Introduction
I woke up on a Saturday morning and checked my Head-Fi messages in bed. A fellow Head-Fi’er mentioned he just backed the Flare kickstarter project, and sent a link to the pledging site. In short, Flare basically developed new pressure balance technology that stabilizes pressure on both sides of the driver diaphragm, effectively preventing distortion of the waveform hitting the eardrum. He also passed on a link to the Headfonia review, which I’m guessing almost every backer read before pledging (at least the later backers). Now normally when someone will say a certain iem has the best soundstage or bass they ever heard I shrug it off – there’s no knowing what he’s comparing with unless it’s an acclaimed reviewer of course. But he compared it with iems I’m familiar with, which piqued my interest. An iem that made the $800 IE800 feel sorry, with better bass than the JH16fp (which we all know is no slouch). A lively and shockingly vivid midrange that made $700 over ear headphones sound like crap, and clarity in the midrange besting the UM Merlin and JH16fp – wow the compliments just kept on coming. Those are some great iems that this $120 one was pulverizing. Is there anything that this iem can’t do?? Well maybe the treble was a bit too relaxed, but this was explained as very non-fatuiging. At this point I was getting pretty excited. I do love me a good soundstage and a “new reference point for bass” is definitely a bonus. Even if its sound signature would be slightly disappointing, this pretty much couldn’t go wrong anymore. A kickstarter price of $120 for a $270 iem, which essentially sounds like a $500 iem at least!
I decided to back the project before I got out of bed. Later on after rereading the review a couple of times I got so excited with anticipation, I decided to get one for my girlfriend’s birthday, and ended up giving one to a friend as well. The hypetrain was going, and I was on board!
 
Impressions
When I first heard the R2A, I was pretty underwhelmed. The midrange was decent, but the sound as whole came across a tad dull and muffled due to the attenuated, laid back treble. After giving it more time however, I started appreciating the very coherent presention and soundstaging: while the soundstage isn’t particularly wide, the instrument definition and separation was excellent, and the presentation of the single dynamic driver came across very natural and full of detail, reminiscent of other higher tier single dynamic drivers as the IE800 and Rhapsodio Rti1. Iems with multiple BA’s tend to push back or forward different frequencies, so even if the detail is there it’s often harder to notice. Coherent single dynamic drivers give the feeling of presenting tones or instruments ‘all at once’, making it easier to pick out the different aspects of a song.
 
With its spacious presentation and laidback treble nobody can argue that Flare developed a very non-fatuiging iem. But that’s my major problem with designing an iem to be non-fatuiging. It gives me the feeling that music is inherently annoying (by being so darn fatuiging!), and should therefore be properly harnessed. And that’s exactly how the R2A sounds to me. It’s an excellent quality for an iem - if you need to work or study, or read a book in a noisy background. But when I listen to music I want to be rocked by electric guitars or energized by exciting EDM melodies, moved by a crystal clear female or deep, warm male voice. For me, the R2A never succeeds in either of those. I’d listen to the R2A and think man, this listens pretty relaxed and natural; and then switch to a different iem to play a song I really felt like hearing.
 
A decent midrange, attenuated treble, that leaves the bass. I’ll admit the bass quality is very good. Texture and speed are spot on, allowing you to hear multiple basslines precisely. And of course this is very subjective, but I feel that overall quantity is lacking (admittedly, I’m a part-time basshead). Clearly a tradeoff has been made for quality over quantity. The R2A’s bass is also very variable – in some tracks it appears there is no bass at all, while in others it comes off relatively strong - similar to the Rooth LS-X5. But it doesn’t seem to depend on the type of music (even in bass-heavy genres where you’d expect bass, it varies greatly), or when the track ‘calls for it’, so it’s probably inherent to some property of the recording. It also distorts easily when trying different EQ settings on the Cowon P1. A quality over quantity style bass would have been fine; but after the description of a ‘new reference point’ in comparison to the JH16fp I was expecting more. The R2A probably has 3x less bass than my EarSonics Velvet or Heir 8.A, but even the $30 CX-300 produces a far bigger bang.
 
