How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a straightforward wired headphone for school practice, instrument monitoring and long listening sessions, choose Yamaha HPH-100WH; if you need a personal monitor mixer that blends a microphone, an instrument and a stereo source into your own headphone mix, choose ART MyMONITORII Personal Headphone.
That's the whole decision in one line. One of these is a headphone. The other is a box that sits between your gear and your headphones. Shoppers searching for the best gaming headphones for school or the best low latency bluetooth earbuds for school are usually hunting for a single do-everything gadget — but the ART MyMONITORII is not that, and the Yamaha HPH-100WH is not that either. They solve two different problems, and once you see which problem is yours, the choice is obvious.
• Yamaha HPH-100WH — biggest strength: a real pair of dynamic, closed-back over-ear headphones with a 46 ohm impedance, 103 dB sensitivity and a 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency response, plus a swivel mechanism that turns the driver 90 degrees to match your ear angle.
• Yamaha HPH-100WH — biggest trade-off: it is purely a listening device. Wired only, no microphone, no mixing, no battery, and a fixed 2-meter cable with gold-plated plugs.
• ART MyMONITORII — biggest strength: it blends any microphone, instrument and stereo source into one personal monitor mix, with a microphone thru that passes phantom power for condenser mics, an instrument/line input with a thru jack, and a stereo monitor input with a blend control.
• ART MyMONITORII — biggest trade-off: it is a mixer, not a headphone. It has no drivers, no earcups and no sound of its own — you must already own headphones to plug into it, and it runs on a 12V DC supply or a 9V battery.
• Who each pick is for: the Yamaha HPH-100WH is for the student, player or listener who just wants comfortable, balanced sound straight from a 3.5 mm jack. The ART MyMONITORII is for the performer or home recordist who needs to hear themselves plus a backing track in one pair of headphones.
The HPH-100WH is a compact, closed-back dynamic headphone with a white plastic enclosure and rounded over-ear earpieces. The numbers that matter here are simple: 46 ohm impedance, 103 dB sensitivity, and a 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz frequency range. Low-ish impedance plus high sensitivity is the classic recipe for a headphone that gets loud enough from ordinary consumer gear — a phone, a laptop, a keyboard, a small mixer's headphone out. It doesn't demand a dedicated amplifier to reach a usable volume.
Two design details stand out to me. First, the swivel mechanism: the driver unit rotates up to 90 degrees so it can sit at the natural angle of your ear instead of pressing flat against your head. Yamaha pairs that with a smoothly adjustable headband and describes the result as comfortable listening for extended periods — which is exactly what a long study block or a two-hour practice session needs. Second, the cable arrangement: a 2-meter cable with gold-plated connectors, and a detachable standard 6.3 mm stereo plug alongside the 3.5 mm jack. That 2-meter length is the practical sweet spot — long enough to reach from a digital piano or amp to your seat without a tangle, short enough that you're not tripping over it.
Who should buy it? Anyone who wants one honest pair of wired headphones for schoolwork, instrument practice, casual listening or monitoring a keyboard. The white finish and the Yamaha logo on the housing and headband make it a visual match for a white instrument, which is a small thing but a real one if you care how your setup looks.
Who should skip it? If you need a microphone for calls or recording, if you want wireless freedom, or if you need to blend multiple sources into one mix, this headphone does none of that. It has no noise cancelling, no built-in media beyond the cable, and its controls are limited to a volume control. It is a listening tool, full stop.
Read the full name carefully, because it explains everything: ART MyMONITORII Personal Headphone Monitor Mixer. This is a monitor mixer. The "personal headphone" part means it's the thing that feeds your headphones a mix you control — not the headphones themselves.
