The Cowin SE7 Wireless are closed-back headphones with active noise cancelling (ANC). They have a new design that feels more high-end than the Cowin E7 Wireless and the Cowin E7 Pro Wireless. They're also quite a bit more comfortable than these previous models. On the other hand, their audio reproduction is disappointing and feels boomy and cluttered, so they’ll be better suited for bass-heavy genres. Their ANC feature isn’t the best but will do a decent job at isolating out noise, especially if you’re playing audio.
Our Verdict
The Cowin SE7 Wireless are okay for mixed usage. They have a boomy and cluttered sound profile that won’t be ideal for a wide variety of music genres during critical listening. Their ANC feature is quite lackluster, which won’t be ideal for commuting. They're fairly lightweight and stable on the head for sports, but the over-ear design will trap a decent amount of heat. Their decent battery life will last you for a whole workday, but they don’t isolate a lot of ambient chatter, which would have been useful at the office. Also, like most Bluetooth headphones, their latency may be slightly too high for watching videos, and their microphone won’t be great for online gaming.
- Comfortable and durable build.
- Lower latency than average Bluetooth headphones.
- Boomy and cluttered sound profile.
- Sub-par ANC feature.
The Cowin SE7 Wireless are sub-par for neutral listening. They have a boomy bass that lacks thump and rumble, and their mid-range is overemphasized, making the vocals and lead instruments thick and cluttered. Also, their treble is fairly underemphasized, and high frequencies will lack detail and presence. We also noticed a significant drop in bass and overall sound quality when turning the ANC feature on. Overall, these headphones will be better suited for bass-heavy music and won't be ideal for vocal-centric genres. On the upside, they're comfortable to wear for a while.
The Cowin SE7 Wireless are satisfactory for commuting. Their ANC feature isn’t the best, but it blocks an average amount of lower frequency noises like bus engine rumbles. You can also mask more noise when playing audio. Thankfully, they're comfortable, so you can wear these for a while, but they might get hot. Also, their bulky design won’t be very portable, but this shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you wear them around your neck, thanks to the swiveling cups.
The Cowin SE7 Wireless are satisfactory for sports. These headphones are lightweight, and their bass-oriented sound profile can be good for staying pumped during a workout. They apply a good amount of pressure on the head to stay stable, but side movements of the head will make them wiggle off. You can jog with these, but you might sweat more than usual since they trap heat under the ear cups.
The Cowin SE7 Wireless are alright for the office. They block an okay amount of ambient chatter and reduce the noise of A/C systems well. Their battery life will also last you more than a full workday, which is good. Unfortunately, their microphone won’t be ideal for taking business calls. They can’t connect to two devices simultaneously, which would have been useful to switch between your phone and work computer.
The Cowin SE7 Wireless are disappointing for gaming. Their sound profile is boomy and can make video games sound thick. They're decently comfortable for long gaming sessions, but their latency is too high for gaming. They also have a sub-par microphone that won’t be ideal for online gaming with friends and teammates. Even if you don’t need a microphone for single-player games, these headphones won’t be a great choice for this use.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 19, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 26, 2019: Review published.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Cowin SE7 are noise cancelling, over-ear headphones that set themselves apart from the previous Cowin headphones by their new, comfortable, and well-built design. However, they have a very boomy and cluttered sound profile, and their ANC feature doesn’t isolate much.
If you’re looking for a pair of headphones to use during your commute, check our recommendations for the best noise cancelling headphones and the best headphones, or if you don’t want to break the bank to get a good product, look at the best headphones under $100.
If a neutral sound profile is the most important thing for you when choosing headphones, then the Cowin E7 Pro Wireless are a better option than the Cowin SE7 Wireless model. They won’t sound as boomy and cluttered, and won’t lack detail in the treble range. However, they might sound too sharp for some. They also have twice the SE7’s battery life. On the other hand, the SE7 are better-built and more comfortable headphones. This new design feels more high-end, doesn’t have a glossy finish that is fingerprint prone, and doesn’t feel flimsy.
The Cowin E8 Wireless are better headphones than the Cowin SE7 Wireless model. They have a more neutral sound profile and won’t sound as boomy and cluttered as the SE7. Their isolation performance is noticeably better, and their ANC does a good job at isolating against low-frequency noises like bus engine rumble. They also have a better battery life. On the other hand, the SE7 leak less and can fold in a more compact format. They also have lower latency and support the aptX codec, which means you won’t notice too much delay when watching video content with these.
The Mpow H5 Wireless are better-sounding headphones than the Cowin SE7 Wireless and can also be connected simultaneously to two devices, which can be useful. Other than that, the two headphones are fairly similar in terms of controls and noise isolation. However, the Cowin seem to be a bit more comfortable, thanks to their soft padding. Their build quality seems a bit more durable, which explains their slightly more expensive price point. If sound is your biggest criteria, get the Mpow, but if durability and comfort are most important, the Cowin would still please most users, especially fans of bass-heavy music.
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 are better than the Cowin SE7 Wireless in pretty much every category. The Bose are one of the most comfortable headphones we’ve reviewed so far, their ANC feature blocks an impressive amount of ambient noise, and they have a very well-balanced sound profile. They have longer battery life and will be a more versatile pair of headphones than the Cowins. The Cowin have noticeably lower latency and are quite a bit cheaper than the Bose.
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