difference between phone only and dac or dap they dont see the justification on spending that kind of money.

I agree there's a lot of lower end stuff that most modern phones can keep up with nowadays and we are hobbyists to a degree, I own mojo and fiiox7ii and dont know anyone other than people I communicate with on here that spend that sort of money for the increase in sound quality.