Short answer: the Meze Astru. Both are rated 3.8/5 for sound quality (#605 and #565 of 1291 in-ear headphones), and the Meze Astru costs $899 against $930 for the SoftEars Twilight, with sound quality a draw, the lower price decides it.
What the Meze Astru does well: A single dynamic driver IEM with bass right on the Harman target and full sub-bass to 20 Hz. The tradeoff: Expensive for its rating.
Why pick the SoftEars Twilight: Across 20 hobbyist measurements on squig.link no deviation between 1.5 and 12 kHz exceeds 3.4 dB, so the treble stays smooth and free of sharp peaks. The tradeoff: Sub-bass trails the target by about 2.9 dB and is down nearly 5 dB at 30 Hz, so the deepest rumble in electronic and film soundtracks is lighter than ideal.
Buy the Meze Astru. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $31 less than the SoftEars Twilight.
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A single dynamic driver IEM with bass right on the Harman target and full sub-bass to 20 Hz.
Headphones.com $899.00 eBay
Across 20 hobbyist measurements on squig.link no deviation between 1.5 and 12 kHz exceeds 3.4 dB, so the treble stays smooth and free of sharp peaks.
Amazon $930.00 AliExpress $930.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Meze Astru | SoftEars Twilight | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $899.00 | $930.00 |
| Ranked | #605 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #565 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 1 x 10mm dynamic | 1 x 10mm dynamic |
| Impedance | 32 ohms | 16 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 111 dB SPL/mW @1kHz | 116 dB/V |
| Harman Preference Score | 71 (median of 4 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 71 (measured by crinacle, via AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 1.98 dB standard deviation | 2.42 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.75 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.10 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-0.2 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-4.8 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Weight | - | 0 lbs (6 g) per earbud |
| Frequency Response | - | 20Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Meze Astru from aden, animagus, atechreviews, joycesreview and superreview; the SoftEars Twilight from aftersound, animagus, atechreviews, bloomaudio, boizoff, eliseaudio, fahryst, harpo, hbb, hu-fi, jaytiss, lumerion, mmagtech, pw, recode, sl0the, theaudiostore, timmyv, tonedeafmonk and treblewellxtended, all via squig.link.
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