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:
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 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.
- “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.
Do you wear your Aventhos while you're out, or commute with them at all?