I’ve been testing Beyerdynamic’s new affordable headphones with effective ANC and 90 hours of battery — but I’m not entirely sold on them

The best over-ear headphones don’t need to break the bank, and the Beyerdynamic Aventho Y almost prove that. Affordable at just $149, the Aventho Y boast effective active noise cancelation both indoors and outdoors. They come in a few fun colors, and they’re extremely comfortable for all-day wear. Promising up to 90 hours of stamina, the Aventho Y deliver on almost every front…. except for balanced sound.

Don’t get me wrong: the Aventho Y make vocals sound strong and clear, but the rest of the soundstage, not so much. It lacks openness and sounds mostly flat. You’ll need the companion app to customize the equalizer and salvage it. Call quality isn’t great either, as the headphones make you sound scratchy.

Should you still buy these cans? Read my full Beyerdynamic Aventho Y review to find out.

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y review: Specs

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y review: Price & availability

Announced at IFA in September 2026, the Beyerdynamic Aventho Y are the latest over-ears to join the brand’s extensive lineup of consumer headphones. Priced at $149 at Amazon U.S. / £129 at Polar U.K., the Aventho Y are Beyerdynamic’s cheapest lifestyle headphones, at the time of writing. The cans come in Blue Fusion, Liquid Black, Peach Blush, and Soft Jade colors.

The Aventho Y offer ANC, long battery life with user-replaceable battery packs, and are extremely comfortable. These are some of the cheapest mid-range ANC headphones we’ve tested, and they’re cheaper than the Sony WH-CH730N ($179), the Sennheiser Accentum ($179), the JBL Live 770NC ($199), and the Beats Solo 4 ($199).

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y review: Design

The Beyerdynamic Aventho Y make a strong first impression with their striking colors. The Peach Blush model I tested is certainly a looker, with light and airy accents that make them stand out in a market crowded with black and dark colors. The stylized “Y” engraved into each (large) earcup is a nice touch, and the subtle Beyerdynamic branding on the headband doesn’t draw much attention either.

The Aventho Y weigh just 11.14 ounces and even though they’re slightly heavier than my trusty Marshall Monitor III (8.8 ounces, $349), the difference isn’t that noticeable. They’re also heavier than their siblings, the Aventho 100 (7.76 ounces, $229), but the added weight is a decent trade-off if you want a user-replaceable battery and a more comfortable fit.

For easy transport, the Aventho Y are foldable so you can save some space in your day bag. A drawstring cloth bag is included in the box, too.

Weatherproofing

It’s normal for over-ear headphones to not have official IP waterproof ratings, but the Aventho Y do. These cans are IP53-rated, just like the Aventho 100, so they’re protected against dust and light water splashes. You should be just fine wearing them to the gym. In contrast, the JBL Live 770NC and the Sony WH-CH730N aren’t waterproof at all — JBL and Sony don’t specify that they are, at least.

Comfort

The Aventho Y are extremely comfortable headphones, and that’s thanks to their large, spacious earcups and cushioned headband. The ear cushions feature soft foam interiors, and they’re covered in soft leatherette. These ear cushions are magnetic so they can be twisted off and replaced if they get damaged.

Similarly, the headband’s metal frame uses the same leatherette cushioning for added comfort, and it relieves the pressure you’d otherwise feel on the top of your head. Having worn the Aventho Y for a six-hour stint, I can confirm that they’re suitable for all-day wear, as my ears didn’t overheat or feel sweaty.

Controls

Sporting a straightforward control scheme, everything, from volume to ANC, is adjusted via physical buttons and toggles on the Aventho Y’s earcups. You can increase or decrease the volume via the buttons on the right earcup. Located between these is a custom button which can be customized via the app to change tracks, enable voice assistant, and more. Controls for ANC and Bluetooth are on the left earcup. They’re all super straightforward to get a hang of.

Connectivity

The Aventho Y utilize Bluetooth 6.0 with support for SBC and AAC codecs. However, there’s no support for LC3, LDAC or aptX Lossless, and you’ll need to spend more on the Sennheiser Accentum if you want aptX. The lack of advanced codecs isn’t uncommon in this price range, though, as neither the JBL Live 770NC nor the Beats Solo 4 support them.

For those who want more versatile wireless connectivity, Beyerdynamic is planning on selling an optional 2.4GHz dongle (which can be handily stored inside one of the earcups) along with a detachable boom mic come October. Beyerdynamic is yet to officially announce sample rates for the dongle, but I’ve reached out to a representative to find out more. You can also use a USB-C cable for wired playback.

They also feature multipoint connectivity, enabling you to connect up to two devices simultaneously — I did so with my MacBook Air M2 and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. The Aventho Y say “Multipoint” out loud to you when two devices are connected at once. You also get Google Fast Pair and as soon as I put the headphones into pairing mode, my Pixel recognized and connected to them immediately.

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y review: Sound quality

The Beyerdynamic Aventho Y ulitize a 45mm driver to cover a frequency response range of 20Hz to 20KHz (so the entirety of the average human hearing spectrum). To test the headphones, I listened to my array of testing songs on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles — and I was left with mixed feelings.

