FlaresPro/FlaresGold by Flare Audio
Aug 4, 2018 at 10:17 PM Post #871 of 1,354
How do the pro’s compare to the periodic audio beryllium, these are the 2 iem’s I am considering.
From strictly a sound POV, I preferred the Be over my Pro's. (Sold the Pro, still have and use often my Be)
 
Aug 4, 2018 at 10:24 PM Post #872 of 1,354


@holden4th, great review. These are spectacular iem’s that will be hard to surpass in the fidelity they reproduce. The uniqueness comes from they’re open back design to give the larger sense of airiness. I have never achieved listening fatigue with hours of listening, they make the music sound so natural.

I believe Arysyn is staying away from these forums cause he’s found the pot of Golds with these iem’s.
 
Aug 4, 2018 at 10:28 PM Post #873 of 1,354
What’s everyone’s portable source listening with their Golds? Mines the Ipad Pro 10.5 3.5mm headphone jack with apples alac files. Sound is incredible.
 
Aug 6, 2018 at 10:30 AM Post #876 of 1,354
HiFlight / RichHawk22 - tell me more about the balanced cables mentioned.. Were they home-made or purchased? Or standard ones using MMCX couplers?

I have a small issue with my Pros - going to check out the extended waranty I registered for with the card in the box. At some point recently, for whatever reason I was getting a tight seal in my ear and the iem made a click as I slowly pushed it in further - a sound I associate with a driver membrane popping in and out - now it lacks bass when comparing the two seperate drivers. Still sound great but I get that feeling of unease, a sense of imbalance. Anyone know how long that extended waranty was meant to be for?
 
Aug 6, 2018 at 10:43 AM Post #877 of 1,354
What do you think of the final e5000 vs periodic be?
,
Personally, I prefer the Be. Lighter weight, seems to really disappear in my ears and overall better tonal balance to my ears. E5000 removable cable it a plus but with the 5yr warranty, fixed cable is not a big deal.
 
Aug 6, 2018 at 10:45 AM Post #878 of 1,354
HiFlight / RichHawk22 - tell me more about the balanced cables mentioned.. Were they home-made or purchased? Or standard ones using MMCX couplers?

I have a small issue with my Pros - going to check out the extended waranty I registered for with the card in the box. At some point recently, for whatever reason I was getting a tight seal in my ear and the iem made a click as I slowly pushed it in further - a sound I associate with a driver membrane popping in and out - now it lacks bass when comparing the two seperate drivers. Still sound great but I get that feeling of unease, a sense of imbalance. Anyone know how long that extended waranty was meant to be for?
I used the small couplers shown earlier in the thread. Very small and allow the use of any mmcx cable to match up with the short fixed cable on the earpieces.
 
Aug 6, 2018 at 10:49 AM Post #879 of 1,354
What’s everyone’s portable source listening with their Golds? Mines the Ipad Pro 10.5 3.5mm headphone jack with apples alac files. Sound is incredible.
Jamming with Mojo as always here :L3000:

I have a small issue with my Pros - going to check out the extended waranty I registered for with the card in the box. At some point recently, for whatever reason I was getting a tight seal in my ear and the iem made a click as I slowly pushed it in further - a sound I associate with a driver membrane popping in and out - now it lacks bass when comparing the two seperate drivers. Still sound great but I get that feeling of unease, a sense of imbalance. Anyone know how long that extended waranty was meant to be for?
I suggest contacting Flare anyway, they've been pretty good with warranty as far as I'm aware
 
Aug 14, 2018 at 6:28 PM Post #881 of 1,354
I have a pair of flare pro as new , everything included. Pm me for a good deal.
They are on the for sale forum
 
Aug 20, 2018 at 4:51 AM Post #882 of 1,354
Hi, I’m currently running some flare R2As from a chord mojo and I love the sound quality I’m getting. I also own IE800S and shure se535 plus I owned some shure se846 but sold them. I prefer the R2As, the sound more natural and less fatiguing than the others to these ears.
My question is, do you guys think I will benifit from upgrading the to Flare Pros? Has anyone got both and can comment on the differences etc?
Thanks, James.
 
Aug 20, 2018 at 5:56 AM Post #883 of 1,354
I have both and also have the Flare Golds. (I suppose I like the sound that Flare produces)

When I got the R2As I was blown away with two things - soundstage and bass. I'd not heard anything like it before. The bass was clean and clear and went very low. They also gave an out of head experience that sounded more like open back headphones despite the fact that the R2As are a closed system. The bass didn't get in the way of the mids but I found the treble to be a little recessed.

