OneOdio Studio Max 1 Review: Feature-Packed DJ Headphones on a Budget

If there’s one peripheral device that has been critical to daily life, it’s your headphones. With the rise of online gaming, streaming live content or having a discussion on your favourite podcast, a good pair of headphones goes a long way. OneOdio has been delivering great audio devices in recent years, and I had the privilege of owning a pair myself, which came in handy during lockdown. The brand has created a pair of headphones for another category where a solid pair is essential: the DJ. The OneOdio Studio Max 1 DJ Headphones provide excellent performance with minimal latency at their core. But how do they fare as a daily driver for those in the office, the gym or streaming live content? 

OneOdio Studio Max 1 Build Quality & Comfort

The first thing you’ll notice about the box is how large these headphones are. It’s the quintessential DJ headphones, with large earcups designed to stand out. For many modern users, it may appear clunky and oversized, but for its size, it’s pretty light and offers benefits. 

The first notable benefit here is its comfort. With the large earcups, my ears fit snugly, with room to spare. In addition to not clamping down too hard on your head, the faux-leather padded headband and memory foam cups provide extra comfort. Its cups also have a depth of around 30mm and an additional 25mm of padding, making for a total of 55mm of real estate for your ears. 

There is, however, one caveat for persons wearing glasses. I spent roughly 4 hours straight at one point while wearing my glasses, and I had a dull pain above the ear where the glasses rested. However, for a more complete test and experience, I redid the test without my glasses and managed to go beyond 4 hours without zero pain. 

In terms of the build, both earcups can rotate 180° horizontally and vertically. This also adds to the comfort, as it contours to your head’s shape. It also adds versatility, including single-ear use and other use cases you can think of. It also allows the device to fold away relatively compactly into its included carry case. The hinges that allow for this versatility are also robust and solid. They work well and don’t seem likely to break anytime soon. 

As with most modern headphones, there is a set of controls, which is almost always located on the right-hand side earcup. The OneOdio Studio Max 1 includes four buttons: power/play/pause, calls, and mode features. With a mix of single, double and triple-press, there are about 20 functions in total. I mostly used the power/play/pause button, which is larger and easier to locate than the others. The other buttons, while helpful, can be a bit clumsy to control. 

Overall, the design, comfort and build of the OneOdio Studio Max 1 DJ Headphones are decent. It delivers hours of comfort without too much fuss. 

OneOdio Studio Max 1 Technical Specs & Connectivity Options

The OneOdio Studio Max 1 DJ Headphones have several specifications and features worth noting. Let’s start with the hardware specifications: 

• Operating Frequency: 2402 MHz – 2480 MHz 
• Sensitivity: 98dB ± 3dB 
• Frequency Range: 20Hz – 40kHz 
• Driver: x2 50mm 
• Impedance: 32Ω 
• Input: 5V ⎓ 800mA 
• Wireless Range: 10m+ 
• Charging Time: 2.5h 
• Usage Time: 120h+ 
• Standby Time: 500h+ 
• Mic Sensitivity: -42dB ± 3dB 
• Battery Type: Lithium-ion Battery 
• Battery Details: DC 3.7V, 1,000mAh, 3.7Wh 

The headphones include a bundled transmitter – the OneOdio M1. There are three additional connectivity options: the standard jack, the mini-jack, and wireless via Bluetooth 5.3. The device features the Rapid Will+ protocol, OneOdio’s proprietary ultra-low-latency wireless system, rated at 20 milliseconds. This improves on the conventional Bluetooth latency, which is rated at 200-300 milliseconds.  

Setup, due to the different connectivity modes, can be a mixed bag. Having read through some of the discussions, many people struggled with connecting the Bluetooth, which I found relatively straightforward. It may be because the device mode needs to be switched before pairing with any Bluetooth devices. The wired options are also reasonably straightforward, although the inclusion of the M1 box can be confusing at first. 

Audio Performance: Bass, Clarity & Gaming Experience

The performance of any pair of headphones lives and dies with the audio quality. While many users opt for budget headphones, focusing on cost rather than quality, when you’re spending anything above the R1,000 mark, the quality becomes more critical with every additional Rand spent. 

For the most part, the audio quality is good. Given its name, you’d expect a specific sound configuration. It does well on the lows, offering exceptional bass and great mids, but starts to dull on the highs somewhat. You’re going to enjoy music a lot more than more conventional audio from movies or even on your Teams calls. 

It’s also worth noting at this stage that there’s no accompanying app for your smartphone or client for your laptop to configure the EQ. You’ll have to utilise the OS on your device to handle this, though it’ll be a bit more limited in this regard. Overall, however, I wasn’t disappointed with the sound, opting more for entertainment-based content like music and games rather than movies and dialogue-heavy sounds. 

While the headphones don’t include ANC, they still do a good job of blocking external noise. It uses passive noise cancellation, which works well enough. I used these at the office daily during the review period and never had any issues with the often-busy environment or with hearing on the previously mentioned calls. 

Battery Life That Outlasts the Competition

The one aspect of the device that has captured the most attention is its battery life. While many devices average 20 to 50 hours, the OneOdio Studio Max 1 headphones deliver an impressive 120 hours of battery life. In the three weeks I had the review device, I struggled to deplete the battery so I could run it down and test the charging. It’s a strange thing to have to struggle through when it’s the standout feature. 

Speaking of charging, I spent a bit over two hours getting the unit fully charged and good to go. Having taken excessive measures to deplete the battery in three weeks, I’m reasonably sure I could power through more than a month of daily use before needing to recharge again. 

Is the OneOdio Studio Max 1 DJ Headphones Worth It?

The OneOdio Studio Max 1 DJ Headphones are good. Yes, there are some omissions and caveats in the overall rating, but there are more than sufficient positives to make up for these. The battery life alone is worth your consideration, irrespective of your audio preferences. 

At R2,999, the headphones offer excellent value. It’s available on the OneOdio website and on Amazon. It does tend toward some heavy hitters like Sony in terms of pricing, but you wouldn’t want to ignore these if you have the option. 

*Readers can also use the code “2WU3QZYF” on the OneOdio site for an additional 15% discount.

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