Vocals are the Aventho Y’s strong suit. In ‘Cheers to Me’ by Self Esteem, Rebecca Lucy Taylor’s vocals felt raw and intimate. Each word sounded textured, every consonant felt sharp, and plosives never popped or bled into one another. The backing vocals panned wide to the far left and right, creating an immersive listening experience. As all the voices came together in the bridge, they sounded harmonious and powerful.

But unfortunately, the Aventho Y struggle with almost every other aspect of the soundstage. Without any EQ adjustments and straight out of the box, the Aventho Y sound boxy, hollow and lack openness. The dark pulsating bassline that drives ‘2515’ by Wasia Project sounded like someone had turned the bass off. The song sounded closed-in and hollow, and it felt like it had lost its three-dimensionality. While the vocals still sounded defined, the rest of the track didn’t.

I then listened to ‘One Inch Punch’ by Yin Yin to see if the treble sounded just as flat as the bass. While the electric guitar solos shimmered, they didn’t possess the same clarity and vibrancy you get when listening to the song through a more capable set of cans. It also felt like all the instruments were pushed into the background. The bassline sounded dull as did the drums. Heavy tracks like ‘Put Me in a Padded Room’ by Icon For Hire sounded muddled and like the headphones were easily overwhelmed.

Luckily, though, I was able to salvage a lot of the sound quality by adjusting the Aventho Y’s equalizer through the companion app (more on that shortly). I fixed a lot of the issues by simply playing around with the 10-band EQ and finding my ideal sound. It’s great to have such extensive customization at your fingertips, but I wish the Aventho Y sounded balanced straight out of the box — like the Sennheiser Accentum or the JBL Live 770NC.

Listen along to my review with the Beyerdynamic Aventho Y testing playlist:

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y review: App

The Aventho Y are accompanied by the Beyerdynamic app, available for free on iOS and Android. It enables you to customize the controls, adjust the level of ANC, enable Low Latency mode to minimize audio delays, choose an EQ preset, and customize the 10-band eqaulizer to your liking.

Beyerdynamic’s app is easy to use and it sports a clean interface without any intrusive pop-ups. That’s good because given that you need the app to fix the Aventho Y’s sound, I’d say it’s a necessity and not an optional download.

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y review: ANC

The Beyerdynamic Aventho Y feature effective active noise cancelation that works well indoors and outdoors. Indoors, I wasn’t able to hear the kettle boiling, the clicking-clacking of mechanical keyboards, or other people talking. My partner had to wave several times to get my attention when I was testing the Aventho Y.

On a busy bus back from work, the Aventho Y managed to drown out the sound of people talking loudly. While I could hear the sound of the bus rattling, it wasn’t intrusive or too much, and the Aventho Y did a good job of ensuring I felt immersed in my tunes.

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y review: Call quality

Unfortunately, the Beyerdynamic Aventho Y’s call quality is quite disappointing. On a Google Meet team call, my colleagues winced when I started speaking — and they’ve heard me talk before so I know it isn’t me. I asked them how I sounded, and they noted that my voice was scratchy, distant, and “not great at all.”

To rule out the possibility that this was down to an unstable internet connection, I called my partner who said that my voice sounded muffled and she couldn’t understand my words very clearly. I’d recommend the Sennheiser Accentum if you want better call quality.

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y review: Battery life

An area the Beyerdynamic Aventho Y perform formidably is battery life. Beyerdynamic says that on a single charge, the Aventho Y can last up to 90 hours with ANC off, or 60 hours with ANC on. This is excellent, and the headphones outclass the Sennheiser Accentum (50 hours), the Sony WH-CH730N (50 hours) and the JBL Tune 770NC (44 hours) when ANC is enabled.

With ANC enabled and music playing at 50% volume, I left the Aventho Y running over a few nights. After approximately 50 hours, I had just 5% battery remaining. Beyerdynamic’s battery claims are, then, fairly reliable.

The Aventho Y feature a user-replaceable battery, which increases the longevity of the headphones. The manual specifies how to remove the battery carefully and safely, should you need to do so.

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y review: Verdict

The Beyerdynamic Aventho Y check almost every box. They boast up to 90 hours of battery life, effective ANC indoors and outdoors, a comfortable fit, a colorful design, and they come with a user-friendly companion app. Vocals are clear, strong and nuanced, yes, but everything else sounds flat — and that’s no bueno for a pair of headphones.

While the sound quality is salvageable thanks to the custom 10-band equalizer, it’s a shame that the Aventho Y don’t sound great straight out of the box. The bass sounds muddy and the treble struggles to shine. Call quality isn’t great either as several people noted that I sounded scratchy on their end.

Though the Aventho Y are fun-looking, comfortable and last a long time, it’s worth spending a little more on the likes of the JBL Live 770NC if you want solid sound as soon as you unbox the cans. At the end of the day, the Aventho Y deliver on some fronts but fall flat where it matters most.