OneOdio Studio Max 2 Review: Low Latency Wireless Headphones for DJs and Producers

If you have ever tried recording, producing, or DJing with regular Bluetooth headphones, you already know the problem.

You play a note and the sound arrives about an hour later...

It is unusable for Djing or music production.

That is where low-latency wireless headphones like the OneOdio Studio Max 2 come in.

The OneOdio Studio Max 2 claims 9 ms latency over a wireless connection, which puts it in a very different category from normal Bluetooth headphones.

I tested the OneOdio Studio Max 1 last year and was impressed enough that when the Studio Max 2 landed, I wanted to find out whether halving the latency again was a real improvement or just a number on a spec sheet.

 

OneOdio Studio Max 2 Review: Quick Verdict

 

For anyone hunting low latency headphones for studio or DJ use, 9 ms via the included transmitter is the headline figure.

These OneOdio headphones are designed for music producers, DJs, and drummers who need wireless monitoring without being tethered to their gear.

Latency is a measurable improvement over the 20 ms of the Studio Max 1.

Battery life is 120 hours, which is genuinely remarkable.

The sound is bright and detailed, well suited to DJing and tracking, though producers used to flat monitoring headphones may want to dial in the app EQ for longer sessions.

At £179, the value in this category is strong.

These are not studio headphones designed for flat monitoring.

They are wireless monitoring headphones that actually work.

 

What Are The OneOdio Studio Max 2 Headphones?

 

The Studio Max 2 follows on from the Studio Max 1 with the same core idea: a transmitter-based ultra-low latency wireless system that lets you monitor audio without a cable.

You plug the transmitter into a headphone output or via USB-C into a computer, pair the headphones, and you are wireless with latency that is supposed to feel like a wired connection.

The headline upgrade is the bitrate.

It has gone from 160 kbps to 400 kbps, and that improvement is directly responsible for bringing the latency down from 20 ms to 9 ms.

You also get Bluetooth 6 for regular daily use, with the ultra-low latency transmitter mode operating separately to standard Bluetooth.

Hi-Res audio certification, a wired connection option, and the OneOdio app for EQ and customisation round out the feature set.

The battery life is 120 hours.

I read that twice when I first saw it.

It is right.

Properly mental.

I wish my phone had that.

 

OneOdio Studio Max 2 Latency Test: How Much Delay Is 9 ms?

 

This is the question that actually matters, and 9 ms on its own does not tell you much.

The best way I can describe what 9 ms feels like is this: imagine pulling the buffer size down in your audio interface.

That tiny bit of slack you might not have consciously noticed on the old pair is just gone.

Everything feels tighter.

More musical.

You stop thinking about whether there is a delay and start just playing.

I did not want to leave it at feel, so I ran the same headphone latency test I used on the Studio Max 1.

Wrapped the headphones around a condenser mic, sent an impulse out of Ableton, recorded it back in, and measured the actual offset.

The new pair sits almost directly on top of the wired reference.

The Studio Max 1 is visibly behind.

That is a real, measurable difference.

Not marketing.

One thing worth flagging.

There is still a low-level hiss in ultra-low latency mode when no audio is playing.

Nearly inaudible, but it is there.

Hopefully something a firmware update addresses.

It was present on the old pair too, so it is not a regression, but it would be good to see it fixed.

 

How Do the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Headphones Sound?

 

My ears are tuned to a flat response.

I do a lot of mixing on closed-back monitoring headphones, and that is what I am used to.

So when I put the Max 2 on for the first time, the thing that hit me immediately was the high end.

They are bright.

Not harsh, but the top end is noticeably accentuated compared to what I would usually reach for.

If you like an exciting top end, or you are DJing where you want detail punching through a club system, you will probably love them straight out of the box.

They sound full and detailed, and there is plenty going on up top.

For long mixing sessions my ears start to fatigue.

That is where the OneOdio app comes in.

The EQ customisation is actually useful.

There are presets, but what I ended up doing was building a custom curve, pulling the highs down a touch.

That is where they sit comfortably for me over longer sessions.

