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Premium headphones are offered by an array of brands, each facing the challenge of distinguishing themselves. Beyerdynamic believes it has achieved this with the Aventho 300, its premier wireless headphones designed to compete with the industry’s best.
With a century-long legacy in studio-quality headphones and headsets, the company’s experience contributes to their approach, despite the intense competition they face today. This is particularly relevant when comparing their offerings to those of Sony and Bose.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300: Pricing and Availability
Beyerdynamic introduced the Aventho 300 in September 2024, and they are available at various retailers, both in-store and online. Priced at $400, they may experience a price reduction over time as they remain on the market. Available colors include black and Nordic grey.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300: Pros
The Aventho 300 introduces a fresh design philosophy for Beyerdynamic, showcasing an appearance distinct from prior models. While the exterior is relatively standard, the focus on comfort is crucial in their design.
With soft cushioning on the ear cups and headband, these headphones fit snugly, providing excellent passive isolation even before using the features. The blend of metal and plastic offers a premium feel, complemented by the inclusion of both a soft pouch and a sturdy carrying case.
However, Beyerdynamic could enhance comfort by slightly widening the ear cups for better fit across different ear sizes. As is, they may be comfortable for some while causing fatigue in others. Comfort is subjective, making it difficult to generalize.
All controls and ports are located on the right cup, which become intuitive with practice. The two main buttons, power and ANC/AMB, manage active noise cancelation and Transparency mode effectively. Switching between modes became easy over time, allowing me to enjoy ANC while quickly transitioning to ambient mode when necessary.
Wear sensors are included to automatically pause audio when the headphones are removed and resume when they are repositioned. This functionality extends to phone calls, where removing the headphones disconnects the call.
The remaining controls operate using touch gestures on either side. A tap will play or pause music and end or accept calls, while swiping forward skips tracks and swiping back returns to the previous one. Volume is adjusted by swiping up or down. These gestures are responsive, and Beyerdynamic minimizes the risk of false positives when putting on or taking off the headphones.
Almost all modern headphones come with a dedicated app to maximize functionality, and the Aventho 300 is no exception. This app provides helpful insights into various features, allows firmware updates, and enables personalization. While control remapping isn’t available, users can adjust the EQ, ANC, and Transparency settings for a tailored experience.
Both ANC and Transparency features are adaptive, offering levels of intensity from 1 to 5 for fine-tuning. This flexible approach is beneficial; however, making adjustments on-the-go necessitates using the app, which may not always be convenient.
These features intricately link to the sound quality, where the Aventho 300 provides a complex and sometimes puzzling listening experience. Supporting SBC, AAC, and aptX Adaptive (including Lossless) Bluetooth codecs offers an advantage for Android users when accessing high-quality audio sources. Even when using standard sources (consider Spotify), the balance can be impressive.
Though rich in bass, the overall sound quality maintains integrity across mids and highs. Yet, some may find the highs excessively sharp, especially with genres like rock or smooth jazz that accentuate string and brass instruments.
It’s not often that a pair of over-ear headphones can satisfy both bass enthusiasts and discerning audiophiles, but the Aventho 300 manages to cater to both audiences. Listening across various genres reveals a versatile output that is enjoyable.
This evaluation is based on the standard sound profile set in the EQ. Users can select from five additional presets (neutral, bass, smooth, loudness, speech) or create a custom curve using the 5-band EQ. This feature also provides an opportunity to mitigate any perceived excesses or enhance certain frequencies.
Support for Dolby Atmos with head tracking is a nice addition, particularly for tracks that utilize the feature, though it may not be groundbreaking. Reactions were mixed; some tracks seemed enhanced while others felt diminished due to the effect. You may find that keeping it disabled offers better results overall.
Expect between 50 to 60 hours of use per charge, provided the volume remains below 70%.
A wired option is available via the included cable, which allows for optimal audio quality by connecting to an external DAC (digital-to-analog converter). This method helps capitalize on the exceptional drivers in these headphones.
With multipoint capability, you can connect these headphones wirelessly to two devices simultaneously. This allows for productivity on a laptop, music from a phone, and the convenience of managing calls on either device. Call quality is also commendable, thanks to six microphones effectively isolating your voice, though performance improves in quieter environments.
The battery life is exceptional, with 50 to 60 hours of use expected at low volumes, far surpassing offerings from Sony and Bose, solidifying Beyerdynamic’s advantage in this area.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300: Cons
When competing against the leading wireless headphones in this market, it’s clear that one must exceed in several areas, which the Aventho 300 does not achieve concerning sound cancelation. Their performance does not measure up to Sony or Bose, as sacrificing elements to achieve effective noise cancelation leads to some shortcomings.
They perform adequately to reduce ambient noise; for instance, while walking along a busy street, podcast audio remained clear, yet external sounds could still filter through unexpectedly for a $400 pair of headphones.
Moreover, transitioning to music highlights differences, as the tuning amplifies bass while muting certain mids. This seems unnecessary; although I recognize that noise cancelation affects all headphones, there are premium models that better manage this balance than the Aventho 300.
Prolonged use resulted in discomfort, with ear itches occurring that other brands didn’t cause.
Even with ANC turned off, the sound quality feels as if it could be more refined but ultimately falls short. While these headphones may attract a broader audience, the expectation for $400 headphones is that they deliver extraordinary sound, which proves elusive without some adjustments.
Regarding comfort, extended wear often leads to ear discomfort, which wasn’t an issue with other models. Though my skin did not exhibit redness, the need to periodically remove them for relief was apparent.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300: Competition
Interestingly, the Aventho 300 can deliver sound comparable to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra while providing superior bass compared to the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, though it lacks crispness in the highs. They are preferable for phone calls over Bose but not as effective as Sony or Sennheiser.
Given that the market for the best wireless headphones is incredibly competitive, these comparisons are significant, making the margin for error quite narrow. If you are looking to spend this sum, you may find that the value offered by this pair is debatable.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300: Should you Purchase?
Consider purchasing these if…
- You seek robust bass performance.
- You desire balanced audio output.
- You appreciate hi-res audio compatibility.
- You value superior battery longevity.
Consider skipping these if…
- You prioritize top-tier ANC.
- You require improved call clarity.
- You have concerns regarding comfort.
The Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 are not poor headphones; they still face challenges. Their noise cancellation doesn’t stand out, and they need other features to compensate. While the long battery life is a strong benefit, ultimately sound quality remains a principal factor.
They sound good but may not warrant a recommendation over Sony or Bose models in the same price range. However, if you encounter them at a discount, they may offer good value for your investment.
Dynamic Audio
The Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 deliver a balanced sound experience, though passive noise cancellation should be improved.