Наушники — Unique Melody MEST Jet Black

The MEST Jet Black is an in-ear monitor made by Unique Melody for universal fit, a member of the company's MEST series that mixes air conduction and bone conduction inside one shell. Ten drivers sit in each earpiece, and the housing is finished in black ceramic, which gives the model its name. The maker lists a price of USD 1,999.

Key specs that matter

Inside each earpiece, bass is assigned to a single dynamic unit, with two balanced armatures for the midrange, two more balanced armatures for the treble and two electrostatic drivers for the ultra-high range. On the bone conduction side there are two composite balanced armature bone conduction units covering bass and mids, plus a single piezoelectric bone conduction driver for the highs. Rated impedance is 12.6 ohm, sensitivity is 106 dB at 1 kHz, and the quoted frequency response spans 20 Hz to 70 kHz. The cable attaches through a 0.78 mm two-pin socket.

Engineering and use context

Unique Melody separates the work into two filter networks. The air conduction drivers are split by a four-way crossover, while the bone conduction section runs through its own two-way crossover, so the vibration elements are handled apart from the drivers that feed the nozzle. Bone conduction units pass energy into the shell and on into the ear canal walls, which is why the ceramic housing is part of how the monitor works and not only a cosmetic choice. Buyers can order the monitor with either the UM Jet Link or the UM Dreamy custom cable, and plug options cover 3.5 mm, 2.5 mm and 4.4 mm terminations. The box holds the earphones, the chosen cable, a carrying case, a cable clamp, a manual, a warranty card and a set of ear tips. Unique Melody gives one year of warranty on the earpieces and six months on the cable assembly.

Pairing

Because the load is low and efficiency is high, the Jet Black can be driven by a small USB dongle attached to a phone or by a pocket player without extra gain. With such low impedance, a source whose output impedance is under about 1.5 ohm keeps the multi-driver crossover working as designed, so a dedicated low output impedance headphone amplifier or a portable DAC with a balanced socket is a sensible match. A player with a quiet noise floor matters here, as sensitive in-ear monitors expose hiss from noisy outputs.

Alternatives

The Unique Melody MEST Fortune is another multi-driver hybrid in-ear monitor in the brand's catalogue.