OneOdio Studio Max 2 Review: Better Than The Original?
Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so…
Today’s article covers OneOdio’s Studio Max 2, a headphone purportedly meant for, you guessed it, studio work.
But does it work well for such a purpose? Let’s find out if it’s a viable candidate for mixing, mastering, and music production by evaluating its sonic profile.
Why listen to me?
I have almost 20 years of experience mixing, EQing, and critically listening to music. I know the audio spectrum like the back of my hand, and I have a long track record of cutting through bullshit. My reputation in the community is that of a trustworthy, hard-working producer who’s trying to help you make the right decisions.
- Required Reading: My Ethos
Sound
- Playlist(s): Here, Here, Here, & Here
- My Music: Here
- Source(s): FLAC, Lossless
- DAC/Amps Used: FiiO K7, FiiO K11
To start, the Studio Max 2 is tuned well and has fantastic resolution. It’s mostly balanced, with some added bass emphasis and good bounce, especially on a track like “N 2 Gether Now” from Method Man & Limp Bizkit.
Worried about these emphasizing the mud regions? Don’t be. The bass is punchy but controlled, and never gets out of line. Pay attention to the source file for abnormalities in the response.
I started this demo by listening to quite a lot of music and found some commonalities among familiar tracks.
From micro detail to lyrical clarity, background voices and other miscellaneous sounds, the Studio Max 2 is incredibly revealing.
This is great news if, like me, you go back and forth between studio monitors like the Yamaha HS7 and headphones.
Studio Max 2, as it turns out, is a great companion, enabling you to fine-tune a mix and identify problem areas as well as other elements you’d like to highlight/bring attention to.
Featuring 3rd-generation Rapid Wireless+ tech, it boasts 9ms ultra-low latency wireless transmission and 4 connectivity modes:
- DJ Wireless
- 3.5mm wired
- 6.35mm wired
- Portable Bluetooth
With the OneOdio app, there’s personalized control and adjustment of sound effects, connection modes, and other parameters, creating a customized auditory experience.
And with the included M2 transmitter, you’re afforded freedom of movement, lossless quality, 50 hours of battery life, and virtually no delay during live shows.
Studio Max 2 also boasts 120 hours of playback on a single charge, and it’s hi-res certified across the board.
You may be wondering how comfortable it is over extended listening sessions.
Comfort & Build
I’ll say that, for me, comfort is a bit of a mixed bag.
The good news is that it’s very non-intrusive and feels light enough for marathon sessions. Clamping force is excellent, and the protein leather cups are soft, supple, and spacious, though a little shallower than those of the Studio Max 1. Still, I don’t feel my ears touching the cloth covering the drivers, so all is well.
My one gripe is the headband, which does tend to dig after about an hour or so and creates some pretty uncomfortable hot spots on my noggin. A small adjustment will do the trick, but this is certainly something to keep in mind.
Build and profile are about the same as the Studio Max 1, and very good. It’s made of mostly plastic, with numbered metal headband adjustments and a malleable overall profile that fares well for portable use.
The cups rotate, fold, and collapse in almost any direction, and the aesthetic really matches its intended use: DJs, producers, and the like will certainly appreciate its flexibility.
Speaking of DJs, the Max 2 was created in collaboration with world-renowned DJ and producer KSHMR. And what a fine collaboration it turned out to be. Like him, I also “demand absolute honesty from my headphones.” He goes on to say, “As a producer, the vibe is delicate. Studio Max 2 provides that transparent, professional sound that allows you to trust your creative decisions, whether you’re on stage or in a hotel room.”
He’s absolutely correct, and the real draw here is certainly its resolution; an astonishing improvement from the original Max 1.
There are many great examples that I’ll quickly touch on, but one that really stood out to me came when listening to St. South’s “Does Your Brain Ever Get This Loud?”
I thought I kept hearing birds outside my apartment, but pausing the song revealed they actually came from the background of the composition and were pretty distant.
This is the subtlety of detail that you can expect from Studio Max 2, and as a producer, I can assure you it is perhaps the best selling point.
Here are some more:
The Japanese House – “Sunshine Baby”
Discovery: Voices in the background around 1:00
eightFour, Calah Mikal – “White Flag”
Discovery: In general, the lyrics of the song are a lot more decipherable.