What it actually does is blend sources. It takes any microphone input and pairs it with a stereo source, then lets you balance the two with a blend control. That means you can hear your own voice or instrument at the level you want while a backing track, click, or full mix plays underneath it — and adjust that balance without touching anyone else's settings. The microphone input has a thru jack so the signal can continue on to a mixer or interface, and it passes phantom power from the board, so condenser microphones work without a separate supply. There's also an instrument/line input with its own thru jacks, and a stereo monitor input for the backing source. Output connector type is TRS, and the audio input is XLR.
There's a pop-less on/off mute switch on the microphone path, which matters more than it sounds — you can mute yourself between takes without a loud click in your ears. Power comes from the supplied 12V DC supply or an internal 9V battery, so you can run it on a desk or on a stage. At 1.3 pounds it's a compact accessory, not a rack unit.
Who should buy it? Singers and players who record or perform and need to hear themselves against a track. Home studio users who want a dedicated monitor path without repatching. Anyone whose mixer or interface doesn't give them a simple blend knob for mic-versus-playback. If you already own a decent pair of headphones and your problem is the mix, not the headphone, this solves it.
Who should skip it? If you don't already own headphones, this alone gives you nothing to listen through. If you just want to plug into a laptop and hear audio, this is an extra box with an extra power source and extra cables you don't need. And if you were hoping for a wireless, low-latency earbud-style solution for school, this is wired hardware with a completely different job.
• Best for straight listening on a phone, laptop or keyboard → Yamaha HPH-100WH. 46 ohm impedance and 103 dB sensitivity mean it plays loud from ordinary outputs.
• Best for blending your own voice with a backing track → ART MyMONITORII. The blend control and mic-plus-stereo design is literally its purpose.
• Best for condenser microphones → ART MyMONITORII. It passes phantom power through from the board and has an XLR input.
• Best for long study or practice sessions → Yamaha HPH-100WH. Over-ear pads, a 90-degree swivel driver and a smoothly adjustable headband are built around comfort over time.
• Best for stage or studio flexibility → ART MyMONITORII. Dual power options (12V DC or a 9V battery) plus thru jacks on both the mic and instrument paths.
• Best for plug-and-play simplicity → Yamaha HPH-100WH. One cable, one 3.5 mm jack, one detachable 6.3 mm plug, no power supply to think about.
• Best if you need a microphone in the chain → ART MyMONITORII. The Yamaha has no mic input at all; the ART is built around one.
• Best value for a student setting up a first rig → Yamaha HPH-100WH in my opinion, because it's a complete, self-contained listening solution rather than a component that needs other gear around it.
My Verdict
For school use — practicing an instrument, studying, listening from a laptop or keyboard — I would buy the Yamaha HPH-100WH. In my opinion it's the better single purchase because it works the moment you unbox it: no power supply, no second device, no headphones required on top of it. The 90-degree swivel drivers, the adjustable headband and the 2-meter cable with a detachable 6.3 mm plug are all details that make it easier to live with during a long session.
No. It's a personal monitor mixer. It has no drivers or earcups — it blends a microphone, an instrument and a stereo source and sends that mix to headphones you already own. The Yamaha HPH-100WH, by contrast, is the headphone itself.
You can listen with it — it's a wired 3.5 mm over-ear headphone with a 2-meter cable. But it has no microphone, so it won't handle voice chat or class participation on its own. If a mic is essential, plan for a separate one.
Yes, if your mixer or interface supplies phantom power. The unit passes phantom power through from the board, which is exactly what a condenser mic needs. It also has a pop-less mute switch on the mic path so you can cut yourself off cleanly.
I don't quote prices here, and the two aren't really comparable anyway — one is a headphone, the other is a mixer. Check the current price on Amazon for each and compare them against what else you'd need to buy to make the ART setup work, since it requires headphones separately.
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.
See also: Ltinist Earbud vs WUYUEGE Clip-On Open Ear: Open Ear TWS, Retevis RT22 vs DHBY Sport Earbuds Headphone: In Ear Headset, Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 vs JBL Tune Flex 2: Ambient Sound, Earrock Replacement Earpads Ear vs HAOMUK Replacement Ear Pads