A new range of Bluetooth® and cabled earphones that reveal a magical new world of sound quality.
This campaign is a world first. We are going to change the way people listen to sound and allow everyone to go on a magical, transformative journey. With our new technology you will experience your favourite music like you have never heard it before.
From the moment that humans were able to start communicating using sound, there has been a desire to listen. In fact, some of the earliest listening spaces date from as long ago as 80 BC. People would gather to listen in areas such as caves or amphitheatres that were built specifically to help us hear more clearly. Voices and musical instruments helped people to express emotion, tell stories and share experiences.
As the world has advanced, the desire to hear more detail remains. There has been incredible progress visually, with retina screens and high-definition televisions, but our ability to hear higher levels of detail has not progressed at the same rate. Modern technology is used to retrospectively ‘correct’ sound electronically in order to try to improve the experience.
But what if we could work with our ears to hear more detail than ever before…?
Welcome to the world of Mirror Image Sound™
Our Ears
We are never going to hear mirror image sound naturally due to the irregular bends and shapes inside our ears. As sound enters our ears the chaotic reflections damage our ability to hear detail. Everyone’s ears are different which means that we all have different levels of ear distortion. We’ll never hear the same piece of music in the same way as each other.
But the one thing we all have in common is that our ears distort around 20% of everything we hear.
This is what it looks like when we hear sound. See how sound bounces off the different bends and curves in our ears.
Traditional Earphones
Traditional earphones and headphones make the reflected sound distortion problem worse by adding even more chaotic sound reflections due to how sound reflects inside their designs. Because of this, it doesn’t matter how much money you spend on traditional sound equipment – you will never experience mirror image sound.
This is what it looks like when we hear sound through a traditional in-ear earphone. See how sound bounces around the earphone enclosure and the bends and curves in our ears.
Mirror Image Sound™ Technology
The patent-pending technology we have developed allows us all to hear mirror image sound for the first time. Our unique design works by treating sound like light – very similar to the way a periscope reflects light. Our technology allows us to bypass the irregular bends and shapes in our ears so that we can deliver mirror image sound directly.
This is what it looks like when we hear sound through the new Flare EARS with Mirror Image Sound™ technology. See how sound is precisely reflected in the earphone and through our ears.
Patents
UK 2114682.4, PCT/GB2022/052504, Taiwan 111132969
We created a scaled-up prototype in order to visualise how light reflects inside, and travels precisely through, Mirror Image Sound technology.
The law of reflection for sound is the same as light, i.e. the angle of incidence of a sound wave equals the angle of reflection, which means that a mirror image of light, equals a mirror image reflection of sound.
Proof of concept earphones, the E-Prototype.
Last year we produced a proof of concept, the E-Prototype showcasing our new technology. This enabled people to hear mirror image sound for the first time. The response has been overwhelming and the reviews speak for themselves so we started work on designing a range of affordable earphones that everyone could enjoy.
Visit the Flare website to check out E-Prototype.
We strongly believe that mirror image sound should be accessible to everyone. This campaign will allow us to manufacture a range of new earphones at different price points in the UK that will all produce mirror image sound.
In order to do this we need to invest in expensive tooling so that we can produce the earphones at an affordable price. We need your help as backers to bring this campaign to life.
In the studio, artists, producers and engineers are able to solo instruments in tracks in order to hear precise information of how they each sound. They have to do this, as once combined, it becomes impossible to hear every detail of each instrument. The Mirror Image Sound experience allows everyone to hear every tiny detail. You can play tracks dozens of times and each time focus on a different element.
Music
The listening experience of Mirror Image Sound technology is like no other. Tracks that would previously sound cluttered or over-complex, now burst into life with beautiful levels of detail. Older recordings with very little correction sound as though you are listening in the studio, with the artists as they perform. Complex classical recordings allow you to hear the individual layers of instruments -an incredible thing to experience. It’s as though you are sitting amongst the orchestra.
There are no ‘best music genres’ with Mirror Image Sound technology. All music sounds the best you have ever heard it. You will go on a transformative journey listening to new and old favourites.
Binaural Listening
Binaural recordings are created using an artificial head that mimics our natural ears, this allows recordings to be made that imitate the real experience. However, this real experience includes the 20% distortion added from the shape inside our ears. The extra issue with these types of recordings is that when you listen to them your ears are adding a second distortion. When you listen with an EARS earphone you are removing this second distortion and binaural recordings explode with even more realism making any VR experience truly mind blowing.
Gaming
The drastically increased levels of detail with Mirror Image Sound™ technology enable you to gain an advantage over your opponent in gaming. Hearing all the subtleties in sound means you can react faster than people using standard earphones or headphones.
Your Favourite Movie
Movies have never sounded or felt like this, with so much detail and depth you will find it hard to watch a film without wearing your EARS earphones. Drama is intensified, the thrills feel real. Immersive and all-consuming.