Sleepy Tigers – “Renegades”
Discovery: Lots of micro detail, background sounds come through a lot better.
Boards of Canada – “Nothing Is Real”
Discovery: You can actually hear a conversation going on in the background.
Halftribe – “From One Point To Another”
Discovery: I live near a busy highway, and I hear sirens a lot. Thought I heard them again, but it came from the composition.
These extremely subtle cues, in addition to great resolution & separation, work perfectly for critical listening tasks & production work.
The Studio Max 2 also has good tonality with a warm-ish lean. I would have liked a bit more of a surgical sound, but I’m not complaining too much. It’s much clearer than the Max 1, and that’s what’s most important. More on that in a sec.
Timbre could also use a bit more realism, but it’s not a dealbreaker. For the most part, the unique tone of instruments comes through as it should, but the sound sometimes has a dry, flat character to it.
Soundstage is about average, maybe slightly above, depending on the track. With some songs, you can certainly feel a nice sense of space, width, and depth, but it’s occasional rather than the norm, and it depends more on the song rather than being a clear strength of the headphones.
Studio Max 1 vs. 2
Another bit of excellent news is that Studio Max 2 is, to my ears, much better-sounding than the original. While I had some somewhat significant concerns about Max 1’s woolly, boxed-in, clammy-sounding profile, Max 2 improves across the board.
It sounds clearer, more open, and has a crisp attack that the original sorely lacked.
If Max 1 is missing snap and zip, the upgraded 2nd version really improves in all facets. No longer does it sound like there’s a thin layer of mud covering the frequency response.
Max 1 sounds pushed back, even underwater to an extent. It’s subtle, but Max 2 really highlights and brings to the forefront the deficiencies present in the original, all of which I discuss in depth in the original article.
- Related: OneOdio Studio Max 1 Review
And, when you consider just how much resolution is improved in the Max 2, it makes complete sense like Common.
Final Verdict
OneOdio’s Studio Max 2 is a solidly built, highly functional headphone with great resolution, spacing, and micro detail.
Comfort is a mixed bag but still mostly good, and it comes with enough accessories to keep most people satisfied.
Additionally, they make excellent general listening headphones and aren’t hard to drive at 34Ω Impedance and 98dB Sensitivity.
Baseball games, podcasts, whatever music you like, film, even gaming can work! Expect to hear a whole heck of a lot more than you expect. That much is certain.
*Willy Wonka snozberries voice*
You can actually hear a lot of the snarky shit people say at a baseball game after every pitch! Go ahead, try one today!
Pricing/Discounts
Pricing: Check OneOdio! | Amazon!
Use Code 15HOMESTUDIO for 15% OFF (Valid until 8/11/26)
OneOdio Studio Max 2 Headphones
Transmitter M2
3.4-6.35mm Coiled Audio Cable
3.5-3.5 mm Straight Audio Cable
6.35 mm Adapter
Type-C Charging Cable
User Manual
Carrying Case
Specifications
- Brand: OneOdio
- Product Name: Studio Max 2
- Model: SX2
- Operating Frequency: 2402 MHz – 2480 MHz
- Frequency Range: 20Hz – 40kHz
- Driver: 45mm
- Impedance: 34Ω
- Sensitivity: 98dB ± 3dB
- Max SPL: 118dB
- Mic Sensitivity: -42dB ± 3dB
- Input: 5V ⎓ 800mA
- Battery Model: M 80340
- Battery Net Weight: 19.5g
- Battery Specifications: DC 3.7 V, 1000mAh, 3.7 Wh
- Battery Type: Portable Lithium-ion Polymer Battery
- Charging Temperature Range: 0°C – 45°C
- Charging Time: ≤ 2.5h
- Usage Time: ≥ 120h
- M2 Transmitter Usage Time: ≥ 60h
- Wireless Range: ≥ 10m
Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this OneOdio Stuxio Max 2 Review and came away with some valuable insight.
Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please leave them down below or Contact me!!
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Which of these sounds the best for studio use? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…
All the best and God bless,
-Stu
[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ] > Now AudioFiles Anonymous
