Beyerdnamic Aventho Wireless

*This review was originally posted on my blog at Prime Audio Reviews.

Y’all know the name. Beyerdynamic has been in the game for over 90 years. In fact, they’re only a stone’s throw away from making their first century. Think about that for a minute. In 1924 they developed their first loudspeakers and in the 1930’s, they developed the first dynamic headphones (Wikipedia). Fast forward to today and we’ve got the Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless; a Bluetooth on-ear headphone with touch controls and sound personalization software. My, how times have changed…

At the time of writing, the Aventho Wireless is $449.

This product was provided for the purpose of an honest review. I’m not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions here are my own.

Pros

• aptX HD
• Customizable sound with the MIY app
• Warm, resolving sound
• Good extension from end to end
• Fantastic battery life

Cons

• Thin earpads
• No included hard case

SPECIFICATIONS

• Transducer type………………………………….dynamic
• Operating principle………………………….. closed
• Frequency response…………………………..10 – 40,000 Hz
• Nominal impedance…………………………. 32 Ω
• Nominal SPL with jack plug cable…. 105 dB SPL (1 mW / 500 Hz)
• Nominal power handling capacity… 100 mW
• T.H.D……………………………………………………. 0.3% @ 500 Hz
• Sound coupling to the ear………………. on-ear
• Cable length and connector……………..1.2 m, detachable, 3-pole mini stereo jack (3.5 mm)
• Bluetooth version………………………………. 4.2
• Frequency range……………………………….. 2.4000 – 2.4835 GHz
• Power class…………………………………………. 2.0
• Supported profiles……………………………..HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP, GAVDP
• Supported codecs…………………………….. aptX™, aptX™ HD, AAC, SBC
• Operating range……………………………….. up to 10 m
• Battery runtime…………………………………. > 30 hrs.
• Charging time……………………………………. 2 hrs.
• Battery capacity………………………………… 1050 mAh
• Charging port……………………………………. USB-C
• Operating temperature…………………… 0 – 40 °C
• Weight without cable……………………… 238 g

Package and Accessories
The Aventho Wireless arrives in a black cardboard box with an image of the headphones amongst some swirling, coloured smoke. On the back of the box is another image of the headphones and an outline of some of the features.



Here’s what you’ll find inside the box.

• Aventho wireless headphones
• Audio cable with mini-jack plug (3.5 mm)
• Charging cable USB-A to USB-C
• Soft bag
• User manual
• MIY app information brochure

It’s everything you need but feels a little underwhelming, considering the price. A rigid carry case would have been nice to see, although admittedly the soft bag is well-padded and of good quality.



Build Quality and Design
Do I really need to go over this? I mean come on – it’s Beyerdynamic we’re talking about! Alright then, let’s dive in.

The Aventho Wireless is crafted from metal and plastic. It sports a spring steel headband, covered with a plush PU leather cover. This is connected to the metal adjustment bars, which in turn, are connected to the metal brackets that hold the earcups.

All the metal parts are expertly machined and feel light yet very strong. The exposed wire connecting the two earcups add some interest to the aesthetics. A thick, dense plastic makes up the bulk of the earcups. On the exterior of each earcup is a textured metal ring for added strength and aesthetics.



The left earcup is bare apart from the Beyerdynamic logo on the outside. All the controls and ports are on the right earcup. These include a USB-C port for charging the headphones, a power/Bluetooth LED indicator, Power on/off button and 3.5mm jack.

On the outer side of the right earcup is the single touch-sensitive panel used for controlling the headphone’s functions, which I’ll cover in more detail later.



Inside each earcup is an L or R indicator for easy identification of each side. This is a feature that more and more manufacturers are adopting and I’m all for it. The earcups can be rotated 180° which is great because it’s equally as easy to lay them flat around your neck or on a flat surface like a desktop.

Finally, the earpads are quite thin but very plush and soft. They are replaceable and can be purchased separately from the Beyerdynamic website. Removing them is very simple; you can just pull them straight off and then click back into place easily.



Comfort and Isolation
Despite the earpads being quite thin, I find the Aventho Wireless to be pretty comfortable. Having said that I do get some hot spots after an hour or so and feel the need to take them off just for a couple of minutes to give my ears a rest. I would love to see an option to buy a set of slightly thicker pads.

