The Flare Audio Pro In Ear Monitors have a very interesting design, cost £349 and can be used wired, or using Bluetooth. Janine Elliot and then Stuart Smith take a listen.

“The first headphone, the R1, from Davies Roberts, CEO of Flare Audio, was a great idea but was never their best product. Creating a headphone without that ghetto-blaster bass pressure infecting the music was a great idea, only let down by the driver. What was clever was the spiraling vortex system around both sides of the 40mm dynamic headphone drivers designed to remove all Enclosed Residual Pressure Interference (ERPI). Then came their R2 IEM. Wow, this was a game changer, especially the R2PRO (£200 Kick-Starter price, then £400 after) with its Titanium body-shell. Whilst it was impossible to fit a vortex system either side of the driver in such a small space, in order that there was equal pressure both sides of the driver he created a spring effect system at the front to match that caused naturally on the rear of the driver. Whilst some might think there is no bass, it is just void of the sound pressure usually associated with bass frequencies in IEMs. This allowed much more of the detail and speed of sound at bass frequencies but relies on good fitting of the earfoams, and extended and detailed top frequencies that were so clear you would think your ears had just been syringed. They were respected by professional musicians and producers alike, as is their new offering, a balanced IEM with wireless DAC, called the ‘FLARES PRO’, all for £349…”

Read the full review here