Just received my JH16. My honest impressions (truth inside)

From someone who doesn't care about backing up his purchase with flare :)

In all honesty, I've heard HD650s (which I think are near perfect), Shure SE530 (way too dark and need high frequency boost), and a bunch of other stuff that I rank below these, so there's no point in mentioning them.

Now I have a pair of JH16s in my ears. Okay, they are amazing, no doubt about it. BUT.

They have OBSCENE amounts of bass. Like not normal at all. JH did state that they are +10db at 50Hz, and boy do you hear those +10db. The bass is clean and punchy, and it does not affect the higher mids (200-1KHz range) and high frequencies. They are all there, crisp and bright as they should be, something I couldn't achieve with the SE530 without equalizing (such a dark earphone). But it does in my opinion slightly affect how you perceive the lower mids (say 100-200Hz range).

Anyways, it's like going from a 2.0 reference monitor setup to a 2.1 setup, heck more like a 2.2 setup with two subs right beside you. I listen to mostly trance, tech house, and ambient/lounge music so these are great, but I can see them definitely not working for other genres. Also, I would strongly recommend them if you are a low volume listener. Usually the bass is the first thing that you tend to miss at low volume, with these it keeps thumping. At higher volumes...boy oh boy, my retinas start vibrating.

So make no mistake, these are bass monsters. If you like that, these will put a huge smile on your face. If you want a more reference sound (kind of what I was looking for), choose something else. Go for the JH13 or the Westone ES5. They should offer a more linear and truthful representation of the frequency spectrum.

Also as a final note, props to JH for prepping them in one week's time and getting me a perfect fit and seal.

I hope this was informative for all of those considering them!

Cheers

Alright, I've done much more extensive listening with these now. They are, without a doubt, the best headphone I have ever listened to so far. I've listened to music that I've heard thousands of times and heard things I've never heard before. The level of detail in the mids and highs is indescribable.

It takes a little while to acclimatize  to the +10db of bass, but it actually works very well with more bass-shy genres now that I've had the opportunity to test them. So I actually have to change my recommendation. For bass heavy music, you're better off with the JH13 (assuming that apart from -4db around 50Hz, the rest of the crossover is tuned the same). For bass light music, JH16 all the way. Also, the volume level that you can drive these things up to without discomfort, distortion, sibilance, or anything else, is simply astounding.

As usual in my experience when switching gear, initially there is a state of confusion, where we encounter a frequency response that our ear is not used to and aren't able to fully appreciate the qualities of the new transducers. Then there is a period of transition, where listening to different music at different volumes begins to open up a new dimension. And finally you become accustomed to the frequency response, this is where your ear and the transducers create an amazing synergy.

I think I've achieved that synergy now, and man oh man do the JH16 deliver! WOW!