Cowin E7 Pro Review

The E7 Pro seems like a tantalizingly inexpensive pair of noise cancelling headphones, but we found that technology to be lackluster, to say the least.

Performance Comparison

Sound Quality

We've yet to encounter a model in our testing that truly sounds bad. That being said, the E7 Pro is at the back of the bunch. If we could use one word to describe the E7 Pro sound quality, it would be flat. The clarity is acceptable, but you'll definitely notice some distortion, especially with acoustic numbers or when listening to podcasts. The bass is on the weaker side of things, which does little to balance the poor clarity. The overall sound is okay, but nothing you couldn't get from the earbuds that came for free with your phone.

Noise Isolation

Of all the headphones we've tested with active noise cancellation, the E7 Pro offers the least amount of noise isolation. In fact, it is even with non-noise canceling models in this metric.

We found the E7 Pro's active noise cancellation almost completely ineffective in practice. With that feature turned on, ambient noises and nearby conversations only seemed to be muffled as much as you'd expect from simply covering your ears with headphones. When we turned that feature off, we didn't notice any change in how much ambient noise was getting through to our eardrums.

In fact, the active noise cancellation sometimes hurt our listening experience. At least once or twice an hour, the noise cancellation would seem to get confused and emit a deep, vibrating bass noise for a few seconds.

Bottom line, if you want active noise cancellation that can provide more noise-dampening than earmuffs, these aren't the headphones for you.

Comfort

Honestly, we don't know why so many headphone manufacturers seem to be convinced that human ears are perfectly round. The E7 Pro's round and shallow ear cups are only suitable if your ears are on the very small side of the spectrum. If not, you're probably going to experience some uncomfortable hot spots. Because of this, the E7 Pro earned one of the lowest scores in our comfort testing.

User Friendliness

The E7 Pro offers the kind of user interface you'd expect from a pair of headphones and nothing more. These headphones have a simple switch to turn the headphones and noise-canceling on and off. Two +/- buttons on the side of the right ear cup adjust volume with a short press and skip tracks forward and back with a long press. A small button on the bottom of the right ear cup lets you play and pause music.

The E7 Pro missed out on a higher score because it lacks some of the extra features other headphones offer, namely an app that can fine-tune the noise canceling and EQ settings.

Portability

This is the one metric where the E7 Pro shines. A 30-hour maximum battery life, a low weight of 10.6 ounces, and a nice, semi-rigid carrying case make the E7 Pro relatively easy to take along with you wherever you go.

Should You Buy the E7 Pro?

The E7 Pro doesn't compare well to other top-ranked wireless headphones within this price range, nor with some products that cost less. The Cowin E7 Pro doesn't live up to its noise-canceling pedigree and offers only average sound quality. They're not a bad pair of headphones, but they don't quite live up to the competition.

What Other Wireless Headphones Should You Consider?

For less money, the Soundcore Life Q20 is a better value and the one we'd choose if budget is a concern. The Q20 earned a higher score overall and offered better performance in every testing metric over the Cowin. We understand that not everyone can afford the higher-end models with prices in the several hundred dollar range, but if your wallet has a limit, then the Soundcore is the one we'd choose.