Full throttle into the high-end segment: with the brand new and recently launched beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300, the manufacturer wants to take on the best ANC headphones and brings some powerful arguments to the table. Dolby Atmos including head tracking, a long battery life and outstanding sound are promised. Our test clarifies whether the headphones can keep their promises.
Technical data
| The product | AVENTHO 300 |
| Design | Over-ear (closed) |
| Bluetooth version | 5.4 |
| Bluetooth codecs | AAC, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, LE Audio |
| Maximum range | 15 meters |
| Battery life | Up to 50 hours (with ANC) |
| Driver | STELLAR.45 |
| Frequency range (headphones) | 5 – 22,000 Hz |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth; 3.5 mm jack; USB-C |
| Weight | 319 g |
| Color variants | Black; Nordic Grey |
| Special features | Wear detection; Dolby Atmos with head tracking |
| Price | € 299,00 * |
beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 test: Simply chic
- simple, chic design
- very good workmanship
- compact foldable
Keep it simple is apparently the motto for the design of the beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300, because while competitors such as Apple with the AirPods Max or Marshall with the Monitor III ANC (our test) rely on a look that is a real eye-catcher, the model from Heilbronn is much simpler.
beyerdynamic opted for a lightweight metal frame that merges directly into the softly padded headband via a narrow headband. Above all, our test model in the “Nordic Grey” color scheme still looks very stylish with its grey and white look.
The ear cups have a flat surface and, similar to the Soundcore Space One Pro, can not only be completely folded down but also folded in so that the headphones can be folded up very compactly.
Despite the high proportion of plastic, the headphones feel more robust and of better quality than some of the competition in this price range, although the twist mechanism is a little too smooth for me personally.
Good, but not perfect wearing comfort
- Quite heavy at 319 grams
- Pleasant amount of space inside, but…
- … thin and too soft ear pads
In terms of wearing comfort, the 319 gram AVENTHO 300 are unfortunately not at the top of the league. Although the ear pads are pleasantly soft and, at 6.0 x 4.7 cm (height x width), also offer enough space inside for larger ears, the pads are quite thin and even a touch too soft, so that – in combination with the rather high contact pressure – pressure quickly builds up on the metal frame underneath.
This means that the headphones still achieve a fairly good level of comfort, but we are used to better from this price range of ANC headphones and also from beyerdynamic.
Features and operation
- Bluetooth 5.4 with excellent range
- High-resolution audio codecs available
- Impressive Dolby Atmos implementation including head tracking
When it comes to features, the beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 leave nothing to be desired. The headphones use the modern Bluetooth 5.4 standard, which delivers outstanding stability, energy efficiency and range.
The range is very good: I was able to move around my entire home completely freely during the test without any sound dropouts – not all headphones manage this by any means. According to the manufacturer, the range is 15 meters, but I was easily able to exceed this.
All the important high-resolution Bluetooth codecs are also included: in addition to AAC in the Apple cosmos, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive and LE Audio are also supported.
Bluetooth multipoint for pairing with two audio sources is also offered, which worked flawlessly in my test with a smartphone and notebook. Those who prefer a wired connection will be pleased: beyerdynamic provides the headphones with a 3.5 mm jack connection. Music playback via USB-C is also possible on a smartphone or PC without any problems.
Of course, wearer detection is also included, as the headphones automatically pause the music when you take them off and resume playback when you put them back on. The whole thing also works with answering and rejecting calls, while you can also deactivate the touchpad when you take the headphones off.
The wear detection works very precisely and quickly and is on a par with the top models from Sony or Sennheiser.
Of course, there is also active noise suppression, as well as the counterpart in the form of a transparency mode, both of which can be adjusted in five stages within the beyerdynamic app.
Another highlight – and I didn’t think I’d say this (or write it, anyway) – is the Dolby Atmos support including head tracking. This is not a novelty in and of itself, but I have not yet had headphones on or in my ears that implement this spatial representation as excellently as the AVENTHO 300.
The acoustics follow your head movements so quickly and precisely in head tracking that instruments and voices can unfold in rich detail in the room and follow your movements, creating a lively sound stage. This sounds excellent even when listening to music and provides real added value in many cases.
Operation of the beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300
- Combination of buttons and touch control
- Touch control very precise and fast
- Practical, clear app
For operation, the beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 combine classic controls with touch control. The buttons are all located on the underside of the right ear cup. This is where the headphones are switched on and off. There is also another button here that allows you to quickly switch between noise suppression and transparency mode.
However, the rest of the operation is carried out via the touch-sensitive touch surface on the outside of the right ear cup. To ensure that all commands are really internalized, there is a practical guide within the companion app that shows the commands once again. However, it is not possible to customize the touch control.
