Our recent trip to IFA 2024 saw a few big-name headphone brands going all-in on premium launches at the tech expo. AKG made a surprise return with the its AKG N5 Hybrid wireless earbuds and AKG N9 Hybrid wireless headphones – the latter of which we managed to get some precious hands-on testing time with.
Beyerdynamic mirrored AKG's approach and revealed its own pair of headphones, the Amiron 300 wireless earbuds and the Aventho 300 noise-cancelling over-ear headphones. The Aventho 300 over-ears see the German company attempting to crack a market that it hasn't found it easy to break into; while we have seen Beyerdynamic impress with its excellent run of studio, reference quality headphones, including the DT 700 Pro X and T1 Gen 3 wired cans, it has not always hit the mark in the wireless sector.
Could this change with the new Aventho 300? We've been hands-on with the new headphones model at IFA to find out for ourselves.
Price
At $400 (other pricing TBC), the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 are priced at the upper ends of what we would term the premium realm, sitting above the Sony WH-1000XM5 (currently around £279 / $330) and Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless (tested at £300 / $350 / AU$550).
They are more in line with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (around £400 / $400), but not quite as pricey as the Apple AirPods Max (currently £500 / $500).
Build and comfort
The Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 aren't "look at me, look at me" cans, but that's fine. Not everything has to have the space-age, out-there design philosophy of the showy Apple AirMax or the upmarket, luxury aesthetics of the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e. The Aventho 300 keep it simple: a light metallic frame connecting to a soft foam headband at the top and two plastic earcups. Those earcups, by the way, fold up neatly and smoothly, mirroring the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
Most of the Aventho 300's control buttons are located at the base of the right ear cup. The buttons control ANC, Bluetooth pairing and power, and they feel somewhat cheap and plasticky – although we find this can be true on most models, regardless of the price of the headphones. The touch-sensitive earcups manage further functions such as playing/pausing your music or adjusting the volume.
They do feel comfy, though. Maybe there could have been a little more padding on the headband itself, but that's a small niggle borne out of an hour-long test session. The cups, meanwhile, are well-appointed with a plush foam material, and while IFA 2024 was a scorcher, this was one of the few times when we didn't feel as though our ears were producing more sweat than a sixth-former awaiting their A-level results.
Features
Unless you're going for a 'sound is paramount, nothing else matters' approach to your headphones, active noise cancelling is a must at this level. Beyerdynamic has duly obliged, packing in its own take on ANC which is actually powered by dual Sony chipsets on each side of the headphones. Alongside standard ANC there is a Transparency Mode for a more aware listening experience – but we were in an isolated test room with no external noise, so it was tough to make any meaningful comparisons.
For adjusting your ANC mode and a lot else besides, you will need the bespoke app. Beyerdynamic has been making a big deal of its new service which offers a five-band equalizer alongside genre-specific presets, acting as the platform for both these wireless headphones and the newly announced Amiron 300 wireless earbuds.
Battery life figures are healthy, with the Aventho 300 offering a very respectable 50 hours of battery life. If you run low, you will get five hours of playtime from a brief 10-minute fast charge via USB-C. For context, the class-leading Sony WH-1000XM5 provide around 40 hours of life before conking out.
The Aventho 300 pack in the latest Bluetooth 5.4 specification and also provide Multipoint Bluetooth connectivity for hooking up to two devices at the same time. If you want to go traditional and listen with wires, you can do so thanks to the cans' 3.5mm jack and cable, although the bulk of our listening was performed wirelessly via Bluetooth. Speaking of cables, as far as we can tell, you won't be able to use the Aventho 300's USB-C for listening. Charging only, it seems.
Sound quality
Even before we have listened to a single note, it's hard not to be excited by the Aventho's on-paper credentials. The cans' engineering is based around Beyerdynamic’s Stellar.45 drivers, the same units as found in the brand's esteemed five-star DT 700 Pro X and DT 900 Pro X studio cans. Better still, the Aventho 300 support aptX Lossless from compatible devices, which should provide higher-quality Bluetooth transmission.
From the get-go, there's a sense of that stellar, studio-oriented heritage. Beyerdynamic made it clear that these cans are far more focused on the wider consumer market, albeit a market that is willing to spend around $400 for wireless headphones, but the sound they produce appears to retain much of that refined, revealing studio DNA. Billie Eilish's Hostage is clean and well-organised, as though the headphones are locking each element and facet of the composition into place with a meticulous sense of care.
Time by Pink Floyd gives the same impression. From the opening clanging bells to the ticking clocks and odd little instrumental adornments through to the harder guitar sounds and assertive drum hits, it sounds like a well-ordered and precise landscape – space, organisation and cohesion are clearly the order of the day here.
Detail levels appear strong, too. Whether it's Hostage, Time or Dua Lipa's Levitating, the level of detail on display are what we would expect from a pair of cans packing in pedigree drivers and benefitting from that impressive Beyerdynamic heritage. Snare hits on Levitating sound crisp and snappy, Billie Eilish's voice on Hostage feels authentic and raspy, while guitars on Time come across as crunchy and robust.
We even hear hints that the Beyerdynamic headphones are capable of delivering convincing dynamic swings, a characteristic that we often feel separates good headphones from great ones. The bold, forceful entrance made by the guitar and drums during Time contrasts nicely with the sparser, quieter preceding tones, while Ghost's Watcher In The Sky has a sense of dramatic build-up as the track progresses rather than seeming routine or dynamically levelled out.
Verdict
At $400, Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 wireless headphones have strong rivals to compete against. In this space, you have to bring your A-game, because the strength of rivals, both above and below, is significant. While Beyerdynamic might have a strong reputation for wired reference headphones, the wireless ANC headphones market is a fiercer arena, with Sony, Apple, Sennheiser, Bowers & Wilkins and more all putting in five-star performances. The Aventho 300's biggest concern will be the five-star Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, which delivers excellent sound quality alongside class-leading ANC quality.
What we have heard from our initial listen with the Aventho 300 are some very promising sonic characteristics, picking out a pleasing blend of authority and refinement from headphones that seem to have a knack for clarity, spaciousness and organisation. That said, a demo is just a demo, and we will require our own review sample and dedicated testing time to see if the Aventho can challenge the class leaders across all sonic parameters.
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