The clamping force is a little strong for my preference but it’s likely the headband could be bent a little to relieve the pressure on your ears (I would give this a try but the sample unit I have needs to be returned…)

As for the headband, it does wrap around your head so the pressure on top of your head is spread out somewhat. The only discomfort I had was on my ears so the headband seems to be fine, at least for my anatomy

In terms of passive noise isolation, these are actually pretty darn good. With music playing at low-moderate levels I rarely get distracted by any outside noise. As such, I think the Aventho Wireless should be fine for use on public transport, noisy office areas etc.

Functionality and Battery
The Aventho Wireless is really simple to use. Its 4-directional touchpad on the right earcup is intuitive and responsive. I did have the occasional wayward swipe, resulting in skipping a track instead of adjusting the volume for example, but over time with some practice, I was getting it right nearly every time.

Pairing via the Bluetooth 4.2 is fast and painless and I had no trouble connecting the headphones to my Android smartphone or AR-M20 DAP. Of course, the Aventho Wireless also comes with a cable, so you can use it as a wired headphone if desired or if you have a depleted battery.

However, it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll find yourself without any battery power unless you’re quite careless. The Aventho Wireless’ 1050 mAh battery lasts over 30 hours on a single charge. And you can fully charge it in just 2 hours. That’s really impressive! 30 hours with aptX HD? Yeah, audiophiles can get down with that I reckon.

MIY (Make It Yours) App


The MIY app can be used to personalize the sound of the Aventho Wireless to work best with your hearing. It’s pretty easy to setup and takes about 10 minutes to complete.

Once connected to the headphones via the app, it takes you through a series of hearing tests for each ear. Once completed, your personal sound profile is uploaded to the headphones and can be enabled or disabled with the touch of a button.

I found it quite interesting and the results for me turned out pretty good. I noticed a bit more energy in the treble and upper midrange after uploading my profile. Vocals, in general, became more forward in the mix as well. However, it did take away some of that lush smoothness that I was enjoying prior to setting it up and gave it a bit of raw edginess.

*For the purpose of testing the sound qualities below, I had the headphones set to the default tuning.
Sound
What struck me from the get-go about the Aventho Wireless is how it’s so warm and inviting yet still really resolving. It’s a silky smooth presentation with plenty of mid-bass emphasis and body but at the same time is full of detail and has great instrument separation.

It’s smooth from top to bottom; perfect for an on the go portable headphone and has more of an easygoing nature than the other Beyerdynamic headphones I’ve heard in the past.

There is a definite noticeable difference between aptX and aptX HD when using a compatible device. The quality of aptX HD is fantastic and is getting very close to the quality of a wired connection. The Aventho Wireless gives you a voice prompt when paired and tells you which aptX mode is enabled.

SOURCES USED FOR TESTING

• Acoustic Research AR-M200 (atpX HD)
• PC/MusicBee > Topping DX7 (wired)
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (aptX)

BASS
There’s a mid-bass focus that creates an overall warm tonality. The Tesla drivers provide incredible control, sufficiently thick notes with a fast decay and no unwanted bloom or resonance. Although there is an emphasis on bass, it sits behind the vocals and midrange in general, adding to its resolving capability.

Sub-bass is not as prominent as the mid-bass. It has a fast rumble and extends well but at times leave me wanting for just a little more oomph and authority.

MIDS
The Aventhos midrange is rich and has a lovely warm, natural tonality. Vocals are dense and lifelike and are positioned slightly ahead of the mid-bass with no noticeable bass bleed. The progression from the lower to upper midrange is fairly linear, with no noticeable peaks or emphasis on any particular area apart from a small lift in the upper mids adding presence and clarity.

Male and female vocals alike sound vibrant and engaging, whether it be Lisa Gerrard in “The Host of Seraphim” or Scarface and 2Pac in their “Shine” duet, the Aventho Wireless shines (pun intended).



TREBLE
When it comes to treble, it’s crisp, clear and airy. The Aventho’s treble presentation is so very smooth – no harshness here at all but the extension is still there. It hits the right timbre but is non-fatiguing and laidback, contributing to the warm tonality of the headphones.

SOUNDSTAGE
Soundstage is very wide, reaching to the very outside of the headspace. Depth is less defined, making vocals fairly close and intimate. Vocals are positioned in front of and slightly above the listener.

Comparisons

THINKSOUND ON2
The On2 has a little less warmth, as it has a smaller mid-bass hump. Mids and vocals aren’t as dense or forward as the Aventho, which has a more tangible presence. The Aventho also has crisper treble notes with superior definition, resulting in stronger detail retrieval but makes it sound more V-shaped compared to the On2.

Being considerably lighter, the On2 has a slight advantage in comfort. The On2 is also more portable thanks to its folding design. Overall, the Aventho is more technically adept (Bluetooth aside) but it also costs around 3x the price of the On2.

