I once reviewed a OneOdio product a few years back. It was an open-back wireless sports earbuds called OpenRock Pro which is discontinued. When I visited the OneOdio website, it now offers only over-ear headphones and DJ accessories. OneOdio was founded in 2016 in Shenzhen China but its experience in audio equipment started in 2008 in Hong Kong. It shares a similar rags-to-riches tale for most China audio startups, but OneOdio pins its focus on DJ audio equipment. Recently, their Marketing team invited me to review their flagship headphones, the Studio Max 2. It retails at USD 189.99, but save 15% discount with “MUSICPHOTO” coupon code.
Here is a message printed on the retail box:
Music is an essential part of the human experience. We believe in the power of sound. It can completely change the way we perceive a moment, a movie, a concert or a favorite song. Experience audio with unprecedented intensity and emotion. And we also believe high-quality headphones amplify the pleasant, emotional experience of listening to music.
Sound comes first. In a market where every headphone brand with high audio quality, but in the meanwhile at a high price, which makes it hard for most of the young DJ, music lovers to afford. Everything starts and ends with the customers. That’s when a simple but powerful idea hit us. Can’t we strike the perfect balance of producing high-quality headphones at affordable prices?
Then OneOdio came into being.
Sound is just the beginning.
We are a manufacturer with over 10 years of audio production experience. By creating a better pair of headphones, we can serve our customers better and foster a fervent passion for our products. Most important of all, we share one thing: the power of music. This passion forms the basis of our culture and defines the affordable price. Our DJ quality sound was made accessible to the masses. Our over-ear headphones, designed for extra-long listening sessions. We’ve firmly planted the OneOdio flag in the DJ, Monitor, HIFI industry. Besides, we are also creating more unique sound experiences in ANC industry over 30 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, etc. So far, we have a certain international brand influence and reputation around the whole globe.
I’ve got to appreciate small brands like these who create unique products to serve a small market.
What is unique about the Studio Max 2?
It is not just another headphones. Its specs are tailored for professional DJ and musicians, thanks to its ultra-low latency (ULL) wireless transmitter M2 that delivers 9ms latency. The M2 Transmitter supports USB digital audio and 3.5mm analog audio, and the former lets you control playback on the headphones. I tested on my Yamaha P255 digital piano and I could not detect any latency. It is definitely lower latency than controlling my software instruments. Using the Studio Max 2 on my digital piano feels liberating – no more cables!!! In this mode, the transmitter lasts 50 hours on battery while the headphones stretches to 60 hours. The 4-LED battery indicator is extremely helpful to show the remaining battery. Note that if you connect the USB and 3.5mm at the same time, the USB audio takes precedence.
And if you need zero latency, the Studio Max 2 offers direct cable connectivity to the source. It supports both 6.35mm and 3.5mm connectors on each earcup, a rather unusually redundant setup, but there is an advantage: you can connect both cables to different sources and listen to them simultaneously! With direct cable, you bypass any digital processing and turns the headphones into a normal wired headphones without any electronics dependency. So even if one day the battery is dead, you can still use the headphones.
Finally, the Studio Max 2 also supports Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphones and other consumer devices. Through the smartphone app, you can further select customisation options like EQ, multipoint, LDAC, volume limiter, and firmware updates. In Bluetooth mode, the headphones can stretch up to 120 hours of play time.
Accessories and Operations
The retail package weighs hefty. A large hard carrying case stores all the accessories. It comes with the headphones, 2 audio cables, one USB cable, M2 transmitter.
The cables are thick and custom made with OneOdio logos imprinted on the jacks. There are grooves on the 3.5mm to lock the cables (similar to the Sennheiser HD500 series) but designed in such a way that only the straight cable can be plugged into the M2 transmitter, while both cables work on the headphones 3.5mm connector. I am amazed at the detail the design team undertook, though I am not sure why they went through the trouble since they are just using normal TRS jacks. If you want to replace with generic 3.5mm cables, the head insert must be slim enough to bypass the grooves.
Most of the controls are located on the right earcup. There is the usual volume buttons, the multi-function button that works as power and play-stop and Bluetooth pairing. There is a slider to switch between Bluetooth and ULL modes. Finally, a USB-C port is for charging the headphones and does not work as direct USB audio.
