Revealed at PLASA 2014 in London, the R1's were nominated for the show's Award for Innovation and are stopping people in their tracks with their undeniably crystal clear sound. This is enabled using Flare's groundbreaking new approach based on 'Waveform Integrity'.
"Traditional headphone designs are based around two main formats, closed and open backed. Both of these traditional approaches suffer from sound distortions in some way caused by enclosed residual pressure interference (ERPI)," explains Flare managing director and R1 creator, Davies Roberts.
"Open back designs distort sound information on the compression stroke of the driver and add asymmetry to the waveform. Closed designs distort sound information on both sides of the waveform. This distortion moves the time domain of frequencies, compressing them into the wrong area of generation by the driver. ERPI inside a closed space creates a spring effect on the driver, which limits and distorts driver movement."
Roberts says all drivers create sound by placing higher frequencies inside the movement of lower frequencies, i.e. 21Hz is created within the movement of 20Hz, 22Hz within 21Hz and so on. If a driver's movement is restricted by ERPI the time domain of frequency information is also distorted. Flare describes this driver movement distortion as TDD (Time Domain Distortion).
With the Reference R1, both of Flare's patent-pending technologies (SpaceTM and VortexTM) have been applied to both sides of the driver to create the first 'fully open' true infinite baffle headphone that produces distortion free sound.
"Flare Reference R1 is a completely new listening experience and a vital tool for those wanting to hear everything in sound, without any listening product distortion," explains Roberts. "Stereo imaging perfectly mimics nature, allowing full 360-degree image placement. Reverb tails and instrument distortion become highly detailed, allowing producers and engineers to have a tool to rely on to perfect their art. We believe the Reference R1 sets a new standard in personal sound listening for both professionals and audiophiles."
Flare launched the Reference R1 at PLASA 2014, where they also showcased the new Flare X0A, a compact vertical point source array, together with the rest of the Flare Audio range of products, including flown X2A and X5A systems.
*Don't miss our review of Flare Audio's Reference headphones in the October issue of LSi.
(Jim Evans)
