A very reasonably priced pair of wireless ANC (active noise canceling) headphones, the Mixcder E7s are a great choice if you are on a budget but there are some compromises you will have to make.
Spending around £45 on a pair of wireless headphones – let alone a pair with ANC – can be a risky business. There will definitely be things that it won’t do great, the gamble is whether you will be able to live with the deficiencies. Thankfully the E7s are a pleasant surprise and perform well above what you would expect for the price tag.
Sound Quality
The most impressive thing about the E7s is the sound quality with the headphones delivering clear sound and the type of performance you would expect of a pair costing twice the price. They are not perfect, vocals aren’t produced as well as grander complex arrangements, but they are very good at giving a sense of being fully surrounded by sound.
They are well balanced with a decent level of bass, without being too overpowering, and showed good performance from the mids and treble. Other reviewers have suggested these can be on the soft side but we didn’t think it seriously hampered the overall quality.
ANC – Active Noise Canceling
The noise canceling has a reasonable effect although it’s not as effective as on more expensive headphones. It actually makes the sound feel a bit quieter rather than louder but does a reasonable job of blocking out consistent ambient noise like the engine of a bus or background noise on a train.
One issue we did find with the ANC was that it produced a low-frequency thump alongside the impact our feet made when walking. This was so annoying we had to resort to turning off the ANC whenever we were moving around.
Design and build quality
The headphones are full size over-ear headphones with enough space on the earpieces to enclose most ears. They are relatively well built but unsurprisingly for the price are mostly plastic so can be a little creaky in places.
Overall they certainly look the part and more expensive than they are, but their size means they are not the most subtle of headphones you can buy.
The earpieces fold to allow the headphones to turn flat but don’t fold inwards to make them smaller.
Other features
The Bluetooth wireless connection performed reliably and we didn’t experience any cut outs during use. The battery provides up to 20 hours of playback/talktime and the headphones are charged through a microUSB slot.
The headphones are controlled with three buttons on the right-hand earpiece: power/pause; volume up; and volume down. With another slider on the left-hand earpiece for turning the ANC on and off.
The headphones also come with a semi-hard carry case to provide some protection when not in use – although it is the kind of size that would be a pain to carry around during normal use.
Price
The price is a vital part of the E7’s appeal as, at around £42, they are exceptionally competitive for any wireless headphones, let alone a pair with ANC. There are some alternatives that are worth considering but many don’t have the full set of features or will cost a little more. If you do have a little more budget to play with (and ANC isn’t overly important to you) we would also recommend looking at the Mixcder MS301s which feel a bit more premium and sound a little more refined.
Verdict
The E7s are a fantastic set of headphones for the price, offering good design and impressive sound quality. As long as you don’t want to do too much moving around with the ANC turned on, there’s not a lot of problems that would demand you spend anymore.