Beyerdynamic Aventho 300: Two-minute review
The Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 are a fantastic pair of wireless headphones. Using the same drivers as the company’s studio-oriented DT 700 Pro X and DT 900 Pro X, the sound quality will make you feel like you’ve taken a blanket off your music, especially if you’re upgrading from a cheaper, lesser model. And they’re as feature-filled as any other model at this price point.
I believe that, since their release this year, they belong in the conversation for the best wireless headphones. They do fall slightly short of the active noise cancellation (ANC) you find with the likes of Bose and Sony flagships. But, they still fare very well. And again, they sound fantastic. On top of that, the battery life is very, very good.
There are a couple aspects that hold the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 from being perfect. For instance, the ear pads are tough to remove – an issue if you’re worried about potential wear and tear. And, the main way to control audio on the headphones is a touchpad on the right ear. It’s innovative, but slow to respond and comes with a bit of a learning curve. Since I generally use my phone or computer for adjusting things like volume and forwarding / rewinding, it’s not a dealbreaker. Still, it’s annoying.
At the end of the day, however, the pros vastly outweigh the cons.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300: Price and release date
- Announced September 9 2024, available from November 2024
- Costs $399.99 / £359.00 (about AU$640)
No doubt about it, the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 are among the more premium options out there when it comes to wireless headphones. They go for $399.99 / £359.00 (about AU$640), which is more than the Sony WH-1000XM5 and their price of £380 / $399 / AU$649. Both are fantastic sounding headphones. Of course, the Aventho 300 fold up and have faster Bluetooth connectivity, but the WH-1000XM5 have class-leading ANC.
There are even more expensive options out there such as the $899 / £599-priced Dali IO-8 or the $549 / £549 / AU$899-priced Apple AirPods Max where you’re paying for the name or premium materials as much as anything else. The Beyerdynamic Aventho 300, therefore, are well-priced for what they are and offer good value, but are not a steal.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review: Specs
| Drivers | German-made Stellar 45mm drivers |
| Active noise cancellation | Yes |
| Battery life | Up to 50 hours (with ANC on) |
| Weight | 319g |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.4 | 3.5mm jack (USB-C charging) |
| Waterproofing | N/A |
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review: Features
- Very useable EQ and presets
- Plenty of accessibility in the app
- Has multipoint connectivity and lossless codecs
As far as features go, the only thing missing from the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 is some kind of personalised, augmented sound profile. That said, there is more than enough flexibility available in the app to adjust the EQ. Not only are there six different presets to choose from, including “neutral” interestingly (more on why that’s necessary for some later), but there’s also a five-band graphic EQ with the ability to boost or cut up to six dB where you can save your preferred EQ curve.
Speaking of the app, there’s much more on tap, including playing around with different levels of ANC and ambient mode as well as turning Dolby Atmos and head tracking on. The ANC and ambient modes have five levels of sensitivity and work pretty well, either blocking out sound or letting you hear your surroundings. They’re not quite class-leading, but unless your neighbours or colleagues are especially raucous, you’ll probably be happy with them.
In the app, you can also turn on/off a voice assistant as well as adjust what the internal voice prompt announces. For example, I like hearing the battery level when I turn on the headphones, but I don’t want to hear which codec is being used during the first few seconds of the first song I listen to.
The app also allows toggling things like auto shutdown, sidetone, and LED brightness. There’s even a touch guide to show how to use the touchpad on the side of the headphones.
Though you won’t see it in the app, multipoint connectivity is available. It’s also worth noting that there’s AAC and aptX lossless (and adaptive) support.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review: Design
- Aesthetically pleasing if a bit bulky
- Touchpad has a learning curve and has inconsistent sensitivity
- Has a very long battery life
The chunky design of the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 is aesthetically pleasing while still looking very similar to the majority of over-ear headphones out there. Available in Black and Nordic Grey (reviewed here), the whole thing from the earcups to the head band and all the plush materials are the same color with the exception of the metal (presumably aluminum) yoke and the model name emblazoned on the left earcup – silver on the Nordic Grey model and Nordic Grey on the Black model.
The ergonomics are solid as the ear cups are angled to sit more naturally on the side of the face, though the amount the headband can extend seems like it might not be enough for big heads. The ear pads and headband are covered in a faux leather that’s not the most breathable, but is comfortable enough. I can definitely wear these for a while without feeling fatigued, but they’re not the cream of the crop when it comes to comfort. On top of that, the clamping force is a bit strong, so if you’re sensitive to that, you might need to stretch them out just a bit.
