New earphone breaks boundaries with tech that reduces HRTF distortion to deliver ‘unrivalled sound purity’

Industry hailed earphones now available in limited numbers

SUSSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, April 25, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Flare Audio has unveiled ‘Universal Sound Quality’ (USQ), the first patent-pending technology that reduces HRTF (head-related transfer function) distortion by improving how sound is reflected inside our ears.

Flare’s first product using USQ technology is the new E-Prototype earphone. It works uniquely by channelling sound directly into the eardrum and inner ear, eliminating the reverberation and distortions naturally created by our ears. Flare states that as a result, the E-Prototype delivers ‘a sound of unrivalled purity’. They are so confident, the company promise the best sound you’ve ever heard.

The company’s extensive R&D, including testing at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), has investigated how the design of the human ear distorts sound far more than most of the audio equipment we listen to. By minimising this distortion in the ear itself, industry users are already predicting how the application of USQ could be used as a benchmark of sound quality.

Already praised by a host of music and arts influencers including Producers Tony Visconti and Chris Kimsey, Liam Howlett (The Prodigy), David Arnold (Composer, James Bond) and Mark Radcliffe (Broadcaster / Musician), the patent-pending technology used in the E-Prototype recreates ‘the closest sound possible to that produced by musicians when they perform’. The E-Prototype is now available for all to hear, with limited numbers being released exclusively through Flare’s website.

Flare hopes the level of clarity achieved by the E-Prototype, through its application of USQ, will become a benchmark for quality throughout all sectors of the music industry. They also predict that the E-Prototype and future USQ products will even advance music recording techniques, as the extra audio clarity revealed by the technology allows musicians and producers to work at a more detailed level.

Flare Audio co-founder and CEO Davies Roberts explains: “Over the last ten years Flare has set out to identify what was wrong with audio products throughout the music sector. We started with loudspeakers, moving on to headphones and in-ear devices, and discovered that our own ears

add far more distortion than most of the audio equipment we listen to. Known as the HRTF this distortion is unique to each person due to the individual size and shape of people’s ears. On average there is 21dB of distortion being added to everything we hear which destroys our ability to listen to high-definition sound. Depending on the listening level and each person’s ear shape this can equate to 20% or more of added and unwanted distortion. This is why everyone hears music slightly differently. USQ is the first patent-pending technology that reduces HRTF distortion by improving how sound is reflected inside our ears.”

“By exploring the point where physics meets biology, we’ve minimised distortion and moved ever closer to pure sound,” Roberts continues. “Our development of Calmer and earHD, a passive device which focuses sound as it reaches the outer ear, showed us how decayed audio frequencies create stress and how we could remove those frequencies.

Our ‘OMG’ moment was when we applied that principle to earphone sound. It was a quality we’d never heard before. When we took away natural distortion the quality was extraordinary – beyond what you hear in the recording studio. All music producers to whom we’ve shown E-Prototype so far have been astonished that such an unassuming earphone can produce such exceptional sound quality. Now everyone can hear what we’ve achieved, as we are releasing limited numbers through our website.”

The E-Prototype is 3D printed in limited quantities at Flare Audio’s headquarters near Brighton, UK. Each E-Prototype is made from a bio-compatible non-toxic polymer material in a manufacturing process that minimises material waste and energy consumption.

The E-Prototype retails at £250.

www.flareaudio.com

E-Prototype comments by industry users include:

“…this tech is going to beach the audiophile whale and force it to evolve on the spot, or perish.”

Michael Piskor – Headfonics

“For me… the best I’ve heard.”

David Arnold – Composer

“One of the best sounding IEMs at any price that I’ve heard.”

Janine Elliot – HiFi Pig

“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.”

Jonathan Margolis – Technology Columnist: Airmail

“I’ve been testing out these Flare Audio E-Prototype earphones for a few months now… (they are) without doubt the best I’ve ever used.

I don’t usually use headphones when I’m doing a final mix in the studio, but I have been with these because of the level of detail I can hear, right down to the lower end frequencies. The stereo Imagining is the best I’ve heard and above all accurate – and also no distortion in the ear.

On an everyday level when I’m out and about listening to tunes, for me – they deliver power, clarity and bass better than anything else I’ve heard.”

Liam Howlett – The Prodigy

Flare Audio
Flare Audio Ltd
+44 7909 905882
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
Twitter