The Beyerdynamic AMIRON 300 Represent an Outstanding Set of Premium Earbuds
High-end earbud manufacturers have been facing some criticism from budget brands lately. As more manufacturers adopt the impressive Qualcomm range of chipsets, incorporating Bluetooth, noise cancellation, and advanced tone shaping, it's becoming increasingly challenging to create poorly-sounding earbuds. However, premium brands still have their advantages, such as advanced driver units and years of experience.
One of the headphone and earbud brands with a wealth of experience is beyerdynamic, the German audio specialist that's been around for almost a century. One of the company's latest products is the beyerdynamic FOX 300, a high-end pair of true wireless earbuds featuring top-notch noise cancelation and a sound that will leave you speechless.
The FOX 300 showcases a pleasing design with a contemporary aesthetic and an ergonomic shape that fits well in most ears. The ANC functionality is exceptional, making it ideal for use during long-haul flights or your daily office commute, if you're among those commuters who still prefer going to a physical workplace.
With up to 10 hours of listening time on a single charge, the FOX 300 have enough endurance to get you from Heathrow to JFK without needing to recharge. The charging case can be replenished using a USB-C cable or a Qi wireless charging mat. My only complaint regarding the overall package is related to the ear tips. They tend to fall out of the box every time you open it, as they're not secured by anything. Beyerdynamic, could you please address this issue?
Like any quality pair of earbuds, the FOX 300 feature touch controls that can be customized for personal preference. The controls can be set up to cycle through the noise cancelation options so that you can turn ANC off, activate it at full strength, or switch to the hear-through mode so you can be aware of your surroundings. Additional control options include volume adjustment, play/pause, skip, and replay. All these features and more can be accessed using beyerdynamic's smartphone app.
As expected, the FOX 300 include built-in microphones for making and receiving phone calls as well as for video conferencing with Zoom and Microsoft Teams, among others. The sound quality is excellent, with good beamforming from the microphones and good wind resistance.
As noted, the earbud battery offers up to 10 hours of playtime, which drops to 7 hours with the ANC feature enabled. With the residual charge in the storage case, the total possible playtime is up to 28 hours, making it likely that the user will only need to recharge once a week.
The Bluetooth chipset used in the FOX 300 supports SBC, AAC, and LDAC. Unfortunately, if you're looking for the aptX family of audio codecs, you will be disappointed. However, the hi-res market seems to be moving towards LDAC, with the rollout of Bluetooth LE. If you're an iPhone user, you'll want support for AAC. Bluetooth latency appears good.
Now, let's discuss the crucial aspect of sound. My initial impressions were incredibly positive. These are easy-listening earbuds with a pleasantly expansive soundstage that adequately places all the instruments where they should be. All the frequencies are well-separated, and there's no point where things start to clutter; in other words, you won't experience the bass overwhelming the midrange or the treble swamping everything else.
The bass frequencies of the FOX 300 are strong but not overpowering. All the bass notes are present, but they don't blend together. In other words, you can hear the bass guitar and the kick drum separately instead of them merging into just one thud. Although a rich bass might sound appealing initially, it can quickly become tedious and lead to listening fatigue. In my opinion, Beyerdynamic has struck the right balance when it comes to bass presentation.
It's safe to say that it's the mid-range where the FOX 300 truly shine. The purity and openness reveal all the details in recordings and then some. Everything you want to hear is there, and there are no rough edges. If you want to truly experience music as it was recorded, the FOX 300 do an excellent job of reproducing that. A flat response with a touch of character is the best way to describe it.
The treble frequencies are tight and well-organized, while maintaining sufficient clarity to provide an accurate focus to the soundstage. They never become chaotic, and there's never a hint of sibilance, even at higher volumes.
Verdict: The Beyerdynamic FOX 300 are stylish true wireless earbuds with a stunning aesthetic and comfort on par with a pair of sheepskin slippers. The sound is exceptionally balanced and is not far off the amazing sound you get with a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO X headphones, one of my favorite studio headphones, alongside the Austrian Audio HI-X20. Of course, you'll also enjoy excellent ANC, excellent voice quality, and an acceptable battery life. Compared to most budget earbuds, the FOX 300 offer a smoother and more detailed sound, as well as a design and build quality that's simply delightful to use. Highly recommended.
Pricing & Availability: The Beyerdynamic FOX 300 true wireless earbuds are available now and cost $279.99 / £229 / €249.
- Earbud Type: Dynamic.
- Sound Isolation: Closed.
- Wear Style: In-Ear.
- Frequency Range: 20 Hz to 40,000 Hz.
- Impedance: 32 ohms.
- Maximum Sound Level: 95 dB.
- Total Harmonic Distortion: Less than 0.2% at 100 Hz, less than 1.5% at 500 Hz, less than 0.3% at 1 kHz.
- Ambient Noise Level: Ambient: Less than 19 dB SPL, Active Noise Cancellation On: Less than 15 dB SPL, Active Noise Cancellation Off: Less than 1.5 dB SPL.
- Bluetooth Version: 5.3.
- Bluetooth Capabilities: HFP, A2DP, AVRCP, HSP.
- Supported Codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC.
- Firmware Updates: Via Mobile App.
- Operating Range: 15 meters.
- Battery Life Per Earbud: Up to 10 hours.
- Total Battery Life with Charging Case: 28 hours.
- Charging Case Weight: 51.3 grams.
- Charging Time: Approximately 2 hours.
- Charging Options: USB-C or Qi Wireless.
- Microphone Type: MEMS, Omnidirectional.
- Earbud Weight: 4.4 grams per piece.
The beyerdynamic FOX 300 are high-end bluetooth earbuds that utilize true wireless technology, offering active noise cancelation for an enhanced listening experience. The Qualcomm chipset incorporated into these earbuds allows for impressive Bluetooth connectivity, noise cancellation, and advanced tone shaping.
Despite the increasing importance of chipset technology in the earbud market, premium brands like beyerdynamic continue to have advantages, such as their years of experience and advanced driver units that contribute to exceptional sound quality.
[Reference: high-end bluetooth earbuds, true wireless earbuds, active noise cancelation]
