I thought that you guys could have some fun with me today as I put together this Cowin E7 vs Cowin E8 article to see if the E8 are worth your money or if you are better off saving a few bucks and getting the E7. Both the Cowin E7 headphones and the Cowin E8 headphones are held in high regard and have a fantastic reputation online. If you are in the market for a set of noise canceling headphones that will allow you to listen to your favorite music, get you a more personal experience with a movie and make you feel like you are in the middle of your video game, you need to keep on reading!
The Price:
Before we get into how good both of these headphones are and what exactly they can do. We need to start this Cowin E7 vs Cowin E8 article off the same way that we always do and that is by having a look at the current price these products are going for.
Cowin E7:
The best place to buy the Cowin E7 headphones is direct from Cowin themselves. As I write this these are priced at $39,99 which is knocking ten bucks off their usual RRP. I think 40 bucks for a set of headphones of this quality is great. These have been surpassed by a few other headphones from Cowin so they are offering a great deal right now. There are some great deals for these on eBay, especially if you are not bothered about the color of them as I found these on there in the 20 to 30 bucks price range and that is brand new!
Cowin E8:
As the Cowin E8 headphones are newer, these are currently priced higher as you would expect. Direct from Cowin you can get these headphones for $79,99 which is half the price of the usual 160 bucks! To say that is a steal is a massive understatement and if you feel like you could want these, jump on this now before the offer ends. I did decide to have a look on eBay too and the prices for these are all over the place. You can get them close for the 80 bucks Cowin are asking direct, but for the most part, they seem to be more expensive on eBay so you are best just going straight to Cowin if you ask me.
The Verdict: If we are talking about the Cowin E7 headphones being their RRP of $49,99 and the Cowin E8 headphones being their RRP of $159,99, the E7 wins hands down, I just do not see the E8 as being that big of an upgrade to be worth the over 100 bucks more. However, if we are looking at the current prices that Cowin are asking for these then you are better paying the extra 40 bucks and getting the Cowin E8 headphones.
The Design:
These days the way a set of headphones look is just as good as how they sound. That is why the design is such an important part of our Cowin E7 vs E8 battle that we have going on here today.
Cowin E7:
Before we get deep into this, I do have to tell you that you can get the Cowin E7 headphones in many different colors and the color of the headphones can actually make a difference to the price. The version that I am talking about here are the black ones and they look really cool. These are nice and light coming in at 0.6 pounds. These are a bit smaller than the E8 with the dimensions being L-7.2” x W-7.2” x D-2.0”. They have a kind of glossy finish to them and the silver accents that they have really do make them pop. While I love the glossy design, this will be a magnet for fingerprints and dust so you will have to make sure you are keeping them nice and clean. If you have a look at this Best Budget Noise Canceling Headphones? | Cowin E7 Unboxing & First Impressions video, you can see what these look like right out of the box.
Cowin has made sure that all the controls for the Cowin E7 headphones are at hand. From controlling the volume, activating Bluetooth, turning on noise canceling, and so on. However, as good as it is having all these buttons, their placement on the cup is a bit weird and they are a bit on the cramped side. Still, once you get used to where they are it will be fun. Until then, you will probably end up pressing the wrong button every now and again. In all, these look cool and they are nice and comfortable as well, even when you have been wearing them for a good few hours.
Cowin says that you can get up to 30 hours of playback from a single charge and that is quite impressive, especially when you factor in the price tag these are currently going for. I do want to also touch on the case that Cowin gives you with these as that is part of the package. Ok, so calling what you get with the Cowin E7 headphones a case is a step too far as it is really a bag, but it is more than good enough to make sure that your headphones are kept safe. Plus, due to the glossy design, it will help keep things like dust and pet hair off them.
Cowin E8: What I like about the Cowin E8 headphones is that Cowin clearly learned, not so much from the mistakes, but they learned a great deal from their previous efforts and that is reflected here. These are also available in different colors, but it is the black version that we are specifically talking about today. These weigh just a tad more as they come in at 0.8 pounds. They are also just a hair bigger as well as the dimensions for these are L-8.2” x W-7.0 x D-2.0” so they are very similar in their dimensions. The first thing to note here is that I feel these are more comfortable to wear as they have a slightly larger cup. The E7 is fine, but when you use those and then try these, you can tell a difference.
I feel that the Cowin E8 Has a much more premium kind of look to them. These are gold and black and they just have a bit more style and class about them. I think that Cowin has really made these look like a set of headphones that could have a price tag of a couple of hundred bucks. They lack the gloss finish that the E7 has as well so these will not get as dirty as quickly too which is something I am happy about. You of course have all your controls on here, but they are spaced out much better on these headphones, making pressing the wrong buttons less likely as you will learn their placement much quicker.
The battery life on offer for these is around 20 hours , but that will of course depend on exactly what you are doing with them. This is a fair bit less than what you are getting with the E7 headphones! The Cowin E8 Headphones as you can see from this Unboxing the Cowin E8 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones video come with a very cool and stylish looking case. I think when you consider that these come in at 80 bucks (when bought directly from Cowin) the fact you get a hardcase like this thrown in is pretty awesome. This will make sure that they are kept nice and safe!
