I won't go into the details of Flare Audio's Space and Vortex technologies (these have already been covered extensively in LSi here and here), but it is worth repeating the company's central claim - that these technologies enable pure, distortion-free sound reproduction. When Flare's Davies Roberts demo'd his over-ear R1 headphones to me last year, prior to their launch at the PLASA Show, I was impressed. As someone who had doubts about Flare's claims at the outset, I have to declare that to me, the R1s sounded incredibly clear and detailed.
So I was looking forward to trying the R2s, and I have to say, where sound reproduction is concerned, they did not disappoint. I had access to both the R2A (aluminium) model (Kickstarter price £79, will be £175) and the R2PRO (Kickstarter price £200, will be £400). Starting with the R2PROs, I listened to a range of favourite tracks, both via Spotify premium web player and direct from CD - my usual listening formats - comparing the performance with two other brands of in-ear buds.
First I borrowed a pair of pricey consumer in-ears (approx. £150) and changed back and forth between the two. For me, there was no contest. The R2PRO's reproduction was far superior - crystal clear and natural across the frequency range, revealing all kinds of subtle detail. The other brand was harsh in the peaks by comparison, particularly at higher levels. In fact, the R2PROs handle high volume perfectly well - remaining defiantly comfortable all the way up to full blast from my Macbook, or desktop, or iPad. That's not something I would usually bother to try with buds in, and for the other brand it was well into wincing territory, but the R2PROs cope with ease, and the sound quality remains constant.
Next I got hold of a pair of pro-level IEM buds from a well-known pro audio brand (retail around £70). These, it has to be said, are excellent for their price range - and by most other yardsticks. They proved a much closer match to the performance of the R2s, handling higher levels far more comfortably than the first control model, but still with some hints of distortion - some sibilance and slight 'mushiness' - creeping in at the peaks at high level: change back to the R2PRO and the clarity and definition is noticeable in comparison. While these IEMs provided a very good sound, it was markedly 'different' to the Flare R2s . . .
Flare claims the R2s are distortion-free, and I really couldn't find any that wasn't put there by a recording engineer. If the usual limitations on driver movement and the distortions produced by interactions between frequencies within the enclosures are indeed removed - or even just reduced - by Flare's technology, then it follows that this will be a 'different' listening experience. You might sense this as a lack of 'warmth' (or whatever terminology you prefer - one reviewer used the term 'clinical' in describing the HF, which is not much of a criticism!), but allow some time for your ears and brain to adjust to this accuracy and you will find yourself enjoying the experience, and wanting more. I certainly did, and still am.
If there was any small gripe at all, it was that I imagined anyone paying the required £200 Kickstarter price would be miffed to find a single pair of disposable foam caps with their precision-ma