JAYS U-JAYS
The midrange on the U-Jays is a touch more recessed but has increased clarity. There’s a little more authority in the U-Jays’ sub-bass and a similar mid-bass punch. Both headphones have a similarly relaxed and smooth treble. The Aventho’s sound has more body and warmth and is a bit more tonally accurate.

Both headphones are very comfortable with the U-Jays coming out slightly ahead due to its larger earcups/earpads that spread the clamping pressure over a larger contact area. Overall, the Aventho Wireless has a better sound but you’d expect that, with it being over 4x the price.



Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless Conclusion
The Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless is a beautifully crafted headphone that looks, feels and sounds great. The freedom of going wireless is a real boon for an on-ear headphone and with its exceptional battery life, the Aventho is a perfect travel companion.

One shouldn’t confine it just to a portable setup though – hook it up to a good desktop DAC and you have scalability as well. If you’re shopping for a high-end wireless on-ear, the Aventho Wireless is a fine headphone and I highly recommend it.

In this review i will describe only the key points of this fantastic product. Beyerdynamic is quite famous in the audiophile world both for their build quality both for their audio quality reproduction.

With Aventho model this company wanted to create a sort of connection between audiophile world and a younger and urban public thanks to wireless technology and MIY APP.

Hope you will understand my review, since I usually write for my Italian public, but when I find the audio product that really impresses me, I am really happy to share my opinions worldwide. Hope you will enjoy my review.

Aventho unit was sent me as a sample unit, I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks Beyerdynamic team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test this musical product.

FOR THE FULL REVIEW IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE : https://simplyaudiophile.wordpress....namic-aventho-suono-per-audiofili-senza-fili/


PRICE: EUR 449

OFFICIAL SITE : https://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/kopfhorer-headsets.html

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/beyerdynamic/?ref=br_rs&brand_redir=1547614392187491


PACKAGING: the box is quite simple, maybe too much for its price range. In the package you will find a soft carrying-pouch (I would have preferred a hard case like in the Meze headphones), a USB charging cable, warranty card, instruction manual and a jack to jack cable. Yes a cable, cause Aventho can be used both in wireless mode both with a cable. If you will use with a cable connected to a good DAC/AMP you will get an improved sound, with better dynamic and bass response against the only wireless mode.


Build construction is outstanding, very solid and lightweight. Earcups aren’t too big and they are very comfortable. Just remember Aventho was made in Germany not in China.


MIY CONFIGURATION: after downloading and installing miy app in your android or iOS smartphone you can easily create your unique profile: thanks to the algorithm you will listen to particular frequencies and will give you a more personal frequency response.

It really works, with my experience I enjoyed a more neutral and natural sound, that is my favourite sound signature.


SOUND: overall the Aventho model is a great sounding headphone, a phrase to describe its sound signature could be : a natural sound with a touch of warmth. I liked so much this headphone and I tried a lot of high quality ones, for this I decided to share my opinions not only in Italian language.

All my sound consideration has been made after 50 hours of burn in, with different DAPs such as fiio x3, x5, iFi Nano Idsd black label and my iphone 6 too.

Overall this headphone offers a natural sound with a very quality bass rich of depth, with a fast bass response. Bass is strong but never overwhelming and respectful of the track.


Mids are so vivid and detailed with a lot of emotions, for example in YAEL NAIM “far far” you can hear all the sensuality of this singer. With male vocals I found a lack of body in certain tracks, but with female voices this headphone can bring all the delicacy and sensuality typical of a female voice.

I could say that mids are just a bit layed back but never a problem for me, simply are in the middle and around are played all the other instruments.

Highs are very clean and detailed . They are very controlled and refined but you can’t find a lot of sparkles, so you will get an extended treble response but without harshness and sibilance issues, indeed, i could be able to listen to this headphone and never find any listening fatigue. Surely this is one of the most controlled Beyerdynamic headphone I have ever tried in high frequency range.Dynamic is very good and so transient response. Soundstage is very good with a coherent sense of space both in width and depth, you will not get a “speaker-like” soundstage, but a natural and coherent one.

With its low impedance of 32 ohm is quite easy to drive, you can drive easily with your Smartphone, but obviously with a good DAP you get an overall better sound, with better dynamic and a stronger bass response.

With wireless mode you loose just a bit of dynamic and instrument separation.


