[Victorfabius]

Also a side by side picture including the Pro Gold would help too, I'm trying to see if the Pro 2 and the Gold are similar shapes and profiles in the entry and rear port.

Pro 2 is slightly bigger than the Pro 1. About a 1mm diameter or circumference difference. Eyeballed it for official measurement listed.

Pro 2 has a significant increase in the rear vent over Pro 1. It is noticeably deeper and wider than on the Pro 1.

Pro 2 is smaller and lighter than the Golds. Need more time to compare.

Weakness of Pro 2 is again the cable termination. The plug will break with less applied lateral stress than any other I've encountered outside of Flare.

No sonic impressions yet. Been listening in poor conditions.

Currently listening to the Planamic on Note 9 since I found the EQ settings. You'll likely see the Planamic offered for sale in the forums. The only advantage the Planamic has over the Flares (pick one, it does not matter) is the replaceable cable. Just putting that comparison out there.

 

[Victorfabius]

Ok.

So here you can see Flares Gold, Pro 2, and Pro 1 standing up. Flares Gold is longer and thicker than the other two.



Below, we have a top-down view. The bore on the Golds is wider and deeper than the others. The Pros 2 has a similar style of bore, but it doesn't go the same distance inward and the circumference is not nearly as wide. The Pros bore looks tiny by comparison.



Flares Gold, Pros 2, and Pros 1 from left to right. Difficult to see the difference between the Pros 1 and 2 outside of the bore.



Flares snuggle time! Again, Golds, Pros 2, and Pros 1 from left to right, just in pairs his time.



I seem to have neglected to take photos of the front bores. If someone really wants them, I can tr to get that up, but you'll have to poke me to do it, I'll not remember tomorrow.

 

[nicoial]

Does the gold/pro leak much sound? Does the BT-module support AAC (apples version of aptx?) , there is absolutely no mention of it anywhere, unfortunately

Edit: They probably leak because dynamic driver and venting.

 

[thefunkygibbon]

Hey Gentlefolk,

Happy thanksgiving to those enjoying it..


So on Flare's website now, the pros are £159.20

A fantastic deal..

 

[Victorfabius]

Does the gold/pro leak sound that others can hear? (Bit of a newbie myself, and since there is a huge venting hole) And does anyone know if the BT-module supports AAC (apples version of aptx) or if it sound is the same on an iPhone and Samsung, there is absolutely no mention of it anywhere, unfortunately

I imagine it has to with that rear vent. That said, I've never had the wife complain at home when I'm plugged in. About sound leakage, at least. I have heard her complain, though.

 

[Haden2866]

PRO 2 on Black Friday sale @ £239.20 including free UK shipping.

Tempting... sounds from the early impressions like Flare have directly attempted to correct the (IMO) minor issues with PRO 1, especially the somewhat overcooked treble.

Thanks for the impressions so far.. keep 'em coming.

 

[sodesuka]

Welp, Pro 2 put up a good fight against Gold but the bigger sibling really is on a whole other level in term of openness, 3D-ness and overall realness/presences, kinda hard to describe as all Flares products actually sound similar to each others but Gold simply sounds more real with everything... except vocal regions, vocals on Pro 2 sound more organic, forward and full bodied overall while Gold's vocals could sometimes sound a bit hollow and distant when compared directly to Pro 2. This isn't really apparent however with tracks that do not prominently feature vocals thus orchestra and such (movie/game OSTs) simply sounds better and grander on Gold, while Pro 2 feels a bit more in your head in comparison (though it's still better than the majority of stuff I've tried).

Also, while Gold has alleviated much of the metallicness of Pro 1, Pro 2 took it one step further and notched it down to a very minimal level. They actually sound more 'organic' than ever now despite Gold being warmer/more v-shaped for better or worse.

Upgraded Gold with Pro2's improvements and maybe other surprises will be close to end-game for me. Just hoping that they won't be as expensive...

Oh forgot to mention, I've done all my listening on RME ADI-2 DAC, phones out.

 

[sodesuka]

Just got Final E5000. I won't go into details since I don't want to get roasted or branded a shill, but if you want extreme smoothness in dynamic sounds go for E5000, if you want everything else, go for Flares (or Binary Acoustics Unicorn for dat BA smoothness).

Edit: actually they're not too bad for super relaxed listening, but I can't see myself owning only these Final iems.

 

[bgoods1221]

Does anyone have experience with the Etymotic ER3 or 4 series and can comment on similarities/differences to the PRO?

 

[LuckyNat]

I get the impression (not actively A/B comparing) the Pro2 has a more pronounced lower end than the Golds. Subjectively to me, it seems like the Golds are trying to be neutral whilst the Pro2 could be being very slightly sound sculpted in the bass to appeal to a certain kind of customer.

 

[gazzington]

Flares pro 2 good for black/death/doom metal?

 

[alpha421]

Sucks for those trying to sell their Flares Gold, but Flare just announced a half off sale at 449pounds or $662. Pretty sure it includes their super fast DHL shipping.

https://www.flareaudio.com/products...126016441&mc_cid=51ae63aeed&mc_eid=effaf8d03d

 

[gazzington]

Sucks for those trying to sell their Flares Gold, but Flare just announced a half off sale at 449pounds or $662. Pretty sure it includes their super fast DHL shipping.

https://www.flareaudio.com/products...126016441&mc_cid=51ae63aeed&mc_eid=effaf8d03d

Oh I may go for those. Would they be suitable for metal? Do they have a detachable cable?

 

[jaker782]

Damn! I may have to pick these up at that price! @gazzington I am not sure about metal, but they have a hardwired short cable on the iem housings with a modular cable system. Honestly, the cable system is the only thing that has held me back, but if you plan to use the wireless module it can be a positive.

 

[Jackpot77]

I'd suggest the Pro 2 over the Gold for metal. The Gold are the "better" IEM, but the Pro 2 is the more sharp and lively of thr two with rock and metal music, and is pretty damn close to the technical capability of the Gold (to me, anyway).

Gold is an extremely good TOTL bracket dynamic driver IEM though, so at £500 (plus any more you can get off with any additional codes of you can find one), it's a serious piece of kit for the money.

Only moved mine on recently as it wasn't getting enough ear time to justify keeping it around with the Pro 2 (and the original Pro), the CA Atlas and CA Solaris all in heavy rotation, so traded up to fund a better source.