The best headphone we've heard in ages - Flowztone F-R1 Impressions

We just wrapped up our trip to CanJam London, and while show floors are always packed with shiny new gear, one product stopped us dead in our tracks: the Flowztone F-R1 open-back ribbon headphone system.

Priced around £3,790, this system includes both the headphones and a dedicated current-source amplifier unit. While that price & configuration puts it firmly in the high-end tier, unlike most products in that category, it delivers a uniquely all-rounder experience that actually justifies the price tag.

Design

Ribbon driver headphones are notoriously heavy and bulky, even though they don't always have to be, but Flowztone managed to break the mold here and offer a headphone that's extremely light and comfortable. There's no uncomfortable clamp force—even for larger head sizes like Cameron's, it feels light in clamp if anything.

F-R1 also features magnetically-attaching ear pads, a suspension strap, and a lightweight, compliant included cable that connects painlessly to its compact current-source amplifier unit. As a system, the only real restriction here is the same as all ribbons—you'll need a special source to use it—but once you have that it's quite enjoyable to use in terms of UX.

Sound

The F-R1 delivers an immediate "wow" factor, but without resorting to large, artificial-sounding colorations that would ultimately become a distraction to many. It balances top-to-bottom sensible tuning with slight editorializations to enhance it meaningfully without overdoing any coloration in particular.

The bass is prominent, tight, and extraordinarily punchy. It extends bottomlessly, with a moderate sub-bass & mid-bass emphasis, but instead of a Harman upper-bass tuck, it glides naturally into the lower mids (150–200 Hz region), giving drums and acoustic instruments satisfying weight and density that Harman bass shelves tend to miss.

The midrange on F-R1 is incredibly natural, presenting basically everything with no discernible or problematic coloration and keeping the presentation, while engaging, honest above all else. A subtle, tasteful lift around 1 kHz adds a touch of liveliness and texture to strings and vocals, but without sounding dry or lean due to the aforementioned slight upper-bass/lower-midrange fullness.

The treble is probably where most people would say any colorations become noticeable, as F-R1 seems to have a bit extra above 10 kHz, but I wouldn't say it has meaningfully more than an HD 650 with fresh pads up there... which is to say, even the biggest coloration here is well within the bounds of "sensible."

F-R1 also includes a clever hardware customization system. Behind the ear pads, a small slot allows users to swap out capacitor notch filters. You can quite easily tweak treble at 10 kHz or adjust the damping screen in front of the driver to alter low-end presence to suit your personal sound preferences, and those changes will remain on the headphone without the user ever having to touch an EQ.

Conclusion

Flowztone skipped the marketing fluff and let the product speak for itself, and they were smart to do so, because it says very clearly: "We (Flowztone) are not accepting compromise on anything, whether it be build & comfort, or sound quality, even with our first ever headphone." It's refreshing to see a brand truly account for everything, and it means a product like this is... kind of just undeniably good.

If you are looking for an all-rounder endgame system that handles everything from delicate acoustic arrangements to heavy electronic bass tracks with aplomb, the Flowztone F-R1 is easily one of the best new headphones on the market, and the headphone that's left me smiling for longest after a CanJam... maybe ever.