Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review

Currently dominated by the likes of the AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000XM5 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, the $200-$300 price bracket is well served for flagship earbuds. There’s always space for more compelling options among the best wireless earbuds, though, and Beyerdynamic has entered the show waving a flag that says “I can do it too!” with the Amiron 300.

They are a solid-looking pair of buds when you read the specs sheet. Plenty of battery life that either beats out or equals the established competition and features to make their slightly higher price sting a little less. I’ve found a lot to like about the newest buds on the block in my testing — here’s why you should consider them for your next pair of wireless in-ears.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? AirPods Pro 2 rivaling earbuds with a large feature set
• Who is it for? Those looking for studio sound in wireless earbuds
• What does it cost? $279/£229/AU$399
• What we like: Solid sound profile, excellent feature set, comfortable fit
• What we don’t like: ANC isn’t incredible, bass isn’t as tight as I might like

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: Price and Availability

The Amiron 300 aren’t the most expensive buds in the world, but they are pricier than some of the buds that they’re going up against. Their $279 price brings them in lower than the likes of the WF-1000XM5 and QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, but more than AirPods Pro 2 by around $29. I’d say they’re priced about right. They’re not quite filled with the same features as the Sony’s and don’t have the same ANC as the QuietComfort Ultra, but they outperform the AirPods Pro 2 in some key spots like sound and comfort.

You can pick up a pair from the Beyerdynamic website, but they’re also available from Amazon and other big box retailers.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: Design and Build

• Clean, functional design
• Premium feel
• Incredibly light

One of the first things I noticed about the Amiron 300 when I opened the charging case was just how tiny they are. I’ve tried small buds before, like the Beats Studio Buds+, and these feel about as minuscule as those — going directly in the face of the positively massive QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. They’re smaller than the Apple and the Sony options as well, which makes for a bud that disappears when they go in your ear.

Thanks to that small size and what I presume are light components inside, the Amiron 300 weigh very little — 0.15 ounces each, compared to 0.2 ounces for the Sony buds. Once you’ve chosen the right ear tips (remember, they’re usually going to be slightly larger than you might expect), you’ll find an incredibly comfortable fit. Wearing them for a long time is no issue at all, and they don’t pop out when you move your head or when you’re walking out and about.

The case is slightly larger than Sony's, but around the same size as the AirPods case and a little smaller than the Bose. It’s a thick one though, so those who carry their earbuds around in tight pants are in for a larger pocket bulge than with some of the other charging cases.

They look premium as well, although they lack a certain stylistic edge. They look ‘nice’ — there’s nothing about them that says “look at me!” The Black color is a more interesting choice, thanks to their orange accents, while the cream ones just blend in. I personally like their more understated look, but if you want something more interesting you might want to consider the shoutier Bose alternative.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: Controls

• Sensitive touch controls
• Customizable in app

I remain unconvinced by touch controls, and while the Amiron’s are fine, they do little to assuage my issues with the format. Each bud has a touch panel, and you can tap and hold for various functions. The range of controls is good, and when you deliberately use them they work well for pausing, skipping and going back, as well as changing the volume and turning ANC on and off.

The issue, as always, is that they’re very sensitive. Need to adjust a bud? You’ve just play/paused your music six times. Need to pop a bud out? You’ve skipped three tracks. Scratching your ear? Moving your hair? When you want them to work, it's nice that they do, but they also work when you don’t want them to and that feels like an irritating problem to have.

You can customize them in the app though, which is always a bonus. There are options for multiple taps as well and holds, so you can really dial them in exactly the way you want them to function. You can interchange the functions, so what used to pause might do something different, like turn on the ANC or transparency mode.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: Features

• Excellent app
• Bluetooth 5.3
• LDAC

The feature set of the Amiron puts them very much in the middle of the road when compared to their competition. They outmatch the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, but sit just behind the WF-1000XM5. They’ve got multiple noise canceling and transparency levels, letting you dial in their ANC performance depending on where you are. It doesn’t do it automatically, mind you, like the Sonys, but it’s a nice additional customization option. These are controlled through the top-notch Beyerdynamic app, which also looks after the rest of the bud's features.

There are aforementioned customizable controls, for one, along with options to activate LDAC playback, change the EQ with a solid 5-band equalizer, turn the assistant on and off, and more. It’s a great app, and connects with little issue to the buds upon getting them hooked up to your phone. It’s super easy to use too, with well set out icons that tell you exactly what they’re going to do.

