Flare Audio R2 Pro review

The R2 Pros come with Flare Audio's promise of 'distortion free sound, unrivalled purity of sound in an incredibly small and lightweight package'.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that it's all marketing-speak, but the moment they were plugged in, it was soon apparent that there was no snake-oil here. But, before you start thinking we are in some way biased, then we would like to set the record straight.

This writer's experience with in-ear headphones has been an oft painful and disappointing experience. We just think we have the wrong sort of ears.

Another failure of this design in our eyes (ears) is that to get a desirable bass response then you have to jam them so far down your ear canals that it hurts. So, with that in mind, we were a little hesitant when trying these out for the first time.

They are supplied with Comply Isolation memory foam buds which cured any of our past sizing issues. The foam is super-dense and really does stick the bud in place and provide ample isolation.

The sound-stage is clear and balanced; in fact, it is so clear you really do feel like you are in the middle of the mix. There is something about having the drivers inside your head (as opposed to resting on the outside of the ear) that seems to enhance clarity.

The low-end is still dependent on how far in your ear you can get the buds, but the sweet-spot is easily attainable.