Short answer: the Unique Melody MEST Mk2. Both are rated 3.4/5 for sound quality (#870 and #903 of 1369 in-ear headphones), and the Unique Melody MEST Mk2 costs $1,499 against $1,919 for the Unique Melody MEST MKIII, so with nothing between them on sound quality, price settles it.
Why pick the Unique Melody MEST Mk2: Sub-bass and bass sit right on target down to 20 Hz across 13 hobbyist measurements on squig.link, giving kick drums and synth bass full, clean weight without bloat. Watch for: A 7.4 dB dip near 3.9 kHz, with the 3 to 6 kHz presence region about 5.6 dB below target, pushes vocals and guitars back and can make them sound distant.
Why pick the Unique Melody MEST MKIII: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 66 against the Harman target. The tradeoff: Treble about 4 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
Buy the Unique Melody MEST Mk2. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $420 less than the Unique Melody MEST MKIII.
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Sub-bass and bass sit right on target down to 20 Hz across 13 hobbyist measurements on squig.link, giving kick drums and synth bass full, clean weight without bloat.
Linsoul $1,499.00 eBay
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 66 against the Harman target.
MusicTeck $1,919.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 17, 2026 at 6:04 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 Mk2 | Unique Melody MEST MKIII | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,499.00 | $1,919.00 |
| Ranked | #870 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones | #903 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 66 (measured by crinacle, via AutoEQ) | 66 (median of 4 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.47 dB standard deviation | 2.64 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.71 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.63 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid (1 dynamic + 4 balanced armature + 2 electrostatic + 1 bone conduction) | Quadbrid |
| Drivers | 1 x dynamic + 4 x balanced armature + 2 x electrostatic + 1 x bone conduction | 10 drivers (1 dynamic driver + 4 balanced armatures + 4 electrostatic + 1 bone conduction driver) |
| Impedance | 12.3 ohms | 14 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 112 dB | 104 dB |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 70kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 20Hz - 70kHz |
| Built-in Microphone | No | - |
| 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 (-0.3 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 Unique Melody MEST Mk2 from achoreviews, aftersound, animagus, bassaudio, dl, musicafe, nymz, precog, recode, scboy, sl0the, timmyv and tonedeafmonk; the Unique Melody MEST MKIII from aden, dl, harutohiroki, hbb, kazi, musicafe, practiphile and precog, all via squig.link.
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