Tyll take down Ether Flows from WoF and put Aeons Open instead. I have listened Ether Flows and like them very much but their price is insane! What do I lose (or gain) buying Aeons instead of Ethers? I dont find Ethers harsh or thin sounding as some opinions say.
Ether Flow has more punch across the board (bass, mids, highs), making it sound more engaging and lively, more like someone is actually playing music close to me. It has slightly more bass (sometimes sounding maybe a tad too much) and better bass extension (AFO rolls off a bit more abruptly, it seemed to me). I found the mids of the AFO somewhat recessed compared to both Ether Flow and Edition X v2, which turned me off the most - otherwise it would just be a less meaty Ether Flow.
The AFO is a little lighter and a bit more ergonomic. I think it also looks more refined. There are more tuning options available, but I have listened to them mostly without, since the one notch felt made them sound quite muffled. The AFO's cable strands are a little thinner, but I haven't compared them in terms of sound. At least the DUM cable doesn't turn the AFO into an Ether Flow
The Hifiman Edition X v2 surprised me, and would be my second choice after the Ether Flow. It's a little less clean in the bass than Ether Flow, a tad harsher, and a bit artificial sounding because it is so spacious, and less punchy (closer to AFO) but it's also a lot more comfortable (similar to HD800) and easier to adjust, and you can rotate the earcups 90 degrees in either direction. And in some situations its bass authority can be as impressive as a subwoofer (at least with Keys N Krates's Dum Dee Dum, JiKay remix), without sounding boosted otherwise. Makes me curious about the other Hifiman offerings.
I would have liked to keep the extra $1000, but the Ether Flow was that much more intriguing and engaging than anything else, so I got it. I also ordered the ES pads, we'll see what that does to the sound.