Unparalleled Noise Cancellation
Due to the removal of natural ear resonances which amplify external sounds by as much as 21dB, external noise cancellation is maximised without the need for electronics that damage the listening experience.
A Perfect Fit
Because Mirror Image Sound technology is working with your ears to replace the natural chaotic reflections with perfectly angled ones, it means that the earphones fit very comfortably in every ear. Three sizes of memory foam and three sizes of silicone tips ensure that you also get that perfect seal.
A Safer Sound
With so much more detail to experience, less volume is needed, making EARS safer for your ears.
We want you to feel great wearing our earphones. We’ve made a range of easy to switch bumpers, wraps and headbands so that you’re able to fully customise your own look.
Your EARS styled your way.
The Models
E
A
R
S
You can customise any of the EARS earphones with a range of exciting, user-replaceable accessories: bumpers, wraps and headbands available in 9 colour rainbow packs as add-on perks.
Pull up to the bumpers
The user-replaceable bumpers are very easy to switch and press into place. A pair of bumpers are included with each EARS earphone (in the same core colour) but there is also the option to buy a range of interchangeable bumpers in a rainbow pack variety of 9 colours.
Wrappers delight
The wraps are also available as an add-on perk in the same 9 colours. They are easily pressed onto the earphones to form a solid colour wrap so that you can fully colour co-ordinate your look.
Talking Headbands
No other headband looks or performs like the EARS flexible headbands!
Made from super flexible silicone this clever, durable headband comes as standard with the R & S Pro earphones (matching the chalk or graphite colour you have selected).
Also available as an add-on perk in a nine colour rainbow pack the headband is designed to be trimmed by the user, so that it fits the head securely and can be further fine-tuned each side for that perfect fit. EARS earphones fit very comfortably inside the ear – the addition of this headband that gently grips the head means your earphones are held rock-solidly in place.
When you’ve finished using your headband simply de-attach it by sliding it off your earphones and coil it up to stash in your bag or pocket. Simple!
The A R and S models all include a Bluetooth® option with the following spec:
The E series comes with a fixed 3.5mm jack cable with a microphone.
The A model comes with a Bluetooth® cable with detachable MMCX connectors.
The R model comes with a Bluetooth® cable and a 3.5mm jack cable, both with detachable MMCX connectors.
The S model comes with a Bluetooth® cable, 2.5mm balanced jack and 3.5mm jack cable. All cable types include detachable MMCX connectors.
We have never paid for any endorsements – they have always been from people we’ve met on our journey who have tried and enjoyed our products and wanted to share their experiences.
Stephen Fry | Actor, Author, Broadcaster and Comedian
“Simply incredible. I think it’s the clarity that so stuns me, clarity without any hint of the coldness and loss of warmth that is the usual trade-off in achieving that level of precision… clarity + depth = joy.”
Barb Morrison | Film Composer, Producer | Blondie, Rufus Wainwright
“I just started checking my mixes on them and they were the most honest what I was hearing in the studio, they were the most clear and had the most truth.”
Fran Healy | Travis
“They make everything sound amazing. They’re just way better than any other headphones I’ve ever used and I don’t know how they do it. There’s some kind of magic going on somewhere.
They have even made them in different price ranges so everyone can afford them and I think that speaks a lot to what kind of company they are and why everyone loves them.”
Anna Wolf | Alternative Artist & Musician
“I plug them in and the best way to describe it is I got taken on a journey. The track that I was working with came to life, they breathed in fresh air and it just kept everything that was captured in studio perfectly balanced in my ears and that’s what’s important for any musician.”
Laura Kidd | Producer & Artist
“I’ve just been comparing them to the in-ear headphones I was using before and they’re just light years ahead. The quality is incredible. They’re super comfortable and there’s a distinct difference in the sound quality for sure. You really can hear the detail with these and it feels luxurious.”
Ed Harcourt | Singer-songwriter, Producer
“I’m just actually astounded by the quality of these they have incredible clarity on the top end and a massive depth on the lower end in the bass. What is amazing that when I’m using these my ears don’t get tired. So I feel like Flare Audio have done some kind of miracle.”
Neil Gaiman | Author |The Sandman, Coraline, Stardust, American Gods
“I’ve had to listen to and sign off on a lot of audio and stuff that’s been coming through. On television shows like the Sandman where I will be getting final sound mixes to listen to and the thing that made it easy, the thing that made it bearable was my little Flare headphones. I would put them in, they would fit, they would head what felt like all the way deep into my brain. And I would be there and listening, and it was magic, and they’re magic. And I don’t know how they do it.”
Alexis Taylor | HotChip
“I’ve been very, very impressed by the detail the pleasant sound, the deep bass the stereo image. I think they’re a fantastic company and the latest thing that they’ve designed the E- prototype headphones are something really special – read about them.”
