Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review: battery life you can't beat

Not every audio brand can be a giant – there's just not enough room in the market. Still, that means that there is indeed fertile soil for those brands who can operate slightly below the radar, making products that tempt people away from the bigger names.

That's the bracket that Beyerdynamic operates in, and its latest effort at making a pair of the best headphones is the Aventho 300. These are premium over-ears that aim to compete with the likes of Bose and Sony, both on price and quality. So how do they hold up against such fierce competition?

Price & Availability

The Aventho 300 were released into the wild earlier this year, which means you can find them widely available now. They come in both black and white versions.

In the UK the Aventho 300 come in at £359, while in the US that's $400 – which is quite a punchy point to aim for. This puts them in direct competition with something like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (based on current pricing, rather than RRP), and probably the Sony WH-1000XM6 too.

Design & Features

I always start my reviews by looking at how a device is designed, and that sadly means picking up the Aventho 300 on a slightly negative note. These headphones almost look like a generic stock image of a set of over-ears – they're extremely standard and don't really have any unique touches.

That doesn't have to be a negative thing, of course, as stealthiness can be its own reward, but in this case I think Beyerdynamic could have done a little more to make these unique. The Aventho 300 have a simple earcup shape with a flat outer panel that houses some touch controls.

Each earcup connects to a swivelling and folding arm, which in turn feeds into the cushioned headband. In the black version which I tested, the contrast between the silver metal of the arms and the black plastic of the earcups is eye-catching, and actually does look somewhat like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.

The left of these Beyerdynamic earcups has no controls at all – they're all on the right side only. This one holds a button to toggle between ambient mode and noise-cancelling, along with a power button that can also initiate Bluetooth pairing. There's a USB-C port for charging, and a headphone jack too. That means no physical controls for volume or playback, all which are handled via touch inputs.

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The headband that hold this all together is slightly curious, too – it has good cushioning at the top, in the middle, but far less near your ears, which could make for questionable comfort if your head shape doesn't suit it. That said, I had no issue and found them decently comfortable to wear.

If that all sounds like I don't love the design of the Aventho 300 (and I don't love it), there's one major positive as an asterisk. It's extremely well-made – you can feel this in the hand, with the physical sense that these are durable headphones which should last a good long while.

You also get a simple but useful hardshell case included with the headphones, which stows them away when half-folded. It has a pouch for the included cables, too, which is a welcome extra at this price.

On the features side, another huge plus point comes into play – Beyerdynamic says the Aventho 300 should get around 50 hours on a single charge, which is terrific. That blasts past much of the competition, as while some major headphones products can get close to this, it'll often involve turning ANC off – which isn't a requirement here.

Performance

If I'm not wild about the design, and decently impressed by the featureset on offer, Beyerdynamic wins more ground back when you actually listen to the Aventho 300. These are an impressively tuned and vibrant set of headphones that sound about how I'd expect for their outlay.

That is to say, these cans offer a really quite balanced sound that doesn't over-invest in the low-end to the detriment of the highs. They use Beyerdynamic's existing 'Stellar.45' drivers to good effect, which is reassuring given that more expensive wired models also pack those same drivers.

One small nice touch is that the voice assistant, which announces your battery level and connectivity when you turn the headphones on, will also let you know what codec is being used (AAC for my testing, since that's the Apple Music way). Those who have access to aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless will be pleased to know that both are covered, though.

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Neutrality used to be a byword for slightly lacklustre presentation, but in recent years it's lost any spectre of negativity – more and more big brands are seeking to make sure their headphones replicate songs and albums accurately rather than distorting them to a particular signature sound too wildly. On that side of things, the Aventho 300 are great – neutral and careful, with enough detail to reveal new levels in familiar tracks.

I particularly enjoyed running through Justice's New Year's Eve DJ Mix for Apple Music, which had a wide array of variety and really showed how the headphones can fare in frenetic playlists.

When it comes to cancelling out noise as you listen, though, things aren't stellar. The adaptive noise-cancelling on offer here is solid, for sure, but not much more than that – it doesn't have the same cocooning offered by some rivals, and I found it a less able match for background noise.

Of course, the performance of headphones isn't just how they sound, but also how they are to use. I found that the stated battery life lined up with my usage, which is brilliant – as 50 hours shouldn't be understated.

The touch controls on the right earcup, meanwhile, are standard enough, although they're some of the laggier examples that I've used recently. Intuitive, yes, but I'd have loved some volume buttons instead of them. Similarly, the buttons that are there are barely raised, making them a little hard to find just by touch – they could do with some refinement in subsequent revisions.

Finally, the Beyerdynamic app is easy enough to use and thankfully doesn't complicate things. It has some easy toggles (including a Dolby Atmos setting), and some EQ settings for those who do want to take some more control over their sound experience.

Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review: Verdict

Beyerdynamic is something of a victim of timing with the Aventho 300. I tested Sony's latest flagship headphones shortly before turning to the Aventho, and the comparison isn't always a very flattering one.

Beyerdynamic's headphones certainly do nothing to embarrass themselves, mind, but they only truly go above and beyond in one area – battery life.

Their sound is great, make no mistake, but it's not the best-in-class, while the design is one that I simply don't love.

Still, these over-ears are extremely well-made, which is most welcome, and if you're not a fan of the bigger brands then they're a creditable option. Especially if battery life with ANC switch on is at the top of your shopping list.

Also consider

As I've repeatedly mentioned, if you're considering the Beyerdynamic, then I suspect you could also stretch to the Sony WH-1000XM6. I feel as though these are a better purchase, frankly, with better sound and far better ANC – plus they're more comfortable.

If you really like the Beyerdynamic design, though, despite my reservations, then Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are an obvious alternative, since they look strikingly similar. Bose has a clear edge when it comes to ANC, however.