i posted a few weeks ago, that my second pair that came in couple of weeks after my first pair, sounded just the same ootb as the ones i had with a couple of hundreds of hours burned in. look at my sig. burn in is nothing but a myth.
I admire your stance and perceptions. I feel similar way about cables but there always exceptions..
As for burn in. Some headphones are more noticeable than others.
In the es7 thread I had owned three es7 at once one time, and my oldest set had an easily noticeable difference upon A/B testing.
It also had best sound.
The signature sound did remain same in general, but details remained noticeable between them.
So the newer unburned sets did sound the same, but not my older set I wish I kept.
Laws of physics:
A looser diaphragm is less prone to alter the sound...
Less likely to want to "bounce back" to it's resting state.
I noticed it most in the bass taming down with greater control on headsets in general.
So to me, a used can will always sound better than new of same model.
But I don't have a problem with your view either.
Maybe the jvc is not a good candidate for that test without extreme burn.
Also, did anyone try WS55 pads on the S500?
I have them ws55 pads on my s400 so yes they will fit on the s500 and of course better than stock as they open up the soundstage and are more balanced than stock.
Cannot comment on details as I am not home, but that was my immediate impression.
