With introduction of COWIN SE7 in Jan 2019 I went to Cowin website to find out what is NEW in latest product and will it be worth spending $20 more to get hands on this upgrade from present Cowin E7 Pro ANC headphones. So since there was no direct information available on precisely what is NEW in this upgrade, I researched to get precise information on what is difference in between COWIN E7 vs COWIN E7 Pro vs COWIN SE7 and what is NEW in each upgrade that Cowin has introduced.
To begin with I have prepared a quick specs and features comparison table, with colors in background for cells, which will allow you to learn quickly fundamental differences in the upgrades Pro and SE7.
So if you don’t have much time to think and select, simply go for the latest version of SE7 by spending $20 more, or get into the detailed review after this specs table –
COWIN E7 vs COWIN E7 Pro vs COWIN SE7 Specs comparison
Active Noise Cancelling Headphones |
COWIN E7 |
COWIN E7 Pro |
COWIN SE7 |
Offers, Discounts |
Best Buy |
Best Buy |
Best Buy |
| Release Date | 12/26/2015 | 1/1/2018 | 1/1/2019 |
| What is NEW? | Baseline for comparison to Pro and SE7 model | upgraded upgraded ABS plastics & headband, driver housing & ANC software to give the headphones a professional look & feel | Foldable design + AptX (low latency) + Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Color | Black, Blue, Purple, Red, White | Black, Blue, Green, Pink, Purple, Red, White | Black, Dark Green, Gold |
| Earcups | 90° Swiveling Earcups | 90° Swiveling Earcups | Foldable design |
| Drivers | 45mm Drivers | 45mm Drivers | 40mm drivers with Aptx |
| Bluetooth protocol | CSR8635 Bluetooth 4.1 chip | CSR8635 Bluetooth 4.1 chip | latest APTX Bluetooth 5.0 standard |
| Microphone | Built-in voice-optimized microphone | Built-in voice-optimized microphone | Built-in voice-optimized microphone |
| Noise Reduction Depth | 28db | 30db | 32db |
| Impedance | 16Ω | 16Ω | 16Ω |
| S/N | ≥ 85dB | ≥ 85dB | ≥ 90dB |
| Frequency | 20Hz-20kHz | 20Hz-20kHz | 20Hz-20kHz |
| Music playtime | 30 Hours playtime | 30 Hours playtime | 30 Hours playtime |
| Charging | charge for 10 mins & get over 1hr of playback. | charge for 10 mins & get over 1hr of playback. | charge for 10 mins & get over 1hr of playback. |
| Full charging time | 4 hours | 4 hours | ≤3.5 hours |
| Battery specs | 600mAh | 800mAh | 800mAh |
| Controls | Pause, play, skip & adjust the volume | Pause, play, skip & adjust the volume | Pause, play, skip & adjust the volume |
| Features | Charge & listen at the same time | Charge & listen at the same time | Charge & listen at the same time |
| NFC pairing | Yes | Yes | No |
| Warranty | 18 Month Warranty | 18 Month Warranty | 18 Month Warranty |
Cowin E7 Review – 2015 release
Best Buy at : Amazon [ As on 23 Feb 2019, they scored 4.2 stars out of 5 ]
Lets talk about the original Cowin E7 Wireless headphones which were introduced in December 2015 –
They laid down one of the Best budget Noise Cancellation headphones with acceptable wireless range.
However compared to the other models from Cowin, the sound quality got somewhat deteriorated, may be because of incorporation of the NC qualities …. They sounded somewhat like mediocre.
The sound got somewhat muffled and a little darkened.
But surely Cowin E7 was a moderately good looking headphone with super duper 30 hours battery life and a decent noise cancellation while commuting.
Design and Comfort
The COWIN E7 headphones looks decent at the given price range, however they show some lacuna in the build quality. They are thick and with thick well padded headbands compared to the other models from Cowin, giving a feeling of high-end-headphones.
