Sound impressions: Vocals
Mids take a step forward from the lows and have a bright, airy tone. The vocals sound breezy, transparent, and pure. Flow has a monitoring style tuning that desires a neutral timbre and high resolution. The vocal thickness is also neutral, feeling neither thin nor thick. Vocals feel a bit dry but not harsh, which is common for IEMs with this tuning. I can feel some dryness in the vocals, yet it’s a type of dryness that reveals the grains and crisps from the texture. Vocals feel even and flat throughout the range, not showing spikes or sibilance.
Sound impressions: Trebles / etc.
Similarly to the vocals, highs also show an analytical, monitoring-like characteristic. Highs are a step back from the vocals and mildly reduced in quantity. However, Flow makes sure to keep the treble notes clear and clean. Highs have a bright and crisp tone but they do not get harsh or heated. The soundstage is quite expansive. The low range that stretches deep along with the open-ended trebles are the ones that help the headroom size. While not large, Flow creates a studio-sized headroom.
The last thing to mention has to do more with the music source than the IEMs. Flow’s monitoring sound tuning means that these IEMs will demand a good quality music source. If your music source is poorly recorded, has ongoing white noise, or is low in resolution, Flow won’t hide these for you. This is something worth keeping in mind if you often listen to low-quality, retro music.
Compared to Magic One (Review link)
Magic One has slightly more sub-bass and warmth to the overall sound. The bass texture is also softer but marginally. As for Flow, the bass region feels larger, making the bass impact stronger and grander than Magic One. Flow is also more revealing in the vocal range, further revealing the texture details. Magic One keeps the vocals more condensed whereas Flow expands the vocal size to make it sound more vast.
Though the biggest differences between these two are the overall dynamics and liveliness. Magic One has a soothing, calm nature that is ideal for easy listening, whereas you can feel the acoustic pressure – which makes the sound energetic, passionate, and realistic. For modern music or pop, I’d be happy with Magic One but for instrument-heavy music such as jazz or classical, I’d choose Flow anytime.
Compared to Muse HiFi The East 6
Flow keeps the natural reverbs happening within the earpiece which gives that classic DD-ish feel, whereas The East 6 keeps the sound more tightened. This difference brings pros and cons for both IEMs. The soundstage and vocals feel larger and roomier on Flow, yet the vocals sound relatively boxy.
The East 6 has cleaner nuance and reverbs, yet the soundstage feels narrower. The East 6 also has forwarded mids than Flow but is thinner in the body. The vocal timbre on The East 6 is smoother and organic, yet Flow is more revealing in details and texture. The soundstage is slightly larger on Flow.
Verdicts: Affordable & Surprisingly well-tuned reference monitor!
This is my first time experiencing a Flicker Ear product and Flow satisfied me with its quality. Flow is a budget-friendly monitoring earphone that is ideal for those who seek accuracy and high resolution. Though, unlike the general stereotype that monitoring IEMs has, Flow didn’t neglect the musical enjoyment that earphones can bring through lively dynamics and powerful bass response.
Another personal appreciation I have for Flow is that the upper frequencies don’t get as easily heated as many other monitoring IEMs do. If you’re looking for an affordable monitoring earphone for around $100, look no further!
Thanks for reading and happy listening!
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