Review: Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 Earbuds

For some products, bland can be good. I’d argue that wireless earbuds are the pinnacle of this concept. You just want something that fits, works, and sounds good, more than you want a flashy, status product. Even AirPods buyers I know aren’t buying them for aesthetics; they’re buying them because they’re among the best earbuds to pair with an iPhone, in terms of function.

Beyerdynamic’s Amiron 300 lack superlatives, and yet I’ve really enjoyed my time with the brand’s new high-end earbuds. They’re not the best-sounding out there, they don’t have the best noise canceling, and they don’t have the best battery life on the market. But they have nearly the best sound, nearly the best noise canceling, and nearly the best battery life, which makes these unassuming $280 buds worth considering.

Especially if you are familiar with the brand’s legendary sound profile from recording studio work, very few manufacturers make a Goldilocks product feel so unassuming. Leave it to the Germans.

Photograph: Parker Hall

Case, Point

An understated rectangular charging case reveals a simple pair of buds that could ostensibly have been designed by anyone who has stepped onto a subway and looked at folks' ears in the past five years. These are simple, pill-shaped buds with a slight dip in the outside that’s embossed with the Y-shaped Beyerdynamic logo.

Photograph: Parker Hall

The only thing that sets these apart from other generic-looking earbuds is a flash of orange from the inside of the silicone ear tips in the case. Removing the buds, you’ll notice “Amiron 300” in silver on the side of each one, along with an easy-to-read R and L for putting the right one in the right hole.

Once you get the buds paired with your phone (nearly instant on Android, thanks to quick pairing), you can download the Beyerdynamic app (iOS, Android) and adjust any settings you need to on the earbuds. I like that it allows you to adjust what each side of the touch-sensitive buds do based on one, two, or three taps, and even when you hold the bud.

Defaults are set logically. One tap plays and pauses music, two changes the ANC mode, three skips tracks, and holding adjusts volume up or down, depending on the side.

Screenshot courtesy of Parker Hall

Passive noise isolation is excellent because of the secure fit, as, oddly, is the hear-through functionality. I swore that they were open earbuds when I had hear-through enabled, thanks to six included microphones. These earbuds were awesome to wear in public and while traveling, when I often want to hear a podcast and announcements (or oncoming cars) at the same time.

The sound signature of these buds is similar to that of the over-ear Beyerdynamic headphones I’ve come to know and love in my home recording studio over the past several years. They’re relatively neutral all around, with a slight boost in the low and high ends to give you just a hint of better definition. They don’t sound like hi-fi-tuned earbuds by any means, but they’re more fun to listen to than AirPods Pro and other similarly priced buds.

Songs like Jack Ladder’s “Susan” have clear kick drum and bass drum, with the trippy synthwave panning dazzling across the stereo image. The vocals in the center of the song are clear and dynamic, not overwhelmed by such a well-defined low end. As the song builds and the conga drums come in, you get an even wider image than I’ve heard from most premium earbuds.

Screenshot courtesy of Parker Hall

Supercharged Vocals

Great vocal tone is one of the characteristics that stands out most about these earbuds when compared to other high-end pairs. Drinking a beer and messing with my home studio, I feel like I’m there in the room when listening to podcasts like the recently revived Diggnation. The fox-and-bear back-and-forth of Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose sounds as playful as they do on my full-range DT 1770 Pro studio headphones, minus the cables.

I like the speed and dynamic response of these too. They have an energy about the highs that pairs very well with the low-end response. You feel obligated to nod your head when listening to driving ride-cymbal-laden music like Gwenno’s “Tir Ha Mor,” where it can fall a bit flat on cheaper pairs.

Photograph: Parker Hall

These earbuds translate my own recording demos so well—I often use earbuds to test how my own music productions sound while working on recordings—which has made them very helpful in my listening time outside the studio. Based on my listening with these, I've changed a few things in my own recordings, balance-wise, that I might otherwise have let slide had I been listening with cheaper pairs.

Between the solid noise canceling, comfortable fit, multipoint pairing, and great sound, it’s just really hard for me to find things I dislike about these earbuds. They’re more expensive than you might otherwise be looking to spend, but you can’t fault a premium product for a premium price tag. If you want a pair of earbuds that work well in most circumstances and that blend in when you’re out in a crowd, these are worth considering.