The headphones is designed with a 180-degree swivel earcups to allow the use of single-ear monitoring. The earcup swivel design closely resembles the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 series.
The perfectly-round earcup plate design is a clear inspiration of the turntable platter matt or vinyl record with the groove tracks. I would not have liked this design on other genre headphones but given this is a DJ headphones, I get the association.
Smartphone App
Before starting to use the Studio Max 2, connect the headphones to your smartphone and download the OneOdio app so that you can download the latest firmware and adjust some settings. My unit came default with “Music” EQ mode, which gave me a poor first impression. After switching to “Monitoring” EQ mode, the sound is so much better (i.e. flatter) for my liking.
As this headphones is also a collaboration with KSHMR, a Top-25 DJ ranked by DJMag, there is an EQ mode tuned by him. I quite like this EQ mode as it brings out the overall energy of the music with more bass, increased clarity, and space.
Other than the usual features like enabling Dual Device (Multipoint), LDAC, Game Mode, Auto Power Off, there are few less popular features that are just as useful. Like the ability to adjust L-R balance, wear reminder voice prompts to “Take A Rest”, max volume limiter (an EU requirement). The UI is interesting whereby the options expand and appear only if you enable it. With this UI design, user does not navigate to another screen to make changes.
As a collab product, users can download KSHMR Sample Pack. The option brings you to a folder page listing the files from Google Drive. Users can select the files to download one at a time.
Sound Quality
Out of the box, the Studio Max 2 is set to Music EQ and no LDAC. With this mode, you will get a V-shaped sound that is thin-sounding with lightly boosted bass and treble. After connecting to the smartphone app, switching to the “Monitoring” EQ and enabling LDAC, the sound is more balanced with firm bass, clean mids and detailed treble. The overall sound is bright, energetic, but not brittle. It is a sound that is easy to like as a whole, disregarding the instrumental details or layering which I find is not as disciplined as the more expensive headphones.
Going to my reference tracks, Hiromi’s “Alive” album, the drums are clear and present, the piano is less prominent but retains speed and not muffled, while the bass supports well with its low frequency passages. For Billie Eilish “Bad Guy”, her voice is crisp and cosy, the electronic bass is full but not overpowering, the supporting instrumentations in the midrange are there but not musically distinct.
M2 Transmitter via USB sounds a little more punchier and snappier at the upper mids and treble but not much change to the characteristic. Switching over to the 3.5mm connector on the M2, the sound is a little less energetic as it is dependent on the headphone amplifier’s DAC (I am using Creative Soundblaster X5) to deliver the sound. Finally, the direct cable to headphones sounds more expansive, less compressed, with more headroom at the top-end while not as punchy as the M2 transmitter.
Despite so many connection options, casually-listening to them will not really detect any significant variance. I enjoy listening to the Studio Max 2 to get the music vibes and groove. Vocals are crisp and authentic, just not as warm and bodied. Drums are sparkling and impactful, just slightly too prominent that can get too occupied. Bass is groovy while not too bloating nor bleeding, just that it doesnt’t get into the sub-bass level.
Compared to Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2
Since the earcup designs are identical and both have similar target market, I took this A-T headphones out to compare. The M50 offers more midrange, bring the overall sound to be far warmer and comparatively more boxy. The M50 sound stage is also more spatial, more roomy, and because of that, the treble is also less intimately bright. They are also lighter and so more comfortable to wear. But price-wise, both are similar, and with that, the Studio Max 2 is better value for money.
Verdict
The OneOdio Studio Max 2 is quite an impressive well-made product, reflecting the maturity of the company’s product team. Every element is well-thought out and appeals to international consumers. Not many headphones manufacturers throw in coiled cables, so the Studio Max 2 masquerades as a wired headphones that look so in place in a professional studio.
To top that, there aren’t a lot of ultra-low latency wireless headphones in the market for professional music production. OneOdio has made the Studio Max 2 affordable while delivering outstanding quality and great value.
If you are shopping for a wireless headphones for your DJ or music studio work, check out the OneOdio Studio Max 2 to see if it ticks all your boxes. And if it does, then buy from the official website with my promo code “MUSICPHOTO” for a 15% discount. I do not get commission for this, but your support will grow my website.