I'm a music aficionado. A bit of an audiophile. A reviewer of audio gear. A playlist connoisseur. I listen to music almost entirely throughout the day — on my commute, at work, sometimes while playing video games, you name it. I'd like my favorite tunes to be injected straight into my bloodstream, actually.
Of course, to fully enjoy my music, I need the best headphones, and I've been using my trusty Marshall Monitor III over-ear cans for nearly a year now. I love everything about them: the way they look, the way they make music sound angelic, their long battery life, you get the gist. But as is the nature of my job, I test many headphones and earbuds, and I've spent the last week testing the Beyerdynamic Aventho 100 on-ear cans.
Are my first impressions positive? Indeed they are. The Aventho 100s look fantastic, sporting a retro '70s aesthetic, and they sound just as good. They boast awesome bass response and clear mids and highs, and it's difficult to fault their sound profile, really. But would I permanently ditch my Monitor IIIs for the Aventho 100s? Well, it's complicated...
So I say thank you for the music...
A pair of headphones or earbuds is essentially useless if it doesn't make music sound great, or like angels are singing in your ears. I try not to judge a book by its cover but when I first took the Beyerdynamic Aventho 100s out of their box, I wasn't expecting much from them in terms of sound. Then I saw the $229 price tag, and I wanted these headphones to blow my mind. Luckily, the Aventho 100s make my favorite tunes sound beautiful — and I'm not exaggerating.
To test the headphones, I've been listening to my testing playlist on Qobuz, one of the best music streaming services for hi-res audio. I started off by listening to 'Dracula' by Tame Impala, and I was immediately taken by the well-balanced sound profile and powerful bass. The kickdrum at the beginning of the track carried the song beautifully, and I even heard sounds I never had before, such as the subtle non-human grumbling throughout the song.
The dreamlike vocals in 'Dream Steppin'' by Two People sounded crystal clear too, and I thoroughly enjoyed the synth and other electronic instruments coming together to create a wonderful melody. Speaking of vocals, Hayley Williams' high notes in 'Big Man, Little Dignity' never sounded shrill or piercing, and every word was clearly discernible.
Heavier tracks like 'Rats Return' and 'Harridan' by Porcupine Tree sounded so good that I had newfound appreciation for them — and these are songs I've listened to hundreds of times. I could hear every single note plucked on the bass guitars even with other instruments, like electric guitars, keyboards and drums, playing.
All of this is thanks to the large 45mm drivers with studio-quality tuning, and the 20Hz-22KHz frequency response range which extends into the upper treble beyond typical human hearing. Oh, and the Aventho 100s feature aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless codecs too to enable high-quality, near-lossless audio.
Unlimited power... and other goodies
With ANC off, the Aventho 100s can last up to 60 hours between charges, and this drops to 40 hours when ANC is enabled.
I don't know about you but I love it when I don't have to charge my gadgets every couple of days — which is why I can't part with my Marshall Monitor IIIs. Yes, they sound outstanding but their 100-hour battery life (with ANC off) massively works in their favor.
So how about the Beyerdynamic Aventho 100s then? Well, their battery life is solid too. With ANC off, the Aventho 100s can last up to 60 hours between charges, and this drops to 40 hours when ANC is enabled. Not as good as the Monitor IIIs but still fantastic. I've been keeping the ANC enabled while testing the Aventho 100s only because I love blocking out the world to fully immerse myself in the music.
Speaking of, the headphones' ANC is highly effective, blocking out most sounds indoors and outdoors. I sat in front of my TV with the volume turned up and I couldn't hear a thing. Similarly, I couldn't hear my coworkers speaking with each other when I had ANC enabled on the Aventho 100s. It made me feel a little lonely, actually!
Hang on, so what's the problem?
By now you're probably wondering, "She loves the sound, the ANC and the battery life, so what's the problem?" The design. The design is the problem. I'm not talking about the Beyerdynamic Aventho 100s' '70s-inspired visual aesthetics (I've actually come to love it) — I'm talking about the on-ear design. I've never been a fan of headphones that sit on your ears rather than over, and the Aventho 100s are yet to change that.
This might be a personal preference, and feel free to disagree with me in the comments, but I just can't fathom why anyone would choose on-ear headphones when over-ear ones are so much more comfortable. I wore the Aventho 100s for a three-hour stretch and not only did my ears get hot, I felt a headache coming on.
I found myself adjusting the earcups' angle every now and then to relieve some of the pressure on my ears too, which isn't what you want from a pair of headphones designed for all-day listening.
I'd also like to note that it isn't the Aventho 100s that have made me averse to on-ears — I always think of it whenever I see people wearing, say, the Marshall Major Vs on the bus. I suppose you could argue that over-ears heat up your ears too, and that on-ears are more portable, but to me, these "benefits" don't really outweigh the cons.
The Monitor IIIs, on the other hand, have never made my ears too hot or uncomfortable. Perhaps my ears are a weird shape or size and aren't meant for on-ears, but I'm finding it hard to fall in love with cans that aren't designed to sit around your ears rather than on them.
Perhaps my mind will change by the time I publish my full Beyerdynamic Aventho 100 review, perhaps it won't. And while I'm looking forward to going back to using my Monitor IIIs as my daily drivers, I can't deny the Aventho 100s' sonic prowess. Combine that with ridiculously good ANC and you've got a winning pair on your hands — or your head, even.
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