SOUND:

SOUNDSTAGE: 8

BASS: 8

MIDS: 9

HIGH: 9

FEATURES: 9.5




FINAL RATING: 8.7

I thought it might have been a couple of years yet before I went and did something crazy like “cutting the cord”, with a couple of good reasons why I've been holding-out to date:

1. I absolutely love my wired portable headphones/IEMs - namely my Grado GR10's, and especially my Beyerdynamic DT1350’s - they’ve been my trusty portable cans for some time, and despite a couple of quibbles (cable noise; long-term comfort) I’ve never felt they were lacking in any department. They sound amazing.
2. “Bluetooth schmuetooth”. Yeah, we all know it’s not quite there yet, but with Aptx/Aptx HD becoming the new standard it’ll be CD-quality+ before we know it.

So anyway, my ears pricked-up upon news of the launch of Beyerdynamic’s Aventho Wireless announced earlier in the year. For all intents and purposes, a direct evolution of the DT1350/T51 on-ear portables, only “look Mum – no wires!”. Add to that, some very interesting features: Aptx HD enabled; a companion app called “MIY” (Make it Yours) that allows the user to create a unique sound-profile; 30-hour battery life; and of course that unmistakable Beyerdynamic utilitarian/industrial design, albeit with a slightly more “premium” look this time around.

Cue several months later (which many of us know feels like an eternity when you have new cans on the way), and a brand new pair of black Aventho Wireless landed on my desk at work – and I couldn’t wait to get them onto my ears, and start comparing them to my DT1350’s.

After a few days with them, here’s some early thoughts:

Packaging/accessories:
The box was much smaller than I expected for some reason – but sure, they’re portables? So why not. Inside is a rather nice canvas carrying-pouch, which might be familiar to anyone who owns the Audeze Sine. It’ll keep them from scratching, but won’t survive a two-story fall. The DT1350’s case is far more rigid and up to the task of daily portable use. Inside are the cans themselves (duh) and two cords:

1) a 3.5mm cable to attach the cans in wired-mode to a source – great – I’m looking forward to plugging them into my “A/B tester”, which is actually the Chord Mojo(Poly), which with its 2 x 3.5mm headphone outs is a great way to quickly A/B test cans.

2) A USB-C charging cable



Build + comfort:
These will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s spent time on the DT1350/T51’s – they share the same rugged aluminium gimbals and adjustment system, as well as a similar fashion of ear-cup articulation. The cups are slightly larger – no doubt to house the battery, amplification and Bluetooth gizzards. The headband doesn’t split like the DT1350’s, but has a far more comfortable protein-leather headband. Weight is nominally heavier, but the clamp is on the comfortable side rather than the ‘grippy’ side. On qualm with the DT1350’s is the clamp – which combined with an on-ear arrangement can lead to sore ears after a couple of hours use. Happily, these are much more comfortable and have a softer pleather on the ear-cups. Tilting my head back, they do want to slip off – so they’re probably not up to rigorous exercise, which I’ll leave to IEM’s.

Some minor points on build:

– Firstly, the earcups touch one another when folded flat, which again, Audeze Sine owners will be familiar with. The Aventhos were shipped with a piece of foam between the earcups to avoid scratching, but I can’t see myself being bothered to place it there every time I store them, so I do worry the ear cups will scratch one another down the track.

- The aluminium frame/gimbals create a bit of noise when walking around in a moderate wind. Now I'm not sure if headphone manufacturers go about doing wind-tunnel testing for their products, but on a product that's squarely designated as 'portable', it's a minor mark in the 'against' ledger, but not a game-breaker.

- The ON/OFF button is very stiff/squeaky to operate. Sure, it's not in any danger on getting accidentally pressed while in-side your bag, but it doesn't like a high-quality addition to an otherwise first-class set of headphones - it requires a serious application of pressure for 2-3 seconds when switching.



Features + connectivity:
There's only one visible ‘button’ on the Aventhos, which is on the right ear-cup. Hold it down for two seconds, and voila! They’re charged right out of the box. Pairing with my Galaxy S7 Edge via Bluetooth was a breeze. A nice English-sounding lady inside the Aventhos said “headset is connected”, and when I started to play Tidal, she then said “Aptx active”.

There’s a four-way “trackpad” on the right earcups, which controls volume, playback, phone-calls and so forth. I won’t go into too much detail describing each function, only to say that it’s fairly intuitive. “UP” and “DOWN” for volume, “FORWARD” and “BACKWARD” for advancing/rewinding tracks, and double-tap to pause/play. Simple stuff, and works well.