Surely its a comfortable headphone with relatively light weight with use of soft padding on ear cups and headband the do not put much pressure on your head, which allows using till couple of hours without any trouble.
But somehow the plastic used in the ear cups looks somewhat cheap and low grade!
Finally I can say that COWIN E7 Wireless headphones are well made to fit perfectly and tightly in all the head sizes.
Sound
By design they are closed back over-ear headphones which I can say will rank as an average sounding headphones.
Surely they do deliver a deep and extended bass, however sometimes you may feel that the bass is boomy and treble not so much detailed, specially for the instruments.
The vocals are clear, you can listen to the guitar sounds almost perectly allowing you to discover a high quality music to be enjoyed for hours.
Battery
The most favored of these NC headphones is the powerful battery backup which delivers 30 hours of music playtime, which means once charged you will not need to look at them again for over a week.
They use Li-ion battery of 600 mAh capacity.
Bluetooth with NFC pairing
The Cowin E7 has one of the best features of NFC connectivity, which means if your smartphone is NFC capable you will be able to pair both without any hassle of searching and pairing, but simple put them near to each other to pair.
The wireless range is pretty good (remember it also depends upon the transmission power of your mobile device)
Also in case needed, you can use them wired.
Pros
- Great frequency response consistency.
- Budget ANC headphones in market
- Longest music playtime over 30 hours.
- Super soft ear padding
- Low sound leakage
- The brand offers 18-month warranty
Cons
- Not foldable, so occupied more space in backpack.
- Low treble range performance.
- Not useful as the gym wear.
- The headband doesn’t extend far enough.
Cowin E7 Pro Review – 2018 release
Best Buy at : Amazon [ As on 23 Feb 2019, they scored 4.3 stars out of 5 ]
After the first introduction of successful product E7 ANC headphones, Cowin introduced its upgrade in Jan 2018.
The Cowin E7 Pro is slightly fine tuned version of the originals, eliminating some user feedbacks …
Like E7 used to look cheap due to its plastic quality … E7 Pro used an upgraded ABS Plastics of the driver housing and headbands to improve its richness and feel. Giving the headphones a professional look & feel
The ANC software was also given an upgrade to improve the overall ANC performance.
It also got big improvement in the battery area and the 600 mAh battery got replaced by a powerful 800 mAh battery.
They carried over the rest of good things like NFC pairing from the original E7 headphones.
Design and Comfort
The Cowin E7 Pro has brushed metallic look with the glossy finish.
These headphones are powered by large diameter 45 mm drivers, which are having large aperture and delivers bass with high accuracy. Which further enhances by using its beautifully designed with improved ear cushions.
These improved soft cushions provides relaxation to you while listening as well as they are durable than before.
And due to its lightweight, you will be able to wear them for a longer period of time.
In terms of design and comfort, E7 Pro is a clear winner over E7, due to its thicker and more breathable padding.
Sound
The E7 Pro are again similar to its predecessor E7 means an over-ear design.
Over-ear padding helps isolating external sound in addition to the basic ANC performance, the isolation helps not to leak the sound played to nearby persons maintaining your privacy.
I can say that the upgraded E7 Pro are blessed with a well-balanced sound quality, something even the most luxurious Bluetooth ANC headphones lack.
However, somehow I feel that they miss the deeper and punchier bass tones from the original E7.
So with E7 Pro simply enjoy every minute and subtle details of sound that you have never experienced before.
Battery
This upgrade boosts larger battery, 600 mAh has been replaced by super powered 800 mAh battery which lasts for 30 hours of music playtime.
Bluetooth with NFC pairing
I liked the fact that these ANC headphones carry the NFC easy and quick pairing technology from its prior version E7.
NFC means quick hassle-free connectivity more advantageous for people who are connecting it to different devices at different locations.
The Cowin E7 Pro offers an excellent range in wireless option.
And if you are out of battery (in rare case) then simply plug the headset using a wired cable connection to yout iPhone or iPad.
