Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 review

I’ve been a fan of Beyerdynamic’s studio headphones for as long as I can remember. The Beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X and its open back sibling the DT 900 PRO X have long been staples on my list of headphone recommendations. Now, Beyerdynamic has a wireless, noise canceling headphone that features the same drivers as its studio line. Unfortunately, the AVENTHO 300 don’t quite hit the mark for me. Let’s dive into why that is in this SoundGuys review of the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 headphones.

Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What’s it like to use the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300?

The Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 are premium headphones, with a premium price tag. At such a price, we have high expectations, and thankfully Beyerdynamic meets the standard set by the likes of Sony and Bose when it comes to design. The headphones have aluminum swivel joints, and you can fold the headphones inside their durable hardcover case. You also get a soft pouch that you can store the included cables in. Speaking of those cables, you get a USB-C charging cable (as well as a USB-C to USB-A adapter), and a 3.5mm auxiliary cable.

While the build quality feels great, it does lead to some comfort issues. At 319g, these things are hefty. For reference, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are 253g, while the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are 250g. When it comes to comfort, I would take either of those headphones over the AVENTHO 300 any day. In addition to the weight, the AVENTHO 300 have stiff pads with a strong clamping force, and I noticed heat build-up after wearing for a few hours.

Should you use the Beyerdynamic app for the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300?

The Beyerdynamic app is nothing special, but brings all the features you’d expect to see in a premium headphone companion app. You can select from five different EQ presets, or make your own using the custom five-band equalizer. There’s no option to choose exactly which frequencies you are adjusting within the equalizer, which will disappoint audio enthusiasts.

Beyond the equalizer, you can switch between five different levels of ANC and Transparency modes. You can also enable Dolby Atmos spatialization or Dolby Atmos head-tracking from within the app. If you aren’t seeing some of these features when you first set up your headphones, make sure you install the latest firmware updates.

How do the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 connect?

The Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 excel when it comes to connection quality and variety. Over a wireless connection, you get the latest Bluetooth 5.4 along with a variety of Bluetooth codecs including AAC, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, and LE Audio. Each time you connect to a new device, the voice prompt will tell you what Bluetooth codec the headphones are currently using, which is a helpful feature I wish more headphones had.

The AVENTHO 300 also support Bluetooth Multipoint, and I didn’t experience any connection issues while using the headphones with a variety of different devices. If you want to listen to high-quality lossless tracks wired, you can do so using the USB-C or 3.5mm inputs.

How long does the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 battery last?

In our battery testing, the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 lasted 65 hours and 26 minutes of playback with noise canceling enabled. This is exceptional battery life for ANC headphones, about double what we see from most competitors.

How well do the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 cancel noise?

The Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 have mediocre noise canceling. Passive isolation from the ear cups alone blocks out an average of 67% of noise, while enabling ANC reduces the loudness of sounds by an average of 80%. This is sub-par compared to the best noise canceling headphones on the market, but still decent enough that you can get away with using these headphones while commuting.

How do the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 sound?

The Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 sound a lot different than I was expecting. Those who want emphasized bass and treble may enjoy the sound of these headphones, while those seeking a studio sound will need to look elsewhere.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

The chart below shows how the sound of the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.

Most people will not enjoy the sound quality of the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300, at least according to a simulated panel of hundreds of listeners in MDAQS testing. An Overall score of 2.5 on a scale from 1-5 is low for premium consumer headphones. The AVENTHO 300 score well in Immersiveness, which means instruments are well-defined in three-dimensional space. Beyond that, the sound quality is simply not up to par with what most people prefer. A 2.8 in Distortion is underwhelming, while a 2.1 in Timbre is downright terrible.

The AVENTHO 300 aren’t the first headphones we’ve seen from Beyerdynamic perform poorly in MDAQS testing. Other models that have not held up to this sound quality test include the open earbud Beyerdynamic Verio 200, and the gaming headsets of the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 PRO and Beyerdynamic MMX 330 PRO, which have the same STELLAR.45 drivers. When buying any recent Beyerdynamic consumer headphones, be mindful that they have a unique sound signature that differs from the preferences of the masses, often with a notable treble boost.

Reviewer’s notes

Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.

Objective Measurements

The default frequency response of the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 differs from our industry-validated headphone preference curve. As mentioned above, these headphones emphasize bass and treble more than what we look for. The strong bass and a strange dip around 4kHz could explain why some vocals, especially higher-pitched vocals, sound quieter than they should. The significant treble emphasis from 5-9kHz makes some percussion instruments stand out, but it also emphasizes harsh sibilant “s” sounds in speech. I noticed this when listening to podcasts, with the harsh sibilance having me reach to turn down the volume.

We tried using the custom equalizer in the companion app to tweak the sound quality to our preferred target, but couldn’t get an acceptable result. The deviations are too extreme and the EQ sliders are too broad to adjust the frequency response to our liking.

Can you use the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 for phone calls?

You can use the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 for phone calls, but your voice won’t sound particularly clear, especially if you are in a noisy environment. Make sure to take a look at our best noise canceling headphones for work list if you need something for Zoom meetings.

Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Should you buy the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300?

You probably should not buy the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300, at least not at full price. The AVENTHO 300 is a worthy attempt from Beyerdynamic, but they fall short in the performance of flagship options from Sony, Bose, and Apple. If you are going to spend this much on headphones, you shouldn’t feel as though you have to make compromises, and there are too many compromises here to warrant a recommendation.

What should you get instead of the Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300?

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones ($429 at Amazon) are an excellent all-around performer. These headphones are more comfortable than the AVENTHO 300, and deliver better noise canceling performance. Similarily, you can’t go wrong with the Sony WH-1000XM5, $387 at Amazon.

If you have an iPhone and want the best noise canceling headphones, just get the AirPods Max ($499 at Amazon). Despite their age, the AirPods Max still have the best noise canceling out of any headphones we’ve tested.

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