David Arnold | Film & TV Composer | James Bond, Independence Day, Godzilla, Sherlock
“I hear incredibly clearly, amazing bottom-end response and lots of detail, lots of presence and I couldn’t ask for anything more from them, and that’s the only real reason why I’d buy any set of headphones is because they sound amazingly good.”
Gary Langan | Art of Noise, Founder of Metropolis Studios
“One of the things that I really do enjoy doing with my E-prototypes is listening to how other people have made their records, contemporaries of mine. They give me the ability to go back and put my elbows on the console as if I was making the record with them.
With the E- prototypes I can climb inside and explore and experience how they put that record together and there’s a space, there’s a clarity, there’s a calmness that you get. It doesn’t matter what you’re listening to – these take you to somewhere where the listeners should really be able to go.”
Isy Suttie | Comedian, actress, writer
“They enhance my listening experience of music. I absolutely love these headphones. They make you feel like you’re at a gig. That’s the only way to explain it. So you can be washing up or walking along the street and your feel like you’re in Brixton Academy. Right in the middle of the music and it is transformative. I don’t know how they do it. It probably involves some kind of magic. I love Flare. I think they’re a brilliant company and I’m very pleased that they’re in my life.”
Ian Broudie | The Lighting Seeds, Producer, Songwriter
“Sound quality is very important to me. They sound uncoloured, a very true sound. Easy to listen to for a long time. I think they’re great, great headphones.”
Graeme Park | DJ, Musician, Broadcaster & Senior Lecturer
“What I love about these is they’ve got great depth great clarity really good bottom end and for small in-ear headphones they are absolutely superb.”
Chris Kimsey | Producer and Engineer, The Rolling Stones, Duran Duran | Sound Consultant and Chairman at Olympic Sound Studios
“They just seemed to be extraordinarily balanced between the bottom end and the mid and the top end everything was very, very clear. In working on mixing reggae you use a lot of spin delay echoes and in mixing with the e-prototype I could hear the trail of the echo even longer than I could when I was listening on the speakers which just showed how much more I was hearing – I was experiencing.”
Caffy St. Luce | Music Promoter, PR, Love Pirate | Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers
“I’ve been in studios where people have been recording an album and it’s only now that I can go back and go yeah that’s what I heard that time! When you can actually hear what you heard in the studio when you were watching people recording it makes all the difference. I don’t know how it happens. It’s like ear magic.”
Phill Brown | Producer and Engineer, The Wailers, Talk Talk, Robert Plant, Dido
“The first time I listened on them, it was just I had a huge smile on my face. I remember that just because I was here in this kind of depth and the stereo picture and this clarity. It was actually quite emotional the first time that I listened especially when I heard things with the spirit of Eden that I’d never heard before or hadn’t heard for many, many years.
So yeah, it was an emotional journey.”
Kristi Kimsey | Singer-songwriter, Artist Liaison, Co-Founder of Undercover Music
“I listen to music in a different way, having been in the studio and knowing what that layering of sound is in the studio. To get that in your ears is really important for me – to be able to hear the division and the unity of sound together. And so Flare, for me, has made that really clear, you feel like you are in there with the sound, with the musicians, which I think is really special.
I think they are pioneers actually in what they’re doing.”
The E-Prototype has been reviewed independently by the following review sites…
“…it was a real pleasure for me to just sit there for hours on the first usage after the Zoom call and just chill out. Coffee in hand, cat purring nearby. I didn’t stop listening until the sun went down a few hours later and then suddenly it was midnight and I was still there…”
“…These days, upgrades in high-end kit tend to give incremental gains, but the E-Prototype feels like a real leap forward. The detail is mind-boggling. You can hear everything with total clarity, each instrument occupying its own space no matter how complex the track…”
“…The E-Prototypes just relished the chance to show their musical muscle – and did so admirably. I could hear everything pin-sharp, with excellent soundstage and no distortion. It was as if everything was lighter; not heavyweight and slow. If this was a car it would be a Tesla Model 3; very fast acceleration and nimble…”
“…The new E-Prototype model by Flare Audio in Sussex sounds astonishing. They are one of the occasional audio products that make you want to re-listen to all the music you know…”
When Flare was established in 2010 we were a small team of 2. Since then we have grown as both a team and a brand. We’re now a team of 17 and have developed products ranging from earphones to loudspeakers – ear protectors to calming in-ear devices.
We have a large amount customers around the world as well having over 2.7 million followers on Facebook, 90k on Instagram and 75k on Twitter. We ship our products to over 186 countries including our life-changing product Calmer® – a passive in-ear device that helped us to form the new EARS earphone range.
Calmer®
Flare is an established company selling unique and life-changing products.