The Verdict: I actually like the design of both sets of headphones and the fact they can be purchased in multiple colors mean that there is a style for everyone’s taste. For my personal taste, I have to give this to the Cowin E8 headphones, I prefer the larger cup and think that they are a bit more comfortable to wear, plus the button placement feels a lot more natural.
The Sound:
We come to our main event in this Cowin E7 vs Cowin E8 showdown and that is looking at the sound capabilities of these headphones. I always think that sound is subjective so just take what I am saying here as my own personal opinion. I have made sure to use these for music, watching a movie, and also gaming.
Cowin E7: Music
I want to start looking at the Cowin E7 headphones and how they handle music. I connected these to my Sony PS-LX310BT Wireless Turntable via Bluetooth which was nice and easy to do. The album I first listened to was Jane’s Addiction: Nothing’s Shocking which from what I understand is pretty damn rare these days. I really wanted to see how much bass these provided so the first song I played was Mountain Song and these kicked my butt! I had to actually turn them down! These have a great sound profile when it comes to music and no matter if it is records, CDs, or even streaming off your phone, you will be impressed with the clarity and how balanced these sound.
Cowin E7: Movies
I am a huge movie buff and while I prefer watching a movie with the aid of my Bose Smart Soundbar, I decided to connect these to my Amazon Fire HD Tablet and watch a few movies. I ended up watching The Adam Project which as I write this, is a new Netflix original and a fun Ryan Reynolds movie. I was impressed with the way these handled movies and found that they could be nice and loud for action scenes, but not lose any clarity when it came to the dialogue. I would never replace a soundbar with these in the home, but if you are traveling or trying to watch something while the kids and wife are asleep, these are great.
Cowin E7: Video Games
I connected these to my PlayStation 5 via Bluetooth which like everything else was nice and easy to do. The game I was currently playing through while testing these was Horizon Forbidden West. These really helped with the immersion. Gaming is actually something I like to do with headphones and all the games that I tested with these sounded great and thanks to the impressive bass performance with these, shooting games in particular really have some kick.
Cowin E7: Noise Cancelling Performance
These do a great job at keeping the outside world quiet! According to the Cowin website, the noise reduction percentage of these is a very impressive 90 percent. I will admit I could still hear the kids wrestling while I was using these, but my kids make more noise than a live WWE event. I think that these are impressive and if you were using them on a plane, in the car, or whatever, they will keep the majority of noise from outside away.
Cowin E8: Music
I spent a few days with the E7s and then I spent a few days with the Cowin E8 headphones and I have to say I did notice a fair difference here. I will say that overall, you get a better balanced and richer sound with these headphones. Interestingly, when I cranked the volume up while listening to Renegades by Rage Against The Machine and I have to be honest and say that the bass is not quite as punchy with these. However, apart from that, there is a clear step up in general sound quality here no matter if it is a record or via Spotify on your phone.
Cowin E8: Movies:
You have no idea how many times I have fired up Disney Plus to watch the last three episodes of The Book of Boba Fett! Granted this is not a movie, but I still think it fits and these three final episodes of the show are my favorite thing that Disney has done with the Star Wars license since they acquired it. I think that the Cowin E8 headphones truly offer an immense experience. You truly are engulfed in the sound and I found myself turning them up just more and more and it never went distorted or anything like that. I also watched Rock of Ages and felt like I was getting a real movie theatre type experience with these!
Cowin E8: Video Games
I have already said that I noticed an upgrade in the general sound quality in both music and movies, but it was with the video games on my PS5 that I really noticed a difference. I have an LG OLED C1 Series 55” Alexa Built-in 4k Smart TV and I love it and I just use the TV speakers for my video games. The game that really made me say wow when played with the Cowin E8 headphones was Resident Evil Village. I legit found myself jumping time and time again, which I never did when I played this with the sound coming from the TV. This made my gaming so much more intense and more enjoyable. So much so that I think I might use headphones all the time now and I have my eye on the PlayStation PULSE 3D Wireless Headset. I just need to sweet talk my wife into it!
Cowin E8: Noise Cancelling Performance
Perhaps the biggest upgrade (in addition to the comfort) with the Cowin E8 headphones over the Cowin E7 is the noise canceling performance. These have a 96 percent noise reduction range which is just insane. I found myself keep lifting up a cup to see if I could hear what the wife or kids were up to and I could! These will make sure if you have to make a noisy morning commute to work that you will not have to listen to people coughing, other people’s music, or their brutal conversations! These are great if you want to escape into your own little world and keep that annoying outside noise away!
The Verdict: Look, the Cowin E7 headphones are awesome and as I said before with both of these being at their RRP, I do not think the leap to the E8 is enough to warrant over double the price. Still, with that being said, the Cowin E8 headphones have to take this round as apart from a little bit less bass, they offer a much more balanced sound profile all around and the extra noise canceling performance can help you get even more immersed in your movie or music.
What Are The Best Headphones?
This has been a lot of fun, but now we come to the end of our Cowin E7 vs E8 headphones article and I have to pick a winner. I feel that the Cowin E7 headphones are offering people a fantastic value for money, getting these for around the 40 bucks range is just amazing! However, I do feel that if the asking price for the Cowin E8 headphones is still $79,99, that they are worth that extra 40 bucks. They just offer what the Cowin E7s do, but with that extra bit more. So yeah, my winner for this contest today are the Cowin E8 headphones.
