Well, that was an interesting evening. I got lots of time in with E2. I like it very much. Here are some brief impressions/comparisons:
Ether 2 -- Light, comfortable, like new cable for its ergonomics (softer, less microphonic). Sound sig is still over in the EFO/HEKv2 planar camp, but closer to the 'middle' of my TOTLs. More 'energetic' and lively sig than EFO 1.0, a little more than EFO 1.1, and a lot more than HEK.
vs. EFO 1.1 -- pretty close. E2 has a bit more bass impact, maybe a bit more mid-forward. Vocals are slightly more 'present'. E2 stage has similar width, slightly shallower -- EFO stage still feels arier, although not as much as EFO 1.0. Note that I did the 1.1 upgrade to EFO, but only put on the decal, no other damping. Also, I'm using the eStat pads on EFO. To my ears, 1.0 => 1.1 changed the sig shape from V-shaped to nearly linear. E2 takes this a bit further, maybe even elevating mids/vocals above linear. Or maybe that's just in comparison to EFOs.
vs. HEKv2 -- further apart than EFO/E2. E2 is significantly brighter and more impactful. E2 comparison emphasizes the 'laid back' nature of HEK sig, contrasted with more energetic sig of E2. My ears hear HEK as pretty much neutral, with E2 producing slightly recessed treble. HEK stage feels bigger, but to accomplish that, it feels like everything is further away, not some closer, some further.
vs. Auteur -- E2 might be right in the middle between HEK and Auteur, in tonality and energy. Auteur is definitely brighter and more energetic. Staging is quite similar -- I'll have to listen more before I can provide a comparison.
vs. Utopia -- I didn't listen to Utopia last night, so I'll defer this, although you can probably add a +1.5 to the Auteur comparisons and be close.
vs. all -- E2 bass is in the same ballpark as the others. Not bass-heavy, not bass-lite. I hear differences, but I'll have to focus on some bassy tunes to come up with more informative comparisons. Things like overall bass quantity, sub-bass vs mid-bass, quality of bass in isolation vs bass in busy passages, acoustic vs electric bass vs bassy percussion. I just can't say yet.
In all, a very good can. I can't imagine keeping both my EFO 1.1 and E2. One
will have to go
BTW, all listening was NUC ==> SU-1 ==> Pontus ==> Emotiva XSP-1 ==> Bryston BHA-1
Music was Loreena McKennitt, Ray LaMontagne, Beck, Mark Knofler, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Gretchen Peters, Bliss, Enigma,
William Fitzsimmons, Beatles, Dead Can Dance, Tunnel Six, Miles Davis