I greatly appreciate the time you took to take those pictures and supply further explanation! I can safely say that your pics as well as your point that every square millimeter is used in this custom cause me to have no regrets and all excitement for my completely clear transparent shells (and faceplates; yes, literally bare bones). I am going to school for audio engineering, so being able to visualize the components I am controlling is an added benefit.
Thanks for mentioning the build time, I got impressions done in the L.A. studio and they sent them out the next day, but considering they are going to Orlando minus the simplicity of the shell, I expect a similar turnaround.
What is your take on the 8k peak? Noticeable or forgettable? I believe my high frequency sensitivity may stop beyond 4k but was curious about your own personal experience.
Nace
To be honest I did not notice it, (8K Peak) but again I only had about 30min before I started my burn in process.
Also I'm thinking doing some cable rolling will minimize this.
I've got a possible cable that is different than what I use on my Roxanne's that in "theory" is where I think I'll land, but until I spend some time listening in detail against my own reference material, I'm keeping an open mind.
But from my time with my Roxanne's, (and my Shure SE846's before, and 535 before that) cabling made a huge difference in attenuating issues, or smoothing them over via slight boosts in other areas.
But its all going to come down to your own ears
You've had advantage of having tried the demo units, and as Mashuto said it could be the deeper insertion, or how JH uses Freq Phase, or as some have mentioned how the measurements were made, this might be an issue or not, but again your ears will let you know quickly!.
But with limited time last night, I'm pretty sure I made the right choice.
I think I've seen others mention and Jude the proprietor of these forums state in a recent video about the Harmon Curve, state IEM/Headphones that looked great on paper/charts, disappointed, and those that appeared to have peaks/issues, were the most balanced/neutral earphones they've used.
In the end, trust your gut, and if its not quite there, look for things to help change the sound sig.
In the end, pretty sure you'll be happy with your choice, until something new catches your eye, and you'll be at it again
Or look at it this way, Your investment in Jolene's is less than other IEM's out there that are now $3500-$5000K, so while expensive it could have been worse (I Kid....)
All kidding aside, I think you'll be OK, and I've seen here trusted reviewers like Deezel177 saying things similar!