Surely E7 or E7 Pro has some bit of audio latency for audios which gets high while watching videos, this lacuna they have addressed in the latest 2019 release of Cowin SE7
Pros
- Improved ANC performance over original E7
- Balanced sound, Rich in bass tones.
- Great wireless range
- Excellent battery life (800 mAh instead of 600 mAh)
- Low sound leakage with improved padding
- The Cowin E7 Pro-Active Noise Cancelling Headphones have a warranty of 18 months.
Cons
- Too large for some people
- Microphone quality
- Bulky rigid design
Cowin SE7 Review – 2019 release
Best Buy at : Amazon [ As on 23 Feb 2019, they scored 4.4 stars out of 5 ]
After successful upgrade of E7 to E7 Pro, Cowin released latest upgrade called as SE7 in year 2019.
As they offered benefits in the first upgrade of E7 Pro, they have also addressed some of the crucial user feedbacks in the latest upgrade launched called as SE7 – 2019.
With introduction of latest Bluetooth technology BT 5.0 Cowin is able to give you lowest latency ever than the previous E7 Pro, so no more lagging sound while you watch the video or play games.
The noise reduction depth has also been increased to 32 dB as compared to 30dB in the E7 Pro and 28 dB in original E7 ANC headphone models.
Another major improvement is done to make them more transportable, yes, now the latest SE7 model has foldable design, which allows you to backpack them anywhere without issues.
So the SE7 pushes you to the next level of silence.
Simply connect Cowin SE7 ANC headphones anywhere in the subway and enjoy the high sound quality that gives you a soothing feeling so that you can go deeper into your music.
The ANC works 24×7 to make them more adorable as you would not be disturbed by the surrounding noise.
Design and Comfort
The Cowin SE7 has further improvement in the build quality, which has gone in from the learnings of the upgrade E7 Pro.
The protein ear pads are soft and light, making listening experience more comfortable for hours of listening.
Somehow the headband does not suit to all head sizes!
Overall by spending $20 more, you get more and more surely worth of it.
Sound
The latest upgrade features the apt-X which means you will get the sound more clear and pleasant.
The SE7 delivers an amazing sound quality using AptX Hi-Fi features.
The headphones have low latency using Bluetooth 5.0 protocol, and good fault tolerance.
They offer a deep, crisp and, powerful bass, and with clear and undisturbed sound makes your listening experience a lot better. Specially listening to music while you are stuck in busy traffic is more relaxing.
Calls
The calls will be breeze in noisy environment, or windy atmosphere, the improved sidetone makes your voice sound clearer to your caller on the other end.
Battery
The E7 Pro already featured 800 mAh battery which is carried forward in the latest SE7 model.
The music playtime is upto 30 hours like the previous E7 Pro.
So in-spite of being upgraded in other features they are able to maintain the same music playtime, which is more than sufficient for a weeks time.
Bluetooth with NFC pairing
Somehow in the latest upgrade of SE7, Cowin has dropped the NFC feature, anyway the upgraded Bluetooth 5.0 protocol makes the wireless connection with breeze with the latest iPhone X series.
Pros
- Long lasting 30 hours of music playtime.
- Great improved sound quality
- Good quality of Inbuilt microphones for superior calls
- No delay on Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity
- No latency in watching videos and playing games
- The 18 months warranty helps customer gain a quick response from the customer service.
Cons
- The fitting of the headphones to all head sizes looks to be somewhat an issue
- Doesn’t have exceptional sound quality
Bottom line
When I compared all Cowin E7 series models, over time Cowin design engineers have worked to eliminate the lacuna and incorporate the customer feedback.
Question is that which Cowin ANC E7 series headphones are best?
I will say those who travel frequently and want to connect their headsets to different audio players can still live with the Cowin E7 Pro version due to its NFC capabilities.
However for frequent travelers, who need ANC as major function, go for latest Cowin SE7 which features latest Bluetooth 5.0 which ensures least connection drops, lowest latency for watching movies or playing games. Further the foldable design is meant for frequent travelers who always run out of package space.