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Back on topic - I am struggling to understand what the HE1000 does that justifies being twice the price of the Ether. Mr Speakers appears to have nailed the 'close to neutral' planar with their new HP. Would be fascinated to hear some more from folks that have had the chance to A/B test these 2 HPs.
I'd say the most apparent differences are the staging and the bass on up to the low mids. The Ether draws an analogue to some of the earlier modded T50RP cans (I know it's a new driver, chill) in that the bottom end is a bit more anemic sounding than the HE1000. It's got attack, but perhaps not as much body. The Ether is definitely a more classically neutral sounding headphone. Is it Harman Kardon TRC neutral? Not really, but that's not everyone's taste, is it? The HE1000 draws a line down the middle of Audez'e/HD800 tuning, leaning more toward the Audez'es by a bit.
The HE1000 feels a tad more spacious, but less airy. The images have a bit less breathing room. A little more cohesive, less distinct. The Ether isn't the be all, end of imaging and staging, but it is a bit better in this regard, I feel (I've never been a fan of exaggerated staging, though).
The reason the HE1000 cost is seemingly justified is that it's a "musical" (ugh, I know) headphone with a great deal more speed and resolution. Planar folks couldn't get that sound without tipping over into HD800 category and losing that low to mid linearity, or falling back to the darker Audez'e house sound. The Ether isn't necessarily that much worse of a performer, in fact in many ways it's better, but it doesn't represent something we haven't heard before. What makes the Ether great is it's ability to give you insight into the flavor of your audio chain...at a price we can say is digestible, considering the competition. Is it a resolution king? Can it be "luscious"? Not inherently.
It's a value proposition, more than anything. I find that the Ether is close to a number of headphone I've heard in the past, just a bit more "flagship" in terms of build and raw performance. The HE1000 is something I still have trouble quantifying. It's NEW. A dichotomy of performance analogies that we often keep diametrically opposed. Warm, yet quick. Spacious, yet luscious. Novel.
Kojaku