Short answer: the Unique Melody Stardust. Both are rated 3.8/5 for sound quality (#596 and #565 of 1291 in-ear headphones), and the Unique Melody Stardust costs $799 against $930 for the SoftEars Twilight, with sound quality a draw, the lower price decides it.
What the SoftEars Twilight does well: 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. Watch for: 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.
Why pick the Unique Melody Stardust: A six driver hybrid with two dynamic drivers and four balanced armatures in a 3D printed titanium shell. The catch: Treble sits about 4.3 dB below target, a dark, relaxed balance.
Buy the Unique Melody Stardust. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $131 less than the SoftEars Twilight.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
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 eBay
A six driver hybrid with two dynamic drivers and four balanced armatures in a 3D printed titanium shell.
HiFiGo $799.00 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
| SoftEars Twilight | Unique Melody Stardust | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $930.00 | $799.00 |
| Ranked | #565 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #596 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Harman Preference Score | 71 (measured by crinacle, via AutoEQ) | 71 (median of 7 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.42 dB standard deviation | 2.08 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.10 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.57 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Hybrid |
| Drivers | 1 x 10mm dynamic | 2 x dynamic + 4 x balanced armature |
| Impedance | 16 ohms | - |
| Sensitivity | 116 dB/V | 106 dB @1kHz |
| Weight | 0 lbs (6 g) per earbud | - |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-4.8 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-1.4 dB at 30 Hz) |
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 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; the Unique Melody Stardust from atechreviews, elrics, jaytiss, silicagel, sl0the, tonedeafmonk and zerostresslevel, all via squig.link.
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