We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-18 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a straightforward, wired studio headphone you can wear in a loud room and trust for tracking and monitoring, choose Superlux HD661; if you need to control your own monitor mix on stage — blending your mic with a stereo feed and hearing yourself the way you want — choose ART MyMONITORII Personal Headphone.
• Superlux HD661 — biggest strength: A true closed-back, over-ear monitor headphone with a 40 mm neodymium dynamic driver, 68Ω impedance, 102dB sensitivity and a 10Hz–20kHz range — plus two cables, a conversion plug and a pouch in the box.
• Superlux HD661 — biggest trade-off: It's a passive wired headphone. There is no mixer, no mic input, no blend control — you plug into whatever source you already own.
• ART MyMONITORII — biggest strength: A personal monitoring hub that blends a microphone, an instrument and a stereo source, passes phantom power through to a condenser mic, and runs on 12V DC or an internal 9V battery.
• ART MyMONITORII — biggest trade-off: It's a mixer box, not a headphone. It gives you no drivers, no ear cups and no sound on its own — you still need your own headphones.
• Who each pick is for: HD661 → engineers, broadcasters and musicians who need isolation and a clean reference in noisy rooms. MyMONITORII → performers who want to hear themselves their way without asking the sound engineer for more "me."
The HD661 is an enclosed (closed-back) over-ear headphone built around a single 40 mm dynamic driver with a neodymium magnet. The numbers matter here: 68Ω impedance and 102dB SPL sensitivity at 1kHz mean it doesn't need a monster amplifier to get loud — a reasonable headphone output on an interface, mixer or camera will drive it. The 10Hz–20kHz frequency band covers the full audible range, which is what you'd expect from something marketed as a studio monitor rather than a casual listening set.
What it does best is isolation and dependable, balanced monitoring. Superlux positions it for live monitoring, studio work and broadcast, and the airtight closed design is the reason: it keeps external noise out so you can actually hear detail in a loud room — a stage, a control room with monitors blaring, a live broadcast booth. The 6.72-ounce weight and over-ear plastic cups are in the normal range for a working monitor headphone, so long tracking sessions are realistic rather than punishing.
The accessories tell you who this is really aimed at. You get a 3.3 ft (1 m) cable and a 9.8 ft (3 m) cable, a gold-plated 3.5 mm-to-6.3 mm conversion plug, a cable clip and a carrying pouch. Two cables in two lengths plus an adapter is a studio kit, not a phone accessory: short cable at the desk, long cable across the room, quarter-inch adapter for the console, clip to keep the cable off your shirt, pouch to throw it in a gig bag.
Who should buy it: recording engineers, podcasters, broadcasters, drummers and anyone tracking in a noisy space who wants a closed, isolating reference headphone that comes with the cabling they actually need. Who should skip it: if you want to control your own monitor mix, blend a mic with a backing track, or use a condenser mic on stage, this headphone does none of that — it just plays what you feed it.
The ART MyMONITORII is a different category of product entirely, and that's the single most important thing to understand before comparing the two. It's a personal headphone monitor mixer, not a headphone. It has no drivers, no cups and no sound of its own. What it has is inputs: a microphone input with a thru jack, an instrument/line input with a thru, and a stereo monitor input with a blend control.
That combination is the whole point. On stage, you plug your mic into the MyMONITORII, and the thru jack sends that same mic signal straight on to the main mixer — so the front-of-house engineer still gets your mic, but you also get your own copy to listen to. The stereo monitor input lets you blend a full band mix or a backing track against your own voice or instrument using the blend control, and then you set your own overall volume. Instead of fighting for more of yourself in a shared monitor mix, you dial it in yourself.
Two details make it genuinely practical for live work. First, the microphone input passes phantom power through from the board, so you can use a condenser mic without adding a separate supply. Second, there's a pop-less on/off mute switch on the mic channel — a small thing that matters when you need to mute yourself mid-set without a thump going out to the audience. The box can be powered either from the supplied 12V DC supply or from an internal 9V battery, which means you can run it on a stage where an outlet isn't within reach. Connectivity is wired, with an XLR audio input and TRS output, two channels, and a 1-year warranty listed.
Who should buy it: gigging vocalists, singer-songwriters, worship musicians, drummers using a click or backing track, and any performer who wants consistent, personal control over what they hear night after night. Who should skip it: anyone who just wants a headphone to plug into a laptop or interface. If you're mixing in a DAW or listening casually, the MyMONITORII adds nothing — you'd be buying a mixer with no headphones in the box.
• Best for stage monitoring and personal mix control → ART MyMONITORII. Blend control, mic/instrument/stereo inputs and phantom power pass-through are exactly what live performance needs.
• Best for isolation in loud rooms → Superlux HD661. The closed, airtight over-ear design is built to keep external noise out; the MyMONITORII doesn't isolate anything.
• Best for studio, broadcast and tracking work → Superlux HD661. A 40 mm neodymium driver, 68Ω impedance, 102dB sensitivity and a 10Hz–20kHz range are the spec sheet of a working monitor headphone.
• Best for condenser microphones on stage → ART MyMONITORII. It passes phantom power from the board, so a condenser mic works without extra gear.
• Best for cable flexibility and included accessories → Superlux HD661. Two cables (1 m and 3 m), a gold-plated 3.5 mm-to-6.3 mm adapter, a cable clip and a pouch come in the box.
• Best for setups with no power outlet nearby → ART MyMONITORII. It runs on the supplied 12V DC supply or an internal 9V battery.
• Best if you already own good in-ear monitors or headphones → ART MyMONITORII. You only need the mixer half, and you can pair it with whatever you already trust.
• Best if you want one box that makes sound → Superlux HD661. It's a complete, self-contained headphone; the MyMONITORII needs a headphone and a source to do anything.
In my opinion, this isn't really a head-to-head — it's a fork in the road, and the right answer depends on which job you're hiring for. If your problem is "I can't hear myself properly on stage," I'd buy the ART MyMONITORII. It solves that specific problem with a blend control, a mic thru, phantom power pass-through and battery operation, and no headphone can do that job for you.
If your problem is "I need a closed, isolating monitor headphone that comes ready to work," I'd buy the Superlux HD661. Two cables, an adapter, a clip and a pouch in one box, with specs that suit studio, broadcast and live monitoring.
FAQ
No. It's a personal headphone monitor mixer — a box you plug a microphone, instrument and stereo source into, then listen through your own headphones. It has no drivers or ear cups of its own. The Superlux HD661 is the actual headphone in this comparison.
Yes, in the sense that its closed, airtight over-ear design is made to isolate you from loud external noise, which is what live monitoring demands. What it can't do is blend your mic against a backing track — that's the MyMONITORII's job.
Yes. Its microphone input passes phantom power through from the mixer, so a condenser mic can be powered from the board. It also has a pop-less on/off mute switch on that mic channel.
I don't quote prices here — check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page, since it changes. On value, the honest answer is that they solve different problems, so "cheaper" isn't "better": the HD661 is a complete headphone in a box, while the MyMONITORII is a mixer that needs headphones you already own to be useful.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.