While my appreciation of the R2A gradually rised after the first few hours, it stagnated shortly after. There wasn’t any case where I’d choose to play the R2A over other iems for a specific song or album, rather than just for the sake of listening to the R2A. I spoke with a non-audiophile friend who I had recommended the R2A to, she too had pledged with her only previous experience being the CX-300. Initially she also wasn’t too impressed with the difference between the R2A and the CX-300, although I tried to explain that its technical capabilities (such as instrument definition and separation) were on a much higher level. She started appreciating the R2A more later on, although kept complaining about lack of bass since she listens to a lot of minimal techno. The same for my roommate, who I offered to sell the R2A to if he was interested. He wasn’t impressed enough with the overall signature to step up from his apple earbuds. And honestly I can’t blame him. Appreciating a good soundstage and bass quality develops with interest in iems (or Head Fi in other words), rather than music itself. I’ve listened to lower tier iems for 15 years without having the faintest idea that the concept of soundstage even existed. But even non-audiophiles can hear and appreciate good sound: strong lush mids, crisp highs or just simply a powerful bass.
 
Now let me state very clearly I don’t think the R2A is bad. Please note that this is not so much an objective report of its technical capabilities, just my very subjective opinion based on my preferences, current iems and most importantly expectations and I too am aware of that. For all the R2A owners out there enjoying them, I understand why and you have every right to do so. Again, it’s imaging is great and on par with top notch single dynamic drivers up to $1000 (except for the smaller soundstage). I’ll also add that the R2A, due to its miniscule size, is very comfortable to wear or sleep in.
 
My expectations were high, and the R2A did not fulfill them. I was expecting an iem that would despite its low price, earn some listening time among higher tier iems and that just isn’t the case. This is reflected in the 3,5 stars I’ve awarded them. If I had gotten these before my current iems they might have scored 4 stars. I don’t blame Flare, they’ve priced the R2A accordingly, and the kickstarter price was more than fair. And I guess I can’t blame the Headfonia reviewer, he just got a couple of free iems and I’d say he did a great job at returning the favor by encouraging a lot of people to pledge the kickstarter project. But I do blame him a little bit. Because reading back I find the review to be exaggerated, as well as the product description by Flare. The R2A didn’t fulfill my 2 main (minimum) expectations of great bass and a wide soundstage. I agree that the imaging is excellent, allowing for lots of detail with good instrument separation and definition. But the soundstage size itself is not, and is considerably smaller than other iems I’ve owned of late; if it was wider I would rate the R2A a 7,5 out of 10, instead of a 7. Overall I’d say it has the imaging of a $500 iem.. with the sound signature of a $50 one. I’m not saying this to hate on the R2A, but basing it on how other iems have impressed my non-audiophile friends while this one couldn’t. But average those together and you have a $275 iem which it is absolutely worth, but not more – for me.

While I was scrolling through previous reviews of the Headstage Arrow something became apparent: some things never change. The Headstage Arrow comes with a tradition. If you want one, you’ll have to wait for it. Up to the point the wait seems unbearable - and then some. But as always when you finally get it, it’ll have been worth it. Besides the wait, Robert (Headstage is a one man company located near Hong Kong) can take his time returning emails. There would be times that I’d have sent him 3 emails over the span of a month, without hearing a reply. I’d comfort myself with the thought of Robert in a monk’s garment, working away on his amps in a far off cave somewhere in rural China, without unnecessary luxuries as internet or hot water. Then once in a while he makes the journey down to the closeby village, to send off a fresh batch of amps to customers all over the world, and check his emails before heading back.
 
Anyways, I’m currently on a loan Arrow 5P that Robert sent me. I ordered a 5TX, but after its release got pushed back for the second time Robert offered to loan me a 5P in the meanwhile. Probably because he felt sorry for me after I explained I had been hitting the refresh button on my account every day for two months straight, in the hope of seeing it had been sent. So just to make things clear, while this amp is a loaner, I have actually paid for one (nothing free here). This will also give me the chance to compare the 5P and 5TX directly in a few weeks – I’ll update this review then.
 
For starters I’m reviewing the 5P with the EarSonics Velvet, which I absolutely adore. It’s characterized by an energetic, full and smooth sound. If you want to know more about why I love it so much, check out my review here. But more importantly, at least for this review, it (already) has excellent bass. Other head fi’ers have described its bass quality and quantity better than I can in the Velvet thread here. The Velvet is currently connected with a Whiplash TWau gold-plated silver cable. I tested the Arrow with a DX90 (albums, in flac), or ipod (playlists, 320 kbs mp3). Generally I'd say the Arrow 5P is a bit dark and made to improve lows/mids a bit more than highs. Connected to the DX90, I've noticed it helps reduce sibilance in iems that are prone to it. The amp is outstanding, while the dac is included more as a service for those who need it as a necessity, than a quality component.
 