The bass is controlled, the mids are clear, and with that adjustment the brightness stops being the thing you notice.

For serious mix decisions I would still go to my main pair.

These are not studio headphones designed for flat monitoring.

They are a wireless DJ and tracking headphone first, with monitoring as a bonus.

Go in expecting that and they are great.

 

OneOdio Studio Max 2 Build Quality, Comfort and What Comes in the Box

 

The build is predominantly plastic but feels sturdy and solid.

They look similar to the Studio Max 1, same shape, same 180-degree swivel on each cup for the one-ear DJ position.

Light and comfortable for long sessions.

The ear pads are a genuine upgrade.

The old pair had a leathery feel.

The new ones are squishier, closer to memory foam, and they sit better on the skin.

I have got fairly big ears, and these cover them properly.

That matters more than it sounds when you are wearing headphones for hours at a stretch.

The case is also a proper step up from the original.

The Studio Max 1 came with a fabric pouch with long straps, which was a nice idea in theory.

In practice, it offered almost no protection.

My old pair is scratched up because of it.

The Studio Max 2 comes with a hard EVA case with a moulded slot for the headphones, a compartment for cables, and space for the transmitter.

It will actually protect your gear when you are moving around.

In the box you get the headphones, the M2 transmitter, 2 cables, an adapter, a USB-C lead, a manual, and the case.

1 small gripe that carries over from the old pair.

The dual cable inputs are on different sides.

One cup takes a 3.5 mm jack with a locking system, the other takes a quarter inch.

It still bugs me that they did not match these up.

 

Who Are the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Headphones For?

 

My studio is split into 2 zones.

Computer and Push 3 on one side.

Synth table on the other.

With wired headphones, if I am working on the Push and want to grab a guitar, I am tethered.

With the Max 2, I just walk over.

The Push 3 Standalone makes this even better because I can take the whole setup to the sofa or the kitchen table and still hear everything clearly.

If you are a drummer in a control room, this becomes even more practical.

No tangled cables when you are moving between the kit and the desk.

If you need wireless DJ headphones that actually keep up with your setup, these are worth looking at.

Anyone with hardware spread across a studio who is sick of being tethered, DJs who want wireless monitoring without the lag, drummers moving between live positions.

The people who should not buy these: anyone looking for 1 pair to do all their critical mixing on.

You would want something with a flatter frequency response for that.

If a flat monitoring headphone for critical mix work is what you actually need, the Sennheiser HD 480 Pro review covers the best closed-back option at this end of the market in detail.

 

OneOdio Studio Max 2 Price: Are They Worth It?

 

£179 for the standard version.

£189 for a limited signed edition with a KSHMR signature card and a free sample pack included.

In the wireless low-latency headphone category specifically, that is a strong price.

Most options that get close to this latency cost more, have worse battery life, or both.

The 120-hour battery and 9 ms latency at this price point is a genuinely good deal if this is the category you need.

 

OneOdio Studio Max 2 Review: Key Takeaways

 

• 9 ms latency is real and measurable. This is not a marketing claim. A side-by-side impulse test in Ableton shows the Studio Max 2 sitting almost directly on top of a wired reference, with the Studio Max 1 visibly behind.
• The battery life is remarkable. 120 hours of use on a wireless headphone is exceptional. It is not a figure you will find yourself worrying about.
• The sound is bright, which suits DJing more than mixing. The high end is accentuated out of the box. The OneOdio app EQ gets it where you need it for longer sessions, but critical mix decisions belong on a flatter headphone.
• The case is a proper upgrade. The original fabric pouch was close to useless. The hard EVA case with moulded slots will actually protect your gear.
• These are the right headphone for a specific kind of producer. If you have hardware in multiple places, hate cables, and need low latency wireless headphones that actually work, these make a strong case at £179.

 

Final Verdict: Are the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Worth It?

 

OneOdio said the Studio Max 2 feels wired.

They are not wrong.

9 ms is low enough that you stop thinking about the connection and just play.

The build is solid, the case is finally worth using, the battery life is extraordinary, and the price is right for what you are getting.

