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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-25 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
• ROLLS PM351 — biggest strength: It is a dedicated personal monitor station with XLR mic, 1/4" line and 1/4" instrument inputs, plus three independent volume controls so you can balance your own mic, instrument and the full mix by yourself.
• ROLLS PM351 — biggest trade-off: It is a monitoring and routing tool, not a recording interface. There is no USB audio path to a computer, so it will not replace an audio interface in a home setup.
• Kellards Focusrite Scarlett Solo — biggest strength: A 2-in / 2-out USB-C interface with an ultra-low-noise mic preamp, a Hi-Z instrument input, 24-bit / 192 kHz converters and up to 120 dB dynamic range — a complete recording front end for one voice and one guitar.
• Kellards Focusrite Scarlett Solo — biggest trade-off: It is built around a computer. Its real power (recording software, plugins, Loopback) depends on being plugged into a machine, and it offers no independent multi-source monitor mixing of its own.
• Who each pick is for: Choose the PM351 if you perform and need to hear yourself on your terms. Choose the Scarlett Solo bundle if you write and record at a desk.
The PM351 is a personal monitor center, and that phrase is the entire point. It takes an XLR microphone, a 1/4" phone line input and a 1/4" instrument input, and it gives you three separate volume controls — one for the mic signal, one for the instrument signal and one for the line-level signal coming from the rest of the mix. In practice that means a vocalist can nudge their own voice up without asking the engineer for more, and a guitarist can dial their instrument against the band without touching anyone else's settings. Outputs run to a 1/4" phone out and an XLR thru, so the box slots between you and the main mixer, recorder or PA rather than replacing them. The enclosure is metal and plastic, and the whole thing runs on corded electric power.
The classic use case here is a drummer tracking to a click. Anyone who has played to a click knows the problem: the click has to be loud enough to follow, but not so loud it bleeds into everything else. A personal monitor station lets that drummer own the balance instead of begging for it over a talkback mic. The same logic applies to a worship vocalist, a bassist on a loud stage, or anyone in a sound-reinforcement situation where the house mix is not what they personally need to hear. The bundle's Polsen HPC-A30 headphones are closed-back with 50 mm dynamic drivers and an 18 Hz to 22 kHz response, which is a sensible match — closed-back design keeps outside sound out and your monitor sound in, exactly what you want when you are tracking or performing with a click.
Who should skip it? Anyone whose main goal is recording into a laptop. The PM351 has no USB audio connection, no software bundle and no converter spec to speak of. It is a routing and monitoring utility, and if you buy it expecting to plug into a DAW and start tracking, you will be disappointed. Buy it if you perform. Skip it if you only record at a desk.
This bundle is a Focusrite Scarlett Solo (4th Gen) with the same Polsen HPC-A30 headphones, plus a pop filter and an XLR-to-XLR cable. The interface itself is a 2-in / 2-out USB-C unit with an ultra-low-noise microphone preamp and a Hi-Z instrument input, so you can run a mic and a guitar at the same time — the singer-songwriter setup in its purest form. The converters are 24-bit / 192 kHz with up to 120 dB of dynamic range, and the spec sheet describes them as the same converters used in Focusrite's flagship interfaces. Air mode is a switchable circuit that adds brightness and harmonic drive to vocals and guitars, which is a genuinely useful tone-shaping option when a dry vocal is sitting flat in a mix.
The Solo 4th Gen also does more than record. Loopback lets podcasters, streamers and gamers mix audio from other applications running on the computer into what the interface captures, which turns it into a streaming tool as much as a music tool. It can run in standalone mode without a computer, which is a nice flexibility point if you want to use the preamp away from your desk. On the software side you get Pro Tools Artist, Ableton Live Lite and the Hitmaker Expansion bundle, plus an Easy Start tool designed to get you recording within minutes of plugging in. It is USB and XLR on the connectivity side, and it is built to work with a computer, laptop or tablet.
Who should skip it? Someone who performs live and needs to control their own monitor mix on stage. The Scarlett Solo has no independent multi-source monitoring controls, no XLR thru to feed a house mixer, and no way to blend a mic, an instrument and a band mix at your feet. It is a studio and streaming tool. Buy it if you record. Skip it if you gig and need to hear yourself.
• Best for live performance monitoring → ROLLS PM351. Three independent level controls and an XLR thru make it a stage tool first and foremost.
• Best for recording vocals and guitar into a computer → Kellards Focusrite Scarlett Solo. USB-C, a low-noise preamp and a Hi-Z instrument input cover the whole songwriter workflow.
• Best for drummers tracking to a click → ROLLS PM351. Independent control of the line signal against your own playing is exactly what a click-track monitor needs.
• Best for podcasting and streaming → Kellards Focusrite Scarlett Solo. Loopback and the included software bundle are built for spoken-word and screen-based content.
• Best for converter and preamp quality → Kellards Focusrite Scarlett Solo. 24-bit / 192 kHz and up to 120 dB dynamic range are concrete numbers the PM351 simply does not compete on.
• Best for keeping your headphone monitoring closed and isolated → both. Each bundle includes the same Polsen HPC-A30 closed-back headphones with 50 mm drivers.
• Best for a no-computer setup → ROLLS PM351. It is a corded, standalone monitor station; the Scarlett Solo's real strengths live on the other side of a USB connection.
• Best for someone who does both → buy both eventually, but start with the one that matches your main job. They solve different problems and overlap far less than the shared headphones suggest.
If I had to pick one, I would buy the Kellards Focusrite Scarlett Solo bundle. In my opinion, more people shopping this comparison are trying to record a voice and a guitar than are trying to control a stage monitor mix, and the Scarlett Solo is a complete, self-contained recording front end with a serious preamp, high-resolution converters, Air mode, Loopback and a full software bundle. The PM351 is excellent at what it does, but what it does is narrower. If you gig and need to hear yourself against the band, flip that recommendation — the PM351 wins that job outright. Match the box to your actual workflow and either bundle will serve you well.
FAQ
what is studio monitor headphones
what are the best studio monitor headphones
"Best" depends on your job: closed-back designs like the HPC-A30 in both bundles isolate you for tracking and live monitoring, while open-back designs suit mixing where you want a wider sense of space. The HPC-A30's 50 mm drivers and 18 Hz to 22 kHz range make it a capable all-round monitoring headphone for studio, field and DJ use.
do i need studio monitors if i have headphones
Not necessarily. Headphones let you monitor without a treated room and without disturbing neighbours, which is why both of these bundles include a pair. Monitors give you a physical, room-based reference; headphones give you isolation and portability. Plenty of home setups record and mix entirely on headphones and add monitors later.
what are studio monitor headphones
They are headphones built for monitoring audio — listening critically to what you are recording or performing — rather than for casual music listening. The Polsen HPC-A30 included with both the ROLLS PM351 and the Kellards Focusrite Scarlett Solo bundle is a closed-back studio monitor headphone with 50 mm dynamic drivers and an 18 Hz to 22 kHz response.
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