I’m not gonna describe differences in the sonic frequencies as analytically as others can. I’d say I have a more holistic (emotional?) approach to listening. So this is not going to be an objective review. What I can tell you is that this review is about bass, and lots of it. If you value a clean, analytic sound, and not messing with sound characteristics as bass and treble this review might not be for you. And I’m aware this counts for a lot of Head Fi’ers. I’ll narrow it down even further; if you don’t have a warm, intimate relationship with bass in particular you’re probably going to want to skip this. But then again, you probably haven’t looked up a review on the Headstage Arrow 5P because you felt Mozart’s Requiem was missing an ounce of bass, or that Norah Jones album sounds good, but good use an extra bit of ‘oomph’. See this amp ain’t for Norah. It’s for Xzibit and Fred Durst. The Arrow 5P sounds great, like a lot of amps sound great. It will probably add an extra 20% or so in SQ compared to a standard source. But the 5P has something extra, a magical switch with two extra settings. You can either add bass, or BASS.
 
Compared to the 5N, the P can add an extra +9db of bass; and that’s on top of the +9db that the 5N and 5TX can add. That’s a lot of bass, trust me. Adding +9 bass gives the right amount of bass for nearly all genres. It makes bass pleasantly present. Not dominating the overall sound; but confidently dictating the rhythm, in support of the highs and mids. It should have already become clear that I’m a bass enthusiast, so ‘the right amount of bass’ has become very subjective at this point. Since both the 5N and 5TX can add either +6 or +9db of bass, they will already be perfect for a lot of music, pleasing most people (including bass lovers). But the next +9db’s of bass; now that’s a whole different game. At this point, the bass starts to somewhat distort the sound. The balance between highs and lows has audibly shifted towards the lows, which can warp the whole sound. As is, it doesn’t fit a lot of genres. Only songs where the bass is the center focus of the song without too many distracting instruments or tones, like Jon Hopkins’ “Vessel” (ff 1 min) or Ginuwine’s “Pony” sound good – and with good, I mean incredible. To actually feel the bass so strongly, comes close to the sensation of standing in front of speakers. Also excellent for demoing your iem/amp capabilities to innocent bystanders btw.
 
But that doesn’t mean the 2^nd setting is too much the rest of the time. The balance between high and low can be restored by adding extra treble from the treble switch. At this point we’ve obviously drifted pretty far from a clean, neutral sound and entered V-shaped territory. And I’ll admit it comes with a downside, details tend to get lost in there now and then because your attention is diverted by the strong bass and highs. But what you get in return is an incredibly full and banging sound that fits all of the V-shaped, bassy genres: rock, EDM, pop, hip hop and dubstep to name a few. But don’t forget music like reggae, ska and dancehall as well. The bass dominates, as if it’s emerged from the depths to claim its rightful place in the presentation. The added bass gives music more weight, giving it somewhat of an ominous sound sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, vocals, guitars and melodies are very much in there as well. They just have less of your attention left to share amongst each other. But with EDM, its like you’re really standing in a club; or standing right in the middle of a rock or hip hop concert.
 
Playing around with the bass and treble switches is fun, and really helps to bring out the most in music depending on the genre and your mood. Hip hop sounds incredible with the +2 setting and a little extra treble, with electronic music it depends on a lot of factors like BPM and the type of bass in the song. With instrumental music it can go anywhere, and it comes down to fooling around with the settings. Some songs have a great beat but could use a bit of extra power so I’ll add the +2, like the Beatmaster remix of Depeche Mode’s “Route 66”. With others its best to leave in neutral to keep the sound balanced, since you don’t want the mids to become recessed.
 
There’s also a 2^nd bass switch. You cannot only adjust the amount of bass (or the power), but also the width. The two bass switches can be viewed as adjusting bass on the Y or X axis. The first switch will add in the depth, and the second the width. For me, the second switch is more a gimmick than of real practical use. It adds more bass quantity, but also makes the bass more audible (opposed to just feeling the bass), distorting the sound even more effectively reducing the quality. You can really only add more, if the bass is really clean, and there’s not much to distort. Again, see the first two songs I mentioned. But when you add more, even when volume is relatively low you can feel your ears rumbling. Even though you might not use the switch much, it’s still fun to have.
 
