Hi guys, just a few notes about the Aether, its scores, and its rank. I can totally understand that anybody that has heard Aether would be surprised by its rank, like
@andra555 mentioned it has a very beautiful and natural sound. I would like to think I too emphasised this in the review, because the Aether stands out for its tone, which is not something I write about every iem. As
@Tom Yum Goong just mentioned, this rank by no means that its inferior to the number 8, 5 or 1 for that matter.
The score chart turned out to be a bit small, I hope people could read it (you can zoom in on your phone maybe). I will fix that tomorrow. When the shootout is done, you will be able to compare Aether's individual scores to all the others, and I think you will find that its strengths are very much reflected. For instance, Aether has a higher than average score for upper midrange (88), treble (87), and tonality (89). So Aether definitely
sounds very good, even when compared to the 2K+ iems. I had critique on Aether's bass. But to put this in perspective, for this shootout I'm comparing it (as well as all aspects) to the highest possible standard. That doesn't mean it's a terrible bass, or worse than the average iem out there. It just means its not perfect: I scored it a 78, not a 45.
Finally, when we look at Aether's performance (separation, transparency, resolution, imaging) Aether scores quite good compared to any standard iem. I would even say its layering ability and overall separation is really good (86), there's nothing wrong there. BUT, there are iems that have really pinpoint precise imaging, a very black background, as well as high resolution and transparency; so the total performance is not just 'very good', its absolutely crystal clear. Now, aspects as transparency and resolution can be a bit abstract and less relevant for some listeners (compared to tone), but there are other listeners that find them extremely important. That's why the final score consists of a grand average of all these different aspects, but not all of them will be just as relevant for everyone.
I might have had some critique here and there. This is the case with every iem, including way more expensive ones. But I stand by every word that I write, and I ended the Aether review by saying I would be more than happy if it was my only iem. It is a wonderful sounding iem, and I hope that the content of the review as well as the individual scores reflects that. Like I once said, the content of the review is infinitely more important than a rank or score; people with different taste will select or ignore different aspects. Finally, also keep in mind the relative scores are pretty close. Aether ranks #16 with an average score of 85. The #1 I believe scores an 89.