Products like Calmer are changing the lives of people by reducing the stress loading from sounds and noises that can cause irritation and anxiety. Calmer reduces ear distortions from everyday sounds which have had a huge impact on peoples day to day lives. The success of Calmer’s unique technology directly led to the technology used in EARS.
More information on Calmer and its impact on people can be found here:
https://www.flareaudio.com/blogs/sound-sensitivities
Davies – Co-Founder | Flare Audio
Before founding Flare in 2010 Davies was a retained firefighter at Shoreham by Sea Fire Service, serving 13 years with the last 5 years as a crew commander. It was during this time that a series of fortuitous events led him to spending some time as a touring sound engineer, harking back to his roots of DJ-ing which in turn steered him to having a huge change in career and starting his own PA hire company.
It wasn’t long before he was bitten by the audio bug and started ‘re-designing the loudspeaker’ – believing that great audio means a better connection between the artist and audience. These speakers were used at concerts, festivals, gigs and installs including stages at Bestival, the Coca Cola campaign for the London 2012 Olympics and Dolby Atmos speakers for Selfridges new cinema.
It was in 2016 that Davies decided to try and miniaturise the loudspeaker technology into a consumer earphone. This was the beginning of Flare’s journey into consumer audio products.
Naomi – Co-Founder | Flare Audio
Naomi’s career started as a secondary school art teacher and special educational needs teacher. It was when she took a shift in career as a Youth Officer for the district Council putting on under-18 band nights that she was hit by the desire to work more fully in the music industry. Working for some time as a graphic designer for musicians and bands Naomi soon joined Davies in founding Flare, combining their knowledge and passion for music, audio and creativity.
By throwing out the rule book and thinking differently we have unlocked sound technology that we believe is going to change how the world listens. Flare is just a small team of 17 people based in Lancing, West Sussex, UK, yet we aim to become a recognised global sound innovator thanks to our core value of channelling highly logical, simple and effective technology.
We’ve spent the last 13 years dedicated to the research and development of advancing sound quality and the last 18 months developing the EARS range featured in this campaign. We want to make our exciting new range of earphones local to us here in the UK in an efficient and scalable way. We have partnered with one of the UK’s most advanced manufacturing companies to help us bring our new earphone range to life and at scale.
Hundreds of prototypes have been produced over the last year to develop our technology and to perfect our sound and shape. Starting with Calmer, we have taken everything we have learned, through to E-Prototype and now to the EARS range. Fine-tuning every angle with pinpoint accuracy.
We’ve set up a large logistics hub at Flare HQ to prepare for high levels of orders so that as the volumes scale we are able to cope with increasing levels of demand and we have partnered with a global logistics firm to ship our earphones worldwide.
For the last six years we have been shipping our products to over 186 countries.
As soon as we reach our campaign goal the manufacturing timeline will commence. This process begins with the creation of prototype tooling that will allow us to perfect the earphone design and build before we commence the expensive production tooling. We expect this first process to take 6-8 weeks.
Once the prototype tooling stage is complete, work will commence on the complex production tooling phase. The intricate internal design that creates Mirror Image Sound technology means that we require a highly precise tool to make it. We are expecting this phase to last 12-14 weeks.
The next phase is ultrasonic tooling. The internal design requires advanced ultrasonic welding of two main components in order to marry the two complex internal shapes together that Mirror Image Sound technology requires. The end result is a design that is one solid part without the use of any glue. We are expecting this stage to take 6-8 weeks.
The solid titanium and aluminium driver housings, Bluetooth®, drivers, cable assemblies and other accessories will all commence production and are scheduled to take 6-8 weeks in parallel to the ultrasonic tooling.
Trial assembly runs is the next phase which we expect to take 1-2 weeks. This involves the creation of an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) so that teams of people can assemble each earphone in exactly the same way.
Once all the above stages are complete the production runs will commence which are expected to take 4-6 weeks.
It’s at that point that the earphones will start to be shipped to our backers across the world.
We will keep you updated throughout.
Follow us | @flareaudio
©2022 Flare Audio Technologies. All patents, designs and trademarks are the property of Flare Audio Technologies Limited. This is not an exhaustive list and other territories not mentioned here may apply.
Patents
UK 2114682.4, Taiwan 111132969, PCT/GB2022/052504
Australia 2021238937, Canada 3169269, China 202180022230.6, EU 21714356.9, India 202227051473, USA 17/899,674
Designs
UK 6234260, 6234261, 6234262, 6234263, 6234264, 6234265, 6234266, 6234267, 6234268, 6234269, 6234270, 6234271, 6234272
UK 6085879, USA 29/751611, India 333460, EU 8177786, China CN307026828 S
Trademarks
UK 3371734, 3155252, 3257737, USA 6066349
UK UK00003816249
UK 3153280, USA 5969705
China Guozuodengzi-2021-F- 00187781, EU 1483798, USA 6066349, Madrid Protocol 1483798
Mirror Image Sound™