PROS
- Sound quality
- Good comfort
- Solid connection
- Solid noise cancellation
CONS
- Many plastic parts
VERDICT
For around $70, you can’t expect the best active noise cancelling system in the world. What you can expect, and what the Cowin E-7 headphones deliver, is a decent amount of noise attenuation coupled with equally decent sound quality. We can see why the E-7 are an Amazon best-seller, and we believe that they’re more than worth their affordable price.
Cowin is a big name in the audio industry, holding over 130 patents and being responsible for some of the most popular earbuds, headphones, and portable audio players in the world. Among the company’s latest best-sellers are the Cowin E-7 active noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones. For around $70, the headphones definitely belong to the budget category, but their aspirations are much higher.
Design and Build
The Cowin E-7 are comfortable on-ear headphones with protein earpads for excellent comfort even when it’s so hot outside that thermometers start melting. Cowin has reinforced only the most stressed parts, such as the swiveling earcups and the headband, keeping the overall weight of the headphones low.
Like most Bluetooth headphones, the E-7 feature pairing and volume control buttons on one earcup as well as a USB port for charging and a 3.5 mm audio jack for wired listening. The buttons are flushed with the housing, and their silver color nicely matches the silver arm that connects the earcups to the headband.
Also included is a microphone for hands-free phone calls and remote smartphone control. When in the Bluetooth mode, the Cowin E-7 last up to 30 hours before they need to be charged. We really like that you can keep listening using the included 3.5 mm audio cable even when the battery is dead. Cowin offers an 18-month warranty, and the company’s customer service is known to be friendly and always willing to help.
Sound Quality
Active noise cancellation is still rare in the budget category. Those few manufacturers who release affordable noise cancelling headphones are often forced to make huge compromises elsewhere, which inevitably results in products that are difficult to recommend to anyone who’s serious about music. Sure, Cowin also had to make a few compromises, but the E-7 are one of only a few budget noise cancelling headphones that we can wholeheartedly recommend.
The active noise cancelling feature can be activated by flipping a switch on one of the earcups, and it eliminates a noticeable amount of outside noise. It doesn’t work great with speech, but most noise cancelling headphones don’t.
Inside the earcups are large 40 mm drivers with deep bass and decent clarity. Vocals are relatively clear, but the overall presentation leans on the side of fun, rather than on the side of precision and accuracy.
What’s in the Box?
The box includes a soft pouch to protect the headphones from scratches, a 3.5 mm audio cable, and a microUSB cable for charging. Cowin does offer a hard-shell carrying case on Amazon, but you need to pay extra to get it. If you know that you’ll be traveling with the headphones often, the hard-shell case is worth it.