At the beginning of the year I got the Pros and they were clearly a major step up from the R2As. The soundstage was even wider, the bass more defined and the treble much brighter. The R2As sound slightly flat in comparison despite the fact that these are excellent iems. I guess that Flare had read the feedback on forums like Headfi and decided that treble frequencies needed to be addressed. This is obvious in the improved clarity over the R2As. However, there is a caveat with this (from someone looking to sell their Pros). There is an area of the audio spectrum which Flare didn't quite get tuned properly with the Pros. It's small but if you are extremely treble sensitive it could annoy you. I find it occurs with just a few recordings where the singer (or recording engineer) doesn't do their job properly and sibilance is exacerbated. The R2As don't pick this up and neither do the Golds but the Pros do exacerbate it. It's only on a few albums which allowed me to live happily with the Pros. They are an outstanding set of iems.

Bottom line, the Pros are much better than the R2As and you can hear a discernible difference. If you want to spend the money then you won't be disappointed. I'm listening to Grace Jones "Nightclubbing" on Tidal Master with the Pros as I type - wonderful! The sense of space, Robbie Shakespeare's amazing bass riffs, Grace's earthy voice...

I now have a dilemma. Do I use the R2As or the Pros as my traveling iems. My R2As plugged into an airplane system would easily outclass whatever noise cancelling cans that any airline would supply in business or first class and provide me with superior isolation.

I drive my Pros at home with a Burson PLAY. The Pros would love your Chord Mojo
 
Aug 20, 2018 at 6:17 AM Post #884 of 1,354
I have both and also have the Flare Golds. (I suppose I like the sound that Flare produces)

When I got the R2As I was blown away with two things - soundstage and bass. I'd not heard anything like it before. The bass was clean and clear and went very low. They also gave an out of head experience that sounded more like open back headphones despite the fact that the R2As are a closed system. The bass didn't get in the way of the mids but I found the treble to be a little recessed.

At the beginning of the year I got the Pros and they were clearly a major step up from the R2As. The soundstage was even wider, the bass more defined and the treble much brighter. The R2As sound slightly flat in comparison despite the fact that these are excellent iems. I guess that Flare had read the feedback on forums like Headfi and decided that treble frequencies needed to be addressed. This is obvious in the improved clarity over the R2As. However, there is a caveat with this (from someone looking to sell their Pros). There is an area of the audio spectrum which Flare didn't quite get tuned properly with the Pros. It's small but if you are extremely treble sensitive it could annoy you. I find it occurs with just a few recordings where the singer (or recording engineer) doesn't do their job properly and sibilance is exacerbated. The R2As don't pick this up and neither do the Golds but the Pros do exacerbate it. It's only on a few albums which allowed me to live happily with the Pros. They are an outstanding set of iems.

Bottom line, the Pros are much better than the R2As and you can hear a discernible difference. If you want to spend the money then you won't be disappointed. I'm listening to Grace Jones "Nightclubbing" on Tidal Master with the Pros as I type - wonderful! The sense of space, Robbie Shakespeare's amazing bass riffs, Grace's earthy voice...

I now have a dilemma. Do I use the R2As or the Pros as my traveling iems. My R2As plugged into an airplane system would easily outclass whatever noise cancelling cans that any airline would supply in business or first class and provide me with superior isolation.

I drive my Pros at home with a Burson PLAY. The Pros would love your Chord Mojo
Thanks for the detailed reply. Your description of the R2As is the same as how I perceive them so your comparison to the Pros is easy to relate to. From how you describe the difference I think I will like them a lot. I’m selling my IE800S so as soon as they go I think I will order the Pros.
 
Last edited:
Aug 20, 2018 at 10:13 PM Post #885 of 1,354
A couple of things that the Flares Gold have taught me. YMMV, but this is true for me.

1. Single ended done well is as good as balanced. Been loving the Golds out of the Topping NX4 DSD. I didn't expect to like the combination as much as I did, but there you go.

2. Source doesn't matter as much to get enjoyable music. Hiby R6? Great! Smartphone to Topping or FiiO Q5 DAC? Great! Lightning or USB-C manufacturer supplied 3.5mm adapter from a smart phone (or iPad)? Not awful! (Huge surprise there.) Music out of laptop's jack? Much better than expected! While I have curated my equipment collection to include only items I enjoy, I have yet to find a poor pairing with the Golds for me (confirmation bias, maybe?)

3. The seal is superb. I went on vacation and brought a set of iems I could stand to lose. I have to say that the Golds (and Pros) give an excellent seal from the stock tips.

Anyone have any good combinations of DAPs, DACs, or amps that they love with the Golds? My favorites are the Hiby R6 and Topping NX4 DSD. (I'm pretty sure I've asked this before, for what it's worth.)
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top