The operating concept is well thought out, while inputs are reliably recognized and implemented without delay. A double tap starts or pauses playback, a swipe from left to right or vice versa skips to the next or previous song.
Swiping up and down, on the other hand, allows you to adjust the volume, while call control is also implemented via the touch surface.
Many other settings can be made within the beyerdynamic app. For example, you can adjust the intensity of ANC and transparency mode or influence the sound with one of seven different equalizer presets. You can also create your own presets in a 5-band EQ.
Battery life: Up to 50 hours
In terms of battery life, the beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 are at the forefront. Up to 50 hours of runtime are possible with active noise suppression – a really good value that is only surpassed by a few headphones.
The status LED below the power button provides information about the battery charge level. If this is between 0 and 30 percent, the LED flashes red. Between 31 and 70 percent, the LED flashes yellow and between 71 and 99 percent, the LED flashes green. Very practical to see how much battery life is left even without the app.
Audio quality, ANC and microphones
- STELLAR.45 drivers with pleasing tuning
- Pleasantly full, warm and airy sound
- good bass response
Even on paper, the beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 promise an excellent sound. This is partly because the manufacturer has equipped the headphones with the outstanding STELLAR.45 drivers, which are also used in headphones such as the DT 700 Pro X, DT 900 Pro X or the MMX 300 Pro and MMX 330 Pro gaming headsets, where they have already impressively demonstrated their quality.
And they also ensure an excellent, lively sound in beyerdynamic’s ANC headphones – although the mix here is much more geared towards listening pleasure than in the case of the manufacturer’s studio headphones.
Compared to the studio headphones, for example, the bass foundation is much more present, but pleasantly dynamic and rich in detail, without overpowering the broad mids and airy highs.
At the same time, the treble is pleasantly clear and detailed without becoming too sharp at high volumes. I really liked the mix that I used to listen to my headphone test playlist.
Only the lower mids, which are home to guitars and other instruments, for example, are slightly behind the other frequencies, which gives some songs a slightly different character than you might be used to from other headphones.
The sound of headphones is of course always extremely subjective. However, I really like the sound quality of the beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300. Especially when I use the equalizer to boost the lower mids and slightly reduce the bass, as I personally prefer a neutral studio sound.
The headphones then cope excellently with all genres and feel just as at home with classical music as they do with heavy metal or electro. In terms of sound, the AVENTHO 300 are undoubtedly in the top 5 of the best AMC headphones.
ANC and transparency mode
- very good ANC
- good transparency mode
- ANC with slight effects on the sound
The active noise cancellation of the AVENTHO 300 is also at a very good level, but cannot quite match the suppression of the top models from Sony or Bose. Nevertheless, not only low frequencies, but also voices or typing on the keyboard are significantly reduced, which enables very good isolation from external noise.
The counterpart in the form of transparency mode is also at a very good level and noticeably amplifies noises and voices without distorting the acoustics. Fortunately, neither option has any significant impact on the sound of the music. Only when the ANC function is active does the sound appear somewhat more powerful and fuller.
Microphone quality
beyerdynamic has equipped the AVENTHO 300 with a total of six MEMS microphones, which should ensure clear intelligibility. Unfortunately, there is no noise or wind suppression. Instead, the headphones switch to transparency mode when the voice is recognized and thus also reproduce your own voice together with sidetone, which allows good communication with headphones on.
Microphone test recording beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300:
Microphone test recording Marshall Monitor III ANC:
Microphone test recording soundcore Space One Pro:
The microphone quality is good, but by no means outstanding. The microphones are undoubtedly not the headphones’ strong point, with some competitors offering significantly better speech intelligibility. For occasional phone calls in quieter environments, however, what is on offer is certainly sufficient.
beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 test: Conclusion
Successful debut: The new beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 immediately makes it into the top 5 of the best over-ear headphones with ANC function. This is mainly thanks to the sound characteristics, as the STELLAR.45 drivers once again prove their competence in these headphones and deliver an excellent sound across all frequencies, although it is clearly more fun than the in-house studio headphones.
The manufacturer garnishes the whole thing with modern equipment that doesn’t miss any features and a really strong (if not record-breaking) battery life. Another practical feature is the option of using the headphones wired not only via a jack, but also via USB-C for listening to music.
However, the beyerdynamic model is not perfect either. Although the wearing comfort is largely convincing, the padding is too soft and the frame underneath is too hard. The quality of the built-in microphones also cannot keep up with the top models, while Sony or Bose are ahead in terms of noise suppression.
Apart from this, however, the beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 doesn’t make any mistakes, which earns it a clear recommendation in the premium segment.
beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300
Workmanship
Wearing comfort
Sound quality
Noise canceling
Features
Value For Money
92/100
Excellent sounding headphones with very good active noise suppression, long battery life and modern features at a premium price.
