So they just released a new model: Flare® PRO 2HD
yes... they added "HD" to the name, so we know it has never been HD untill now....
anyways they look real big somehow...and kept ugly Y-splitter
and my beloved old R2A and Pro1 are discontinued, and stopping their repair support as well :'(
my only chance is to wait till 2HD will be on clearance sale as well - or £100 discount on first 100 sales.. hmmm.. nah
@Bananiq , find it interesting Flare keeps futzing with the housing but never updates the electronics. Nor do they mention any driver improvements this time. The most detail ever brag worries me. Hope it doesn't mean they have hyped up the upper midrange or highs to achieve it.
Got wind of the 2HD as well. I'm past the annoyances of the Golds discontinuation and now this new model, but hey - like the Golds is made of brass. The whole super detail thing seems to result in a super v-shape response (which I've moved on from), or one that'll go up a few notches from the original Pro in the land of sibilance. This new model is popcorn as I'm golden with the Golds. Perhaps sometime next year or late this year if Flares has another half off sale or discontinuation closeout, I'll bite.
I use my Golds with the BT 95% of the time. I finally realized that the whole design works best when clipped to a shirt that has a collar as the mic hole faces up and the cable keeps itself out of the way. I look kind of geeky wearing it and sporting my Polo shirts - lol.
They had to dangle that discount... it will be hard to resist! The cable system, while somewhat annoying, isn't the end of the world if you use mmcx connectors with balanced cable of your choice. I just wish it wasn't so rubbery and springy. I'm curious to see how the tuning compares to the pro 2 and Golds. Not sure how I feel about the extra details because that usually means fatigue.
It's a bit of an impulse buy for me however I have enjoyed all the Flare products I've owned in the past - R2, Pro and then the Gold.
I sold my Gold's last year and have always kind of regretted it but didn't want to buy again, be interesting to see how these compare. I'm hoping the extra detail is in the mid range but not convinced it will be.
Ordered a set as well - if they best the Pro 2s, I'll be a happy bunny (and my Pro 2 will be up on the FS boards!). How can you tell they are due for delivery tomorrow? Only offered munge about 230pm, so wondering when their cutoff is...
Ordered a set as well - if they best the Pro 2s, I'll be a happy bunny (and my Pro 2 will be up on the FS boards!). How can you tell they are due for delivery tomorrow? Only offered munge about 230pm, so wondering when their cutoff is...
I got an email around 15 mins after ordering confirming their dispatch with DHL. I was shocked how quick they did it. Guess the warehouse was fairly quiet at the time.
With Pro 2HD, the Flares lineup become quite confusing. And they are priced so close as well. Unless they sound different, this just make Pro 2 obsolete which is relatively new... :/
The original Pro is being retired, so if the Gold is going the same way and they don't release a replacement, that leaves two models in their Pro lineup, the Pro 2 and Pro 2 HD. Reckon they'll drop the price of the 2 by about £50 to put some more clear daylight between them, and that'll been the two "high end" models sorted. The naming convention will make more sense when there are only two models, too.
Just my guess - you watch them release the Gold HD next week!
Ok, so I greatly appreciate what Flare Audio has done. The Golds are my favorite* universal IEM, and they have top notch post-purchase customer ssupport. I'm still having a difficult time justifying purchase of the 2HD in a vacuum. They're sticking with a formula of changing the housing to effect changes in sound, but not making strides in anything else, it seems. The accessories are the same. The cable, which is the one thing I would change, has not. The bluetooth module has no more codecs than before. The box is the same, but it's still awesome.
To me, it seems like they've gone from innovation to iteration and I'm left wishing for more. You know.
Still, I'll be reading your reviews, even if a recent Xelento purchase (with consent) means I won't likely be getting the 2HD for a while.
*Arguably. Its comfort and isolation puts it above Andromeda for me.
OK, so I've got the R2Pros since launched, Noble K10U and Savant plus a bunch of cans like Sony Z1R, Audioquest Nightowls, V-Moda Wireless II, Oppo PM-3 and THX-00. Are Flare's HDs worth buying you reckon, in my case? Am I to sell all that bunch and keep the HDs only since they have the highest resolution ever? I am not interested at all in Bluetooth audio (MojoPoly better at wireless) and can't see why I would pay for that little wireless brick. Any chance I could only get the IEMs?
I've got the R2As and thought "Wow, these are good". On a whim I upgraded to the Pros (second hand from a headfier) wondering how much better they could be. Well, the difference is large and it's the clarity and instrumental separation that stand out more than anything else. The only downside was increased sibilance on vocal tracks that already had this issue (Mary Black's "Bright Blue Rose" being a good example). Eventually, a second hand set of the Golds became available at a very good price and as I really like the Flare sound I bit the bullet. The sonic issues of the Pros was gone and yet again there was a significant step forward in SQ. These are outstanding iems and I absolutely love them.
Flare have come a long way from the Days of the R2A/R2Pro and looking at the price I believe you'll get the bang for your buck you desire if you purchase the 2HD, even though I haven't heard them.
After replying to sabloke I thought I'd record my thoughts on the 2HD.
The Golds seem to have been discontinued. When I first looked at the on the Flare site 18 months ago they were selling for $AUS1700
The Pro2 are $AUS570
The 2HD are $AUS756
So are Flare saying that they have improved on the Golds and managed to more than halve the price?
Is there a new Gold coming out? My second hand Golds still cost a bit more than the current price for the 2HDs
I'll watch this space with interest as new 2HD owners compare them with the Golds/Pro2. I'd be also interested to see what a professional reviewer (I'm thinking Headfonia here) has to say.
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