We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-21 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a wired personal monitor mixer that lets a performer blend their own mic, instrument and stereo mix on stage or in the studio, choose ART MyMONITORII Personal Headphone; if you need lightweight wireless neckband headphones for workouts, commuting and hands-free calls, choose PIIWIAU Neckband. These two products only look like competitors on a search results page — they solve completely different problems, and that is the most useful thing I can tell you up front.
• ART MyMONITORII — biggest strength: it is a real personal monitoring tool: mic input with thru, instrument/line input with thru, and a stereo monitor input with blend control, all in one box.
• ART MyMONITORII — biggest trade-off: it is wired, needs headphones you already own, and runs on either a supplied 12V DC supply or a 9V battery, so it is a piece of gear rather than a grab-and-go gadget.
• PIIWIAU Neckband — biggest strength: wireless freedom with Bluetooth 5.3, up to 18 hours of music playback, IPX5 sweatproofing and a retractable, tangle-free cable system.
• PIIWIAU Neckband — biggest trade-off: it is a consumer listening device, not a monitoring tool — there is no mic thru, no phantom power, no blend control for a live source.
• Who the ART is for: musicians, singers, drummers, podcasters and engineers who need to control their own monitor mix.
• Who the PIIWIAU is for: runners, gym-goers, commuters and people who take a lot of calls on the move.
The ART MyMONITORII is not headphones. It is a personal headphone monitor mixer, and that distinction matters more than anything else in this comparison. What it does is blend sources: any microphone, any instrument, and any stereo source, mixed down to whatever headphones you plug in. You get a microphone input with a thru jack and a pop-less on/off mute switch, an instrument/line input with its own thru jacks, and a stereo monitor input with a blend control. In plain terms, the performer decides what they hear and how loud, instead of waving at a sound engineer.
The mic thru is the detail I would highlight to anyone working live. It lets you send the microphone signal straight through to the front-of-house mixer while still hearing yourself in your own headphones — and because the thru passes phantom power from the board, a condenser mic can be powered without a separate supply in the chain. That is a genuinely thoughtful piece of design for stage and studio work, and it is the reason this box exists.
Who should buy it: singers, drummers, guitarists and bassists who play to tracks or a click, worship and theater performers, and home-studio users who want a simple personal cue mix. Also anyone running a small podcast or stream who wants to hear their mic and their backing audio together without touching a DAW. Who should skip it: anyone who just wants wireless headphones for the gym or the commute. There is no Bluetooth here, no app, and you supply your own headphones. Power comes from the included 12V DC supply or an internal 9V battery, which is convenient for a pedalboard or a stage corner where an outlet is not guaranteed. It is wired, it is purpose-built, and it is not trying to be anything else.
The PIIWIAU Neckband is the opposite kind of product: a lifestyle audio device built around movement. It uses Bluetooth 5.3 for a stable connection rated up to 44 feet, with noise-canceling technology to cut background noise and a noise-canceling microphone for hands-free calls. The retractable earbud system is the standout feature — the wire is tested to stretch over 7,000 times, which is the manufacturer's way of saying the tangle problem that kills most wired earbuds has been engineered around. When you are done, the buds retract into the neckband and the whole thing becomes a lightweight collar.
Battery is the other headline. The 280mAh cell is rated for up to 16 hours of talk time, 18 hours of music playback and 500 hours of standby, with a full charge in about 1.5 hours. Battery status shows on your connected device, which is a small thing that matters more than people expect — you stop getting surprised mid-run. At 1.7 oz with a flexible ergonomic neckband, it is designed for extended wear, and the IPX5 sweatproof rating covers running, hiking, cycling, gym sessions and general sweat and splashes.
Who should buy it: runners, cyclists, gym regulars, commuters and anyone who lives on phone calls and wants their ears free of a fully sealed headphone. The vibration alert for incoming calls is a genuinely useful touch in noisy environments or when your phone is zipped in a pocket. Who should skip it: musicians who need to monitor a live mic and instrument feed. There is no input, no blend control, no phantom power and no wired audio path at all — it is wireless-only, and that is a hard limit, not a preference.
• Best for live performance monitoring → ART MyMONITORII. Mic in, instrument in, stereo in, blend control, and a mic thru that carries phantom power to a condenser.
• Best for battery life → PIIWIAU Neckband. Up to 18 hours of music playback and 500 hours of standby from a 280mAh battery.
• Best for workouts and sweat → PIIWIAU Neckband. IPX5 sweatproof plus a 1.7 oz ergonomic neckband built for extended wear.
• Best for hands-free calls → PIIWIAU Neckband. Noise-canceling microphone, Bluetooth 5.3 and a vibration alert so you do not miss a call.
• Best for tangle-free portability → PIIWIAU Neckband. The retractable system is rated to stretch over 7,000 times and packs down into a neckband.
• Best for stage reliability without an outlet → ART MyMONITORII. It runs on the supplied 12V DC supply or an internal 9V battery, so it works wherever you set up.
• Best for studio and rehearsal cue mixes → ART MyMONITORII. Blending your own mic and instrument against a stereo backing track is exactly what it was designed to do.
• Best for wireless freedom and everyday listening → PIIWIAU Neckband. Up to 44 feet of Bluetooth range and no cable to your phone.
In my opinion, the right pick comes down to one question: are you performing, or are you moving? If you are performing, I would buy the ART MyMONITORII. It is the only one of the two that actually solves a monitoring problem — the mic thru, phantom power pass-through and blend control are real tools you will use every session, and the 9V battery option makes it flexible about where you set up. If you are moving — running, lifting, commuting, taking calls — I would buy the PIIWIAU Neckband, because 18 hours of playback, IPX5 sweatproofing and retractable buds are exactly what that life demands. For a general-purpose buyer who wants one pair of headphones for daily use, the PIIWIAU is the sensible choice. The ART is the specialist's tool, and it is very good at being one.
No. It is a personal headphone monitor mixer, not headphones. You plug your own headphones into it and use it to blend a microphone, an instrument and a stereo source into your own monitor mix.
Not for monitoring a live mic or instrument feed. It is wireless-only with no audio inputs, no blend control and no phantom power, so it is a listening and calling device rather than a monitoring tool.
The PIIWIAU Neckband, without question. It is IPX5 sweatproof, weighs 1.7 oz, has a flexible ergonomic neckband and retractable tangle-free buds — none of which applies to a wired monitor mixer.
Yes — this comparison covers design and features only, not cost. Both products sit in very different categories, so check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page before you commit.
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