Short answer: the Unique Melody MEST Jet Black. It ranks #773 of 1291 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.6/5, at $1,999; the ThieAudio Valhalla ranks #823, rated 3.5/5, at $1,999. The price gap is small enough that the sound-quality ranking should decide it.
Why pick the Unique Melody MEST Jet Black: A flagship in Unique Melody’s MEST family, combining dynamic, balanced armature, electrostatic and bone conduction drivers. Watch for: Treble sits about 3.7 dB below target, a dark, relaxed balance.
What the ThieAudio Valhalla does well: Bass sits close to target and holds down to 20 Hz, so low end sounds full without bloat. The tradeoff: Presence sits about 4.5 dB low with a 7 dB dip near 6.1 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Buy the Unique Melody MEST Jet Black. It is rated higher for sound quality than the ThieAudio Valhalla at the same price, so it is the default pick unless a specific strength of the other one matters more to you.
Want more options? Browse the full Headphones rankings.
A flagship in Unique Melody’s MEST family, combining dynamic, balanced armature, electrostatic and bone conduction drivers.
HiFiGo $1,999.00 eBay
Bass sits close to target and holds down to 20 Hz, so low end sounds full without bloat.
Linsoul $1,999.00 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
| Unique Melody MEST Jet Black | ThieAudio Valhalla | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,999.00 | $1,999.00 |
| Ranked | #773 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #823 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Quadbrid | Balanced armature |
| Drivers | 1 x dynamic + balanced armatures + 2 x electrostatic + bone conduction | 19 x balanced armature |
| Impedance | 12.6 ohms | 9 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 106 dB @ 1kHz | - |
| Harman Preference Score | 68 (median of 4 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 67 (median of 14 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.41 dB standard deviation | 2.24 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.64 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.91 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-0.3 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+1.8 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Frequency Response | - | 10Hz - 44kHz (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 Unique Melody MEST Jet Black from atechreviews, silicagel, sl0the and superreview; the ThieAudio Valhalla from aden, audioamigo, bloomaudio, dl, ducbloke, eliseaudio, harutohiroki, hbb, jaytiss, precog, soundignity, superreview, theaudiostore and treblewellxtended, all via squig.link.
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