Beyerdynamic Aventho headphones
TRULY INNOVATIVE AND PREMIUM HEADPHONES WITH A MATCHING PRICE TAG.
THE GERMAN MASTERMINDS behind Beyerdynamic’s innovative and premium audio have brought us a novel treat with the Aventho wireless headphones — and it's one that's very personal.
The utilitaritarian ruggedness of their design makes for some seriously pretty cans, with their predominantly metal construction providing both stability and a striking minimalist aesthetic. Despite the solid construction, they only weigh in at 240g, although the non-collapsible design and rather hefty cloth carry bag makes for on-ears that aren’t quite as compact as some competitors.
Being able to provide 20 hours of playback greatly helps the grab-and-go appeal of these on-ears, and their USB-C port means you can top them back up in under two hours using your modern smartphone charger. However, the unit’s lack of active noise cancellation is likely a big factor in the battery’s longevity, and it’s a sorely-missed feature in modern, premium headphones such as these. Part of the reason that the Aventho can keep its sleek aesthetic is the near-total lack of physical buttons. Nestled between the 3.5mm audio jack and the charging port is the solitary and annoyingly-tiny power button. The remaining functionality is handled by a touch-sensitive panel on the right-hand side of the unit. Swiping horizontally allows you to skip or rewind a track, swiping vertically adjusts volume, and tapping will play or pause music, but despite the ability to adjust the sensitivity of these controls, we found them a little too unresponsive to comfortably operate.
Out of the box, the Aventho dazzle with their sound — a well-balanced frequency profile with excellent clarity and separation, giving each element equal attention and its own space. But the ace up the sleeve is only revealed once you download the free MIY app (only for iOS and Android 7, not 8, at time of writing). In partnership with Mimi Hearing Technologies, the MIY app is able to personalise your headphones to suit your hearing profile, so any frequencies you may have lost, either naturally or otherwise, will be detected and accommodated for. There’s a test you’ll need to take in a very quiet location and although it isn’t automated like some of its competitors (Nuraphone, for instance), it’s relatively straightforward and takes under 10 minutes. Once you’ve built your profile, you can turn it on or off from within the app and choose just how intensely the effect is applied (in increments of 20%), but we would’ve liked to have seen a simple EQ to further refine the profile to taste. This will obviously have varying results user to user, and while this relatively young reviewer found the end result to be an overall improvement in the sound’s already incredible clarity and presence, the impact will likely be more impressive for those who have lived through — and worn the effects of — the golden age of Bowie, Springsteen, The Clash et al. The MIY app also features a tracking function which monitors your daily listening and the volumes at which you do so, letting you know if you should turn down the music or simply have a break. The focus on personalisation and hearing-health is truly innovative and makes the Beyerdynamic Aventho an excellent choice for older audio lovers and the health-conscious alike, but the lacking ANC and somewhat unresponsive touch controls make it a little harder to swallow the premium pricetag.
[ HARRY DOMANSKI ]
OUT OF THE BOX, THE AVENTHO DAZZLE WITH THEIR SOUND — A WELL-BALANCED FREQUENCY PROFILE WITH EXCELLENT CLARITY AND SEPARATION, GIVING EACH ELEMENT EQUAL ATTENTION AND ITS OWN SPACE.