After I auditioned the he-1000 (not in the av show), he1000 is not in the same league of the abyss. The only pro of he1000 is comfort. But abyss could be quite comfort as well after you manage to fit your own personal position, still not as comfort as he1000 though. The sound signature of he1000 is quite artificial to me. The bass is deep but not punchy enough. The mid is a bit recess, vocal is quite far away. The treble and high are really smooth but not in a good way. The high seems too artificially smooth, thus the airiness and details are limited. Someone may like he1000 because of its sound signature is quite relaxing, but to me is just too relax(not laid back). I am looking for something more exciting---->the abyss.
extra: i should not describe the vocal is far away(unlike the hd800), the vocal on he1000 is not focus. forgot to mention the soundstage of he1000 is super wide but still coherent. It is not artificial at all(unlike the hd800 again). The height is ok as well. But the depth is missing, i mean totally missing compared to the excellent width. I don't consider it's the problem on amp though the he1000 is paired with ef6. I am not sure whether it will be improved if the original cable is changed.