Cowin E7 Pro Review – Best Noise Cancelling Headphones Under $100?

Compared to the original E7, this newer model has better sound quality, improved build quality and overall is more appealing than the original E7. And though the noise cancelation isn’t as good as Bose, the E7 Pro is a fraction of the cost but still delivers a good value for the money.

Currently this retails for about $89, but you can click here to check for the current price and availability.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Included w/ the headphones is a nice hard shell carrying case with a mesh divider inside to help keep cords/cables easy to get to. There’s also a manual, USB charging cable and AUX cable which allows you to listen to these headphones even when they’re not charged. The included cables are basic and nothing fancy here.

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY

My first impression of these is that they have a bulky look to them. And this is mostly do to the size of the ear cups. The ear cups are made of a faux leather material which is comfortable feeling around the ears. They do allow you to swivel them 90 degrees so that they can lay flat for storage or for around your neck.

The headband has a nice amount of cushioning and can be stretched out quite a bit! This was impressive as you can really stretch out the headband w/out damaging or breaking it. One of the design upgrades with the E7 pro model is a brushed metal look on the outside of the ear cups, which does look sharp. And although the construction is mostly plastic, the headphones still have enough heft and weight to them so that you feel like they’re a step up from less expensive plastic headphones.

COMFORT

What I notice when first wearing these is how comfortable they are. While some have mentioned the clamping force is a bit tight, I would disagree. There’s enough to keep the headphones from sliding off your head, they sit snugly around your hears, but yet they’re not putting any excessive pressure against your head either. And the thick ear pads to work really well and giving a nice comfortable listening experience.

The challenge is that after about 45 minutes of wearing these or so you can start to develop a hot spot on the top of the head. And I believe this is due to the larger ear cups and the way the weight is distributed. This is one of those things that will affect each person differently, but if you’re someone like myself who is prone to discomfort underneath the top of the headband, that’s something to consider if you plan on wearing these all day long.

But still, whenever I first put these on they’re always super comfortable and feel quite cozy around my ears.

SOUND QUALITY

Compared to the original E7, you’ll notice the sound quality has improved noticeably. The biggest difference is that it sounds less ‘tinny’ and music sounds more balanced overall. So you don’t have some frequencies massively overpowering other frequencies. You also get a wider frequency response w/ the E7 pro because it now has 45mm drivers instead of a 40mm driver (which is what the original E7 had). So as a result you do get a fuller and more rich sound compared to the original E7.

Specifically, one of the most noticeable differences in the lows is that the bass is less boomy and cleaner sounding. This makes a huge improvement when listening to any contemporary genres of music that have more low end presence. Just this along would be enough of a reason to upgrade to the E7 pro as it’s a really welcome improvement.

The mids are still the weak point of these headphones. Though slightly improved over the original E7, vocals as an example can sound a tad withdrawn and veiled. Still, compared to other ANC headphones in this price range, mid-range performance is still adequate.

BATTERY LIFE & BLUETOOTH CONNECTIVITY

Although the E7 pro claims to have a battery of 30 hours, in my experience it was closer to 25 hours. But this is still very impressive considering these headphones have 45mm drivers to power.

Technology wise these headphones utilize NFC and Bluetooth 4.0. It would have been a real plus if they would have used the newer 4.2 (or even 4.1) Bluetooth technology as those are more efficient and can often be found on cheaper headphones. But I wouldn’t consider that a deal breaker as Bluetooth 4.0 still works very well.

NOISE CANCELLATION

The ANC feature is a big reason for getting these headphones and fortunately this is an area that the E7 pro also handles well. Though the ANC is not as good as Bose (Bose noise cancelling headphones are still the best in this regard), Bose headphones cost a lot more.

The noise cancelling is most noticeable when noise has a ‘droning’ type noise to it. So traffic driving buy, the whirl of a fan or office air conditioner as an example. Conversations around the office are definitely muted but female voices less so than male voices.

Also, another important improvement over the original E7 is that the sound quality isn’t as poor w/ the ANC turned on as it was with the original E7 headphones. Here again, this could be a reason to upgrade if ANC is something you like to use quite a bit.

BOTTOM LINE

First, if you’re trying to decide between these and the original E7, these are absolutely work the extra money. The ANC and sound quality improvements alone make that a no brainer if you can afford to spend a little more. But what sets these headphones apart from all the other ANC headphones in this price range is their ability to deliver solid noise cancellation that actually works with a listening experience that’s actually enjoyable as well.

I’ve listened to a number of ANC headphones under $100 that really disappointed in this regard. The Meidong E8 are the most recent example.

And not only do these sound good and have good noise cancellation, they also don’t look offensive to wear. Granted they’re a bit on the large size, but that’s the trade off when you’re getting such thick ear pads (to help w/ comfort) and larger 45mm drivers (to deliver improved sound quality).

Check Price for Cowin E7 Pro

So unless you have a reason you absolutely must have the newest bluetooth technology or if you need something that’s less bulky to wear, for anyone wanting a solid ANC headphone under $100, these would be the ones to get!