I have a really diverse interest in music and will go through a lot of genres in a week. But with the Velvet/5P combo I could not stop listening to EDM for the first two weeks. It was just fun to hear how different bass sounds in different tracks, and how much the quality of the bass can contribute to the listening experience. Then I discovered how hip hop sounded and got blown away by those banging beats. Surprisingly, R&B sounds even better. I’m not talking about the new crappy stuff that dominates the charts, but those good old early 2000’s tracks from artists like Aaliyah en R. Kelly. The laidback beats just sound incredible when they’re amped and put a huge smile on my face every time. I’m still hoping to return to the many other genres I like, hopefully anytime now. But that bass is just so good..
 
A nice little detail is the auto power switch. It just gives a nice classy feel that the amp comes on when you start playing music, and turns off by itself when you power off your music. Just that extra bit of luxury that doesn’t seem necessary at first but you value after a while. To be honest, nothing really comes into mind that you might be missing. It’s incredibly portable. I knew it was small from the images, but it was still a lot smaller than expected. Battery life is more than up to par.
 
So to round it all off, would I recommend the Arrow 5P? Make no mistake; the 5P is a basshead’s amp. So the question has to more refined to would I recommend this amp to a fellow basshead. In that case, I would more than recommend it. I would strongly urge you to consider buying this amp, because it will do exactly what you hope it does. Add the surplus of bass that you’ve always longed for. And I’m talking about quality and quantity, because it provides a nice punchy bass. Its just so much fun to play around with. I’m talking about a real solid 30% increase in listening pleasure due to that extremely full sound and addictive bass. And because it’s so small, you can always have it with you. And trust me once you have it, you’ll always want it with you.
 
 

About the same size as an Ibasso DX90 - but a lot thinner of course.
 
Thanks for reading!

For starters, I probably don’t have to explain that taste in iems ultimately depends on personal taste. I listen to a very wide variety of music including all types of (classic) rock, indie, pop, rap, electro and EDM. I’ll even dabble in a bit of jazz and classical. But when it comes to what I expect from an iem, I have to admit I’m somewhat of a basshead. Cause some types of music you can’t just listen to, but have to feel. I’m talking about that badass feeling you get when you’re listening to hip hop after going to the gym, or EDM tracks that make you want to dance. I actually think mentioning your music profile should be mandatory when writing reviews, since it determines whether you’ll like an iem or not. After reading glowing reviews of the Grado GR10 for instance, I thought I couldn’t go wrong but was instantly disappointed when I bought it, and returned it after a day. I preferred my 30 euro Sennheiser CX-300 over the 400 euro Grado's. Just like the soundstage of the IE800 impressed me, but it’s sound as a whole was quite disappointing.
 
I’m not gonna talk about the fancy dial that allows you to tune the sound, there are enough reviews describing the different modes. I listen to music in the 'balanced' setting. Instead I’m going to try to paint a picture of the sound quality that made me fall in love with this iem, like no iem has ever done before. Yes, this is an ode. Mainly because it feels like the Velvet was tailor made for me. If I had to describe the sound in one word, it would be ‘engaging’. The Velvet has a grand soundstage, comparable to the IE800. But where the IE800 sounds thin and far away (IMO), the energetic, full highs and coherent sound of the Velvet fill your headspace. With the IE800, it feels like you’re going to a concert, but sitting in the back line. Yes, you have an excellent view and see all the instruments. But with the Velvet, you’re standing in front of the stage next to the speakers. You can still see everything - but you're surrounded by music that's blasting through you.
 
I wouldn’t say the Velvet is just a better SM64. If you’re listening to indie bands then yes, the comparable darkish sound, but with superior soundstage, could make you think so. But that’s not what the Velvet is built for. To really hear why the Velvet costs 300 euro more than the SM64’s you have to play tracks like Dan Black - “Symphonies (Dada life remix)” that thrive on releasing energy. But basically anything with energy; music that you have to feel. Metal, electro & EDM, rap and R&B, that’s when the Velvet pulls apart from the SM64 (I’m not even gonna mention the IE800, which absolutely sucked at those genres). Then, compared to the SMM64, the Velvet sounds like it’s plugged into a huge amp. Now I’m not talking about a classy desktop amp, but one of those big boxes where you plug guitars in. The sound is so full, coherent, with tones impacting heavily and precisely. The drums and bass feel quick and accurate. I’m not sure if bassheads will agree with me on this, but for me being a basshead is not even that much about the bass. Of course, it has to be present. But that’s not necessarily it. The IE800 has a very appraised bass. What I need, is for the whole sound to ‘bang’, not just the bass. There’s no point in playing an electro track with flat and thin highs, but a great bass. The whole sound needs to be slamming.
 
