CES 2018

The Aventho looks like a fairly conventional supra aural (on-ear) headphone. Also, fairly conventionally, it offers Bluetooth wireless connectivity. But it also features an interesting accompanying app that is unconventional, but extremely valuable.

The Aventho's app (iOS and Android) brings sound personalization to the headphone. It lets you perform a hearing test and create a sound profile that acoustically adapts the headphone's response to your hearing. The hearing test takes about 6 minutes.

Using the iOS app, you can measure your hearing response and then upload the profile to the headphone to create a compensating output response. The app for Android 7 is somewhat limited; statistical data is used to create a "nonpersonal" response curve. By the end of January, an app for Android 6 and 8 will offer full personalization.

I like the idea of sound personalization. Few of us have perfect hearing, particularly as time goes by. With this simple app, you can goose the headphone's response and get closer to how music sounded when you were in your teens. There is no shame in that. For starters, who will know? It's just a good use of digital signal processing to restore a flatter response curve for yourself. Bravo Beyerdynamic.

The made-in-Germany headphone uses the company's Tesla drivers with a response rated from 10 to 40,000 Hz, and a nominal sound pressure level of 105 dB into 32 ohms. Bluetooth transmission is handled via aptX HD and AAC.

Other stuff you might want to know: Battery life is more than 30 hours; the right ear cup has a touch pad for playing the next track and adjusting volume, and a hands free microphone. The app also lets you adjust the sensitivity of the touch pad, and track daily listening habits.

The Aventho is available now, in black and brown, at a retail price of $449.