The controls consist of a power button that also pairs via Bluetooth, a button to cycle through ANC, ANC off, and transparency mode, and the touch pad I’ve mentioned which covers the entire flat portion of the right ear cup. This capacitive area allows an assortment of controls from volume control, skipping through songs, answering calls, and the like via tapping and gesturing in the appropriate directions. It’s a good idea, but takes a bit to learn. More importantly, the sensitivity seems inconsistent, so sometimes I have to gesture more than once to get the headphones to react to what I want to do. This is probably the area where these headphones could use the most fine tuning for successive models.
At least the battery life is long, as you can get 50 hours with ANC on – and ANC has a tendency to drain the battery. After about 10 hours of listening, I had 80% battery life left without charging back up. Considering they charge via USB-C, 10 minutes of charging gets about five hours of play.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review: Sound quality
- Seemingly neutral but has prominent bass and slightly hyped high-end
- Decently wide soundstage
- Dolby Atmos and head tracking work well
If you don’t feel like reading the next 200ish words, just know that the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 sound really good. Since these headphones share the same Stellar.45 drivers that the company introduced in its studio-focused DT 700 Pro X and DT 900 Pro X headphones, the frequency range leans towards a very clean, high-headroom experience that on first listen almost sounds neutral the way a pair of headphones meant for the studio sounds.
After spending a little time listening to all sorts of genres from Rock to Hip Hop and Folk, the nuances become a little more obvious. First of all, even though the sound comes across as clean and even, it’s actually quite bass heavy (note that the frequency range goes as low as 5Hz), especially nearing the sub-bass region. Any Rock or Alternative tracks I listen to become very bass prominent even though the genres are generally more mid-focused.
Of course, it’s a testament to the quality of the drivers that you get such prominent bass while still hearing everything else clearly.
The high-end is also a little hyped, which adds a bit to the clarity. But, it’s not so prominent to be in-your-face or painful. In the EQ modes I mentioned earlier, the neutral setting actually boosts the mid-range just a tad while bringing the low-end down quite a bit and the high-end a dB or two.
The soundstage is just as stellar. It feels wide enough to make me feel like I’m sitting on stage with the musicians. Far off elements are well-placed so that I get a really immersive sense of space. Now, they’re not the widest sounding headphones ever, but they sit at a sweet spot between intimate and concert hall.
Since there’s Dolby Atmos support, I should mention that it’s a nice touch. However, it is a virtual spatial audio so everything just sounds like there’s just a bit more reverb. While more dimensional, it doesn’t really add much to the experience unless watching a movie or show. I feel the same way about the headtracking that can be enabled. It works well if that matters to you.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review: Value
- Pricing is about what one would expect for flagship wireless headphones
- Paying for consistency
- Comes with a hard shell and softshell case
As a value proposition, the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 are good but not great. As previously mentioned, they’re not that much more than the Sony WH-1000XM5 and are comparable in a lot of ways, with some aspects being slightly better and others slightly worse. You can spend much more for models that aren’t really any better. But you can spend much less and still get very good-sounding headphones.
However, Beyerdynamic headphones are consistently great, so you’re paying for that to a degree the way you do with Apple when it comes to phones or laptops. At least, you get a nice hard shell case and drawstring bag out of the deal.
Should I buy the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300?
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Features | There’s no hearing tests to create a personalised audio profile, but that’s pretty much all you’re missing here | 4.5/5 |
| Design | Aesthetically pleasing, reassuringly premium and with a long battery, just possibly a tad bulky on smaller heads | 4.5/5 |
| Sound quality | The sound quality is fantastic with a clean, polished sound and massive bass. | 5/5 |
| Value | They’re not a budget buy, but then Beyerdynamic headphones are consistently good – and the accessories help | 4/5 |
Buy them if…
Don’t buy them if…
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review: Also consider
How I tested the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300
- Tested over two weeks
- Tested with different music as well as video streaming
- Tested every feature meticulously
I spent a few weeks using the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 as my daily headphones. While using them, I listened to all sorts of genres from electronic and hip-hop to rock and acoustic music to compare the frequency range and soundstage. I also tested them with streaming video and used the various settings such as ANC, ambient mode, and EQ.
After testing, it seems that the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 are best suited for those wanting a mostly neutral audiophile-like experience in a set of wireless headphones without sacrificing on features.
I’ve spent the last few years reviewing audio equipment and have spent even longer using my critical ear as a listener and musician to understand what does and doesn’t sound good.
- First reviewed in December 2024
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space2occupy@gmail.com (James Holland)