You know that moment when the dj breaks it down by taking away the bass, just to build towards a climax to get the crowd fistpumping at the moment of eruption? It’s that moment of impact that has left most iems disappointing me. When I’d open the box of a freshly arrived iem, I’d test that moment with Diplo’s “Set It off (Fatrat Remix)”. After a buildup of a little less than a minute, you want that raw electronic sound to fill your head while the beat is pumping. I played it with the SM64; meh, alright I guess but was it spectacular? Don’t get me wrong, I like and respect the SM64. With the IE800? Instant disappointment. But hearing that full sound of the Velvet, I knew I had finally found true love.
 
When you’re listening to Kanye’s “Black Skinhead”, the beat isn’t supposed to give you a pleasurable listening experience, composed of a balanced collection of sounds. It’s supposed to sound like an angry African pounding a set of drums out of frustration, to accompany Kanye’s rant. That’s what you hear that with the Velvet. Relistening to albums, I feel like I’m hearing them for the first time. It’s the combination of the grand soundstage, with the way that soundstage is coherently filled by thick tones accompanied by bass.
 
The excellent soundstage, full sound, and overall SQ will please a lot of people. But if you’ve recognized anything in the music I just described, it will be so much more. It’ll be the perfect platform for your favourite music. Comparisons with other iems after the image!
 
 

Since there's been a lot of confusion about the settings, I've added it here. I first assumed both sides had to be mirrored but that's not the case.
 
Select comparisons
When I first got the Velvet it was the best thing since sliced bread, but new experiences have helped define the characteristics of the Velvet better so I thought I’d add some comparisons. The Velvet was my first real ‘top’ iem so I had little to no reference, but I’m glad to see that the qualities I initially admired from the Velvet, are still those that set it apart from other iems. Most listening has been done with the DX90, and occasionally the Headstage Arrow 5P to crank the bass up. Please keep in mind that these comparisons are my personal impressions, other people could feel different about descriptions and understandably so, music and iems remains very subjective.
 
JVC FX-850 ($250)
The FX-850 is an excellent reasonably priced iem, with a warm and thick sound which reminds me of the Heir 8.A in its overall signature. It is warmer and thicker than the Velvet, but instruments are less defined, and although it has wide soundstage the thickness can come at the cost of instrument separation with thick sounds like bass / electric guitars played in rock music. The Velvet is more precise and detailed, with a cleaner presentation of the imaging. In comparison with the Velvet, the FX-850 is a diamond in the rough; a great sound, but the Velvet being more refined.
 
EarSonics SM64 ($450)
In comparison with the Velvet’s younger brother the SM64, the Velvet is not per definition a direct upgrade, because while they both share the EarSonics house sound they have very different signatures. The SM64 is darker, warmer and has a overall more balanced (maybe more midforward) signature. Its bass is punchy and capable, but lacks the quantity and quality of the Velvet. Its signature makes it an excellent allrounder, with strong mids that sound excellent for guitar-based music. The less prominent highs combined with the smaller soundstage make it less capable with the bassy V-shaped genres, but that doesn’t mean its automatically less. Fans of warmer prominent mids might still prefer the SM64 over the Velvet, although the Velvet is technically a better iem in its overall characteristics.
 
Sennheiser IE800 ($800)
The Velvet and the IE800 share a similar V-shaped signature, with great bass and an emphasis on the highs over the mids. But within that signature the Velvet sounds thicker and fuller, with tones having more impact and a greater ability to fill your headspace with sounds. The thickness comes at a relative sacrifice of clarity and instrument separation in comparison with the IE800. The IE800 has a more airy sound, with instruments being smaller, but more separable. Although soundstage has a similar width, the airy sound of the IE800 gives the illusion of a wider space. The Velvet and IE800 are built for very different purposes, with the IE800 being better for classical and jazz, but missing the impact required for genres like EDM, rock and hip hop. Genres where the energetic Velvet excels.
 
