Finding a pair of wireless overear headphones that ticks every box is rare. I’ve tried countless models, so I know firsthand how one minor flaw can often end up impacting the entire experience.
Some don’t have enough battery life. Some don’t fold down flat enough for travel. Some may not sound great. Or they don’t offer capable noise control.
However, after using the latest Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 for several weeks, I think they could be the versatile option out there, delivering all I’d want from a new pair of cans.
The brand may be best known for its professional audio equipment, but these consumerfocused headphones offer many of the same sound quality advantages, plus plenty of battery life, noisecancellation and impressive portability.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300: At a glance
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300
Cons
A little heavy- Rival Bose and Sony models have better noisecancelling
- £359 is far from affordable
Key specifications
| Noise cancellation | Yes |
|---|---|
| Battery life | Up to 50 hours with ANC on |
| Charging | USBC |
| Weight | 319g |
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300: Audio performance and noisecancelling
The speaker drivers in the Aventho 300 are the same “Stellar.45” ones that Beyerdynamic uses in its studio models, and they impress with a clean, rich and balanced sound quality that you can further customise within the Beyerdynamic app (the same one used for the Amiron 300 earbuds that I recently reviewed).
In the app, you can also turn on a Dolby Atmos “spatial audio” experience. For tracks that are mixed for a 360degree sound, you’ll find it’s quite immersive, and it’s especially powerful when switched on for films and TV programmes made for Dolby Atmos, which you can find on the likes of Apple TV+, Disney+ and Netflix.
You can also change the way the headphones sound by raising or lowering frequencies via the equaliser in the app. This way, you can bring up or lower the bass, to suit your preferences. There are also five presets: Neutral, Bass, Smooth, Loudness and Speech, as well as the ability to create and save your own customised equaliser.
What about noisecancelling? While the Aventho 300 can’t quite beat the likes of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony WH1000XM5 headphones, I’ve found these more than effective enough at both silencing rumbles on trains and dampening the sound of my colleagues talking in the office. And, for me at least, there’s no uncomfortable “cabin pressure” feeling when wearing them.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300: Portability, features and battery life
The design is quite straightforward and, at 319g, they’re heavier than Bose noisecancelling headphones but lighter than the Apple AirPods Max or Dyson OnTrac. They’ve got relatively large ear cups, sturdy metal yokes, soft memory foam cushioning that I’ve found comfortable to wear for hours on end, and a foldable design for portability.
Beyerdynamic isn’t stingy with the extras included in the box either, giving you both a hard case and drawstring soft pouch, as well as a USBC to USBC cable with a USBA adapter (this works for charging and sending audio) and a 3.5mm auxiliary cable that keeps the headphones going even after the battery runs out. They sound better when switched on, but I’m a fan of this functionality for the added versatility.
Speaking of battery life, these are a great option for travel thanks to an impressive 50 hours of playtime. And that’s with the active noisecancelling switched on! They’ll last even longer if it’s off. Once they’re out of juice, a quick 10minute charge can restore five hours of playing time.
I’ve already mentioned the equaliser and Dolby Atmos support in the app, and it’s something I’d highly recommend downloading to your phone. You can customise a lot about the headphones in the app, view the remaining battery life and change voice assistant settings. They use a mix of touch controls (handling volume and playback) and buttons (for power and noise control modes); I’ve found both intuitive and responsive.
The Good Housekeeping verdict on the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300
If your budget can stretch to the high £359 price tag, there’s a good chance the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 headphones will work for you, as they’re our top choice for versatility.
You can use them both wirelessly and wired with ease, and they’ve got loads of battery life for travel, along with capable noise control modes and a brilliant sound quality that makes them a great fit whether you use them for your playlists, audiobooks or while watching films made for Dolby Atmos. They’re also comfortable, fold down small enough to take on trips and have all the accessories you’d want included in the box.
If you want better noisecancelling, you’ll find it in the Sony WH1000XM5 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, although it’s worth noting that the Bose pair costs even more than the Beyerdynamic at a list price of £449.
You can also get impressive noisecancelling and portability in the affordable Soundcore Space One Pro headphones, but the Beyerdynamic model is significantly better for its clear, dynamic and engaging sound quality.
Simon Cocks is Hearst UK’s Technology Ecommerce Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy across a range of titles including Good Housekeeping UK, Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, ebook readers and smartphones. He’s reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and moneysaving advice guides and edited thousands of indepth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.You can follow Simon on Instagram at @simonrcocks, on Threads at @simonrcocks, and on Twitter/X at @simoncocks.