Bluetooth connectivity is generally excellent from both my Android and my MacBook Pro. i can roam a good 10-15 metres before it starts to cut-out. I have noticed that sometimes it will 'stutter' from my shorts pocket however - and can be more pronounced when running.

MIY app:
One of the major selling points Beyerdynamic were trumpeting when they announced the Aventhos was the MIY, or “Make It Yours” app, developed in conjunction with Mimi Hearing Technologies. It’s designed to develop a personal sound-profile based on your particular hearing and preferences, and it also shows/controls functions such as battery-life; touch-pad sensitivity; and to keep a track of your daily level of ‘pensum’ – a percentage level of how much listening time you can safely manage in a day, according to your playback SPL (I was pleased to know my comfortable listening level was pretty low, and I could afford to “turn it up!”, and didn’t get much over 1% after a couple of hours).



I went to create “my sound profile”, but the only variable I was able to input however was my year of birth. I went to create more features, but got a message which said “No Test? Unfortunately we uncovered a bug that broke the test. It’s our highest priority to fix this. Check back here to see our progress!”. I’m not too fussed by this, as I generally don’t tend to EQ headphones, and like to test/compare them based on their “flat” settings. All the same, I was curious to see what my unique “sound profile” was like, so was a bit disappointing but I understand this will be available in January(?). However I was able to test my particular sound profile developed for my year of birth – not really sure how that’s supposed to work, but I guess people born in my year must be pre-disposed to like “W”-shaped sound! I was able to test this out, and raise/lower the level of intensity in 20/40/60/80/100% increments. It sounded a little bit like the “sound enhancement” feature in iTunes, which makes the bass/treble a bit more prominent, I’ve decided to leave it off for now – I’ll check back when the software is updated.



Sound:
Right off the bat, they have a darker, ‘wetter’ and overall more mid-bass oriented sound than the DT1350’s, which have a lean and airy sound and more of a tight, deeply-extended sub-bass emphasis. The Aventho Wireless have more of a classic consumer ‘portable’ sound, with more bloom and thickness in the mid-bass in particular. The bass, in general, has good impact and does extend fairly well. These may well be the darkest Beyers I’ve heard (which is a relative term compared to other manufacturers), with a gently downward sloping top octave or so. Bob Dylan’s harmonica doesn’t feel like razor-blades, which is my usual treble litmus-test.



Vocals are enjoyable, natural-sounding and have a pleasant tone, perhaps they’re ever-so-slightly recessed.

It’s very much an in-head experience, there’s really not much soundstage to speak of. More a case of "headstage". That’s all I have to say about that – they’re on-ears headphones, and that’s to be expected.

The sound profile they remind me of most is the Meze 99 Classics, albeit with a more intimate soundstage and imaging experience, and slightly less detailed treble.

Unsurprisingly they sound better wired to my Chord MojoPoly than via Aptx Bluetooth, but it's not giving away a hell of a lot. In a compromised listening situation - like public transport - the trade-off for wireless is probably worth it.

They isolate very well passively, not quite as well as the DT1350’s, which are some of the best isolating cans I’ve ever used. The Aventhos don’t have as narrow a “sweet spot” as the DT1350’s, which sometimes have to be positioned, and re-positioned on your ears until you find the right sound.

Some final thoughts:

• I’ll be putting my DT1350’s up for sale, somewhat sadly. There, I said it. It’s time for me to embrace the future a little. The Aventhos do have a wire as well, so I can use them with an amp/DAP down the track should I want to. I'm think I'm going to have to find myself an LGV30 now to make proper use of the Aptx HD codec.

• I can't stop holding them, admiring them, and articulating the earcups - these are some of the best-engineered and built pieces of sound equipment I’ve ever seen – they’re remarkably well-made headphones.
  
  
• In terms of the form-factor - some might be surprised Beyerdynamic chose to go with on-ear for such expensive and premium portable headphones, but I have to say that it doesn’t feel like too much of a compromise. I doubt they’d be able to achieve as high a level of ‘portability’ with an over-ear arrangement. Given Beyerdynamic have gone to such lengths to instal clever electronics and amplification on-board the Aventho Wireless, it's somewhat surprising they didn't go one step further and add Active Noise Cancellation. Now ANC really isn't for me, but at this price-point some may expect it with regards to premium, portable-minded headphones.
  
  
• Sound-wise they’re definitely not ‘reference’ headphones – they’re firmly on the ‘fun’ side of the spectrum, with a healthy mid-bass emphasis and gently rolled-off upper treble. They make for a downright enjoyable on-the-go, warm listening experience for the gadget-minded audiophile.