Great review, very thorough.  I actually had higher expectations for the MrSpeakers Ether before reading this review.  Now, the next time I get a chance to hear the Ether, my expectations will be a bit lower.  They weren't too high for the HE-X since it seems more geared toward performing well out of weak gear.

very good review, as a fellow hd800 owner i'll pass but will audtion them just for fun

​Rhamnetin -  Ether is a very good performer, I'm certainly not knocking it here.  It doesn't reach the openness of the HEX most times but between the two I'm sticking with the Ether.