Rhapsodo Rti1 ($1000)
Like the IE800, the Rti1 also sports a single dynamic driver. It has a similar airy sound, with excellent instrument separation. The Rti1 is marketed as a ‘detail monster’ and rightly so, you can hear every single detail effortlessly. It is extremely precise, quick and detailed, making instruments and voices sound more realistic compared to the Velvet. Probably because it is a single DD, all sounds are presented coherently, without mids or highs pushed forward or backward relatively. But the incredible detail and instrument separation comes at the cost of fullness in the overall sound, and impact and size of the individual instruments. Instruments and tones are thicker in the Velvet, and combined with the more powerful bass provide a more engaging experience. The Rti1 has a qualitative and precise bass, but is no match for powerful and punchy bass of the Velvet. The Velvet and Rti1 are clearly built for very different reasons. The Rti1 is for audiophile listening, sitting back and seeing the whole picture with every single component. With the Velvet, tones and guitars for instance sound fuller, and combined with the excellent bass gives a more energetic result. The thicker sound however comes at the cost of microdetail but this is relatively speaking of course. The Velvet is still very detailed. Overall, neither is a direct upgrade from each other, they’re very different iems and which sounds better depends entirely on preference and music genre.
 
Heir 8.A ($1200)
The Heir is simply a magnificent ciem. It makes no attempt to obtain an audiophile reference sound. It takes your music, and pours a thick and warm sauce over it. Mids dominate, highs are pushed audibly back in space; the highs appear more in service of the huge mids in the overall sound. Directly switching to the Velvet after long periods of listening to the Heir, make the Velvet’s more U-shaped character very apparent (but this is relative speaking). The Velvet sounds brighter, with a clear emphasis on the highs in comparison with the midforward Heir. The Velvet's midrange is thinner than the 8.A, making the 8.A sound fuller for instrument-based music. The Velvet on the other hand sounds fuller in the high's, enabling EDM or the electric guitars in rock to fill your headspace beautifully. The second large difference is the analogue, laid back sound of the Heir which is in sharp contrast with the energetic character of the Velvet. The Heir is built for old school rock and roll: AC/DC, Guns and Roses and T-Rex (or for the next generation, bands like Kings of Leon etc.). A usual setup of e.g. the bass guitar on the left, solo guitar up front next to the voice and second guitar on the right, with the drums in between sounds absolutely phenomenal. Big, powerful guitars are rocking out in each of your ears. The Heir is a lot thicker and warmer than the Velvet, but retains excellent instrument separation due to the large, quality soundstage with layering. Of course it’s less detail oriented, its all about big sounds. Big guitars, big voices. Think Elvis and Waylon Jennings. The strong mids make male voices sound a lot warmer, deeper and bigger than the Velvet. Soundstage is probably similar in width, but the Heir adds a little bit more layering and has more of a rounder, coherent feel. It feels more like instruments are part of a band, while the Velvet presents them more as individual components. This doesn’t automatically mean the Heirs soundstage is better; its just different. For electronic tones, or bands that have a digital feel to them like MGMT or Soulwax, the Velvets presentation can sound better. Not to mention EDM of course. While the Heir declasses the Velvet within ‘old fashioned’ genres like country, rock and roll and blues, its analogue nature makes it too slow for faster and modern genres. Guns and Roses sounds better on the Heir, but Velvet Revolver (the spinoff band without Axl) is too fast for the Heir. When guitars are played faster the Velvet is more in its element, as well as for the ‘modern’ computer-based genres like hip hop, pop and EDM. Both have great bass, but the Velvet wins in quality, with the Heir sounding more bloated (I'm talking fully amped) in comparison. Despite their big price difference, neither is overall better since they're very different. Each has their own genre, and will sound a lot better than the other depending on which music is played.
 
The Velvet might not be able to reproduce female voices and acoustic instruments as beautiful as the Rti1; or the big guitars and warm, deep male voices of the 8.A. But overall, the Velvet is the most allround of all. It never sounds really off, with the Heir and Rti1 being more specialists (and as a consequence having their own strengths and weaknesses). It’s finds the middle ground between thickness and detail, with the Rti1 and Heir being at opposite sides of the spectrum. Detailed enough to hear nuances and all the separate instruments and tones, but with enough thickness and note impact for a fun and engaging sound. Its signature emphasizes highs over mids, without the mids being recessed. Its not as warm as the Heir as it's closer to neutral, but has a hint of warmth to bring out emotion in music. The Heir has stronger mids, but the Velvet has fuller highs. But as is the case with every iem, there are no clear winners anymore in this pricerange, just different flavours for different music. For me, the Velvet is a very capable allround iem and due to its great bass and engaging highs without a doubt my go-to iem for the V-shaped genres EDM, pop, R&B and hip hop and certain rock (and metal/reggae/dancehall etc. if thats your drift). 
 

 
Thanks for reading!