The caveat is the same one I would give any headphone in this category.

If flat monitoring for critical mix work is what you need, this is not that.

But if you want wireless DJ headphones that actually function for music production and tracking, the Studio Max 2 is a very easy recommendation at £179.

If you want to see the latency test in action, head over to the Push Patterns YouTube channel where I walk through the full comparison.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the latency on the OneOdio Studio Max 2?

The Studio Max 2 achieves 9 ms of latency in ultra-low latency mode via the included M2 transmitter.

That is half the 20 ms of the Studio Max 1, and in practice it feels closer to a wired connection than any wireless headphone at this price has a right to.

I ran an impulse test in Ableton to verify it and the result backed up the spec.

For reference, standard Bluetooth typically sits between 100 and 300 ms, which is why it is unusable for live monitoring in a studio or DJ context.

 

Are the OneOdio Studio Max 2 good for music production?

They are good for a specific type of music production use.

If you need to move around a studio, monitor hardware in multiple locations, or work from the sofa with a standalone device like the Ableton Push 3, these are excellent.

If you need a flat, accurate headphone for critical mix decisions, they are not the right tool.

The high end is accentuated, which suits tracking and DJing more than detailed mixing work.

Use the app EQ to dial them in for longer sessions and they are very capable for most production tasks short of serious mix work.

 

What is the difference between the OneOdio Studio Max 1 and Studio Max 2?

The main upgrade is latency and bitrate.

The Studio Max 1 ran at 20 ms with a 160 kbps bitrate.

The Studio Max 2 brings that down to 9 ms with a 400 kbps bitrate via the new M2 transmitter.

The ear pads have also been reworked, moving from a leathery finish to a squishier memory foam feel which is a meaningful comfort improvement.

The case has been upgraded from a fabric pouch that offered almost no protection to a hard EVA shell.

The core design and form factor are largely the same.

 

Are low-latency wireless headphones good for DJing?

Yes, and this is exactly the use case the Studio Max 2 was built for.

At 9 ms, the latency is low enough that cue monitoring feels immediate.

The 180-degree swivel on each ear cup gives you the standard one-ear-up DJ position.

The transmitter plugs into a headphone output or USB-C, which covers most DJ mixers and audio interfaces.

The sound profile, with its brighter, more detailed high end, also suits DJ monitoring where you want clarity in a noisy environment.

Battery life at 120 hours means running out mid-set is not a concern.

 

How do I test headphone latency at home?

The most reliable method without specialist equipment is the condenser mic impulse test.

Wrap your headphones around a condenser microphone, send a short impulse or click from your DAW, record the signal back in, and measure the offset between the original impulse and the captured signal.

The gap in milliseconds is your headphone latency.

It is the same method used in this review to verify the 9 ms claim on the Studio Max 2 against both the Studio Max 1 and a wired reference.

It gives you a real measurement rather than a feel-based impression.

 

Does the OneOdio Studio Max 2 work with Ableton Live?

Yes.

The transmitter connects via USB-C or the headphone output of your audio interface, so it works with any setup running Ableton Live.

There is no driver required and no special configuration needed.

The ultra-low latency mode activates via the switch on the right ear cup.

For standalone use with the Ableton Push 3, the transmitter can connect directly to the Push 3's headphone output, which means you get wireless monitoring with no laptop involved at all.

 

Is there a hiss with the OneOdio Studio Max 2 in low latency mode?

Yes, there is a low-level hiss audible in ultra-low latency mode when no audio signal is playing.

It is nearly inaudible once music is running, and it was present on the Studio Max 1 as well, so it is not a new issue.

It is noticeable in a quiet room with no signal playing.

It does not affect the audio quality during use.

Hopefully something that gets addressed in a firmware update, but it has not impacted day-to-day use in testing.

 

About the Author

 

Craig Lowe is a professional touring playback engineer and Ableton Live educator based in the UK.

He teaches at ICMP, BIMM, and ThinkSpace Education and runs Push Patterns, a music production education brand at pushpatterns.com.