Within that app, you’ll find the bud's other features. Low Latency mode is going to be a boon for gamers and YouTube watchers, and the toggable wear detect pauses and plays your music when you take the buds out and put them back in. It’s a well-rounded feature set, and while it’s not quite as ‘next generation’ as Sony’s GPS-enabled ANC, they more than bring the fight to the likes of the QuietComfort Ultra and the AirPods Pro 2 — unless you want the hearing aid features of the latter.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: ANC

• Struggles with higher-range sounds
• Needs music playing to really block noise

The Amiron 300 aren’t bad at blocking noise, but they’re not quite up to scratch with their competition when it comes to their ANC algorithm. When they’re not playing music, they struggle to block out high-range noises like tire road noise and people talking. For office use, they’re going to be ok as they silence air conditioning systems, but the moment the cubicle prowling gossip gets going you’re not going to be completely isolated.

Things get a little better when playing music at mid-volume, now that the earbuds have more sound to play with. The lower sounds are now blocked well, with engine sounds and the like melting into nothing. Higher range sounds are still a slight issue, but it is much better than without. When listening to a podcast or audiobook though, the ANC still isn’t quite up there with the likes of the Sonys or the Bose.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: Connectivity

• Bluetooth 5.3
• Multipoint

As with many newer Bluetooth earbuds you’ll find on shelves today, you’ll find easy pair with Android in the Amiron 300. Open them for the first time next to your phone and a window pops open with an image of the buds and prompts to get them connected properly. Once connected, you’re treated to a solid, lag-free connection that’s not going to stutter or cause you problems.

There’s multipoint as well, so you can connect them to multiple devices and switch between them when each plays audio. It’s easy to initiate. Just pop the buds in their case, press and hold the little button on the back of the case, and then find them in the Bluetooth settings of your second device.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: Call Quality

• Good receiver quality
• A little sibilance on buds end

Call quality on the Amiron 300 is about up to par with the likes of the Sony and Apple alternatives, although the Bose are better for chatting over a voice or video call. Audio on my end through my call testing was good, although there was a little sibilance that crept through. My call partners reported quality audio, so it looks like the combination of strong mics and good connection make for a decent call experience.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: Sound Quality

• Crisp highs
• Well rounded mids
• The bass is a little flabby

The Amiron have some stiff competition at their price point, but they mostly manage to stand up to scrutiny when compared to their shelf mates. Interestingly, where most buds at this price tend to focus on the low-end, the Amiron 300 go for a sound signature that’s weighted more toward the high end with great clarity on cymbals and other crashing sounds. They’re not too bright though, and the well-rounded mids make for a great listening experience.

There is just one complaint you might have of the buds — the slightly flabby low end. For one, there’s not a huge amount of it, and what is there feels loose and a little uncontrolled. Bass lines are still solid, mind you, but you’ll find tracks that are filled with low end become slightly messy when compared to the bass weighted competition.

Spin up Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer, and you’ll find that slightly loose low end doing its best with the fretless bass line, but doing a stellar job with drum impact and cymbal reproduction. There’s loads to love — Gabriel’s vocals are clear as crystal, and the picked guitars are present and correct. It’s every bit as fun as you’d hope.

New Dad’s Angel brings a healthy amount of fuzz and pervading warmth, and again, the Amiron 300 do an admirable job of making an uncomfortable soundscape. The drums cut through the wall of guitars, bass and synth, while the vocals gently croon over the top. It’s one of those tracks that sounds good on most devices you play it on, but the Amiron make for another solid listen.

Finally, Celtic Frost’s A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh makes for a suitably threatening and uncomfortable experience. The lo-fi bass works better here, as the low-end lack of control adds to the wobble of the bass notes. Fischer's terrifying growls, screams and other assorted vocalizations have edge and presence, while the distorted guitars chug and sustain. It shows the strengths of the Amiron very well, with plenty of edge to its metallic fury.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: Battery Life

• 7 hours ANC on
• 28 hours in the case

7 hours out of the buds themselves is pretty good, equalling the Sony WF-1000XM5, and beating the 6 hours of the Apple and Bose options. Turn off ANC and you’ll find that battery life increases to 10 hours, which is very good for the format. My testing found those battery claims to ring true, with my mid-volume ANC testing getting around 6 hours and 50 minutes. It will depend on volume, EQ, and ANC level of course, but its encouraging to get so close to the purported battery.

The case will net you 28 hours, which is pretty good, and better than most of the competition — particularly the cheaper AirPods Pro 2. Overall, very good battery life from the Amiron 300, particularly if you’re willing to forgo the ANC.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 review: Verdict

The Amiron 300 have to do a lot to stand out against the more established options out there, and I’ve found they do a pretty good job of setting themselves apart. Their sound signature is a unique one for the price, with more detail in the top end and less emphasis on the bass elements of your favorite tunes. They look fairly understated and are incredibly small and light, which serves to make them more comfortable when you’ve chosen the correct ear tip.

The ANC could stand to see some attention from Beyerdynamic, and the bass needs a little work, but the Amiron 300 still manage to stand out against their peers thanks to excellent battery life and a solid feature set. Definitely one for the shortlist, and they’ve got a place on the list of the best wireless earbuds.

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