Tech Review: Mixcder E7 Headphones – Hearing Everything and Nothing

The Mixcder E7 Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones offer options and refinements for your listening experience. The E7 is a mid-range offering in Mixcder’s line of headphones. It offers a variety of features, including noise cancellation, at a reasonable price. I evaluated it for look and feel, features, and performance.

The Hardware

The headphones come with a hard case which includes a loop to hook to your belt, backpack, or whatever is handy. As I am in the habit of throwing headphones in a drawer, I found the case a nice-to-have accessory to keep the headphones clean and undamaged.

The package included a micro-USB cable for charging the internal 400mAh lithium battery and an audio cable for non-wireless listening. The battery is rated at 20 hours with noise cancelling off and 18 hours with it on. It recharges in two hours.

The headphones are made of plastic, but the pads and top piece are covered in leather and feel comfortable even after extended wear. The earcups swivel 90 degrees to fine-tune your comfort level. The adjustment bands are metal and have measurement markings to keep both sides even.

On the left headphone, you find the switch to turn on and off the active noise canceling (ANC) feature, and an ANC indicator light. The audio line-in connection is also located here. On the right, you find the power and volume switches. The volume switches double as Next/Previous Track buttons. Located next to these are the micro-USB connection and microphone. There is also a light to indicate charging status.

Features and Performance

I had fun exploring the E7’s features. The headphones I had been using have no extra features, other than the ability to plug them in to an audio source, so that’s how I started with the E7.

For a test song, I chose Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good,” recorded live at Television Center Studios, as it has a longer than normal instrumental bridge in the middle, and, Ronstadt being one of my favorite artists, I knew how this should sound. Compared to my old headphones, the difference was dramatic. The E7’s amazing audio range was immediately apparent, with great bass and highs, and the music had a depth to it.

In this mode, none of the controls on the headphones are needed or functional. When you go to wireless, they come alive.

No Wires Needed

I first paired the headphones with the same computer I was using for the wired connection. You hold down the power button until it flashes, then select “Mixcder E7” on your computer. You receive voice prompts during the process, and it worked perfectly the first time.

I walked away from the PC and was still able to hear Linda belting out that song beyond the 33 feet/10-meter recommended maximum. I went from my office to my library and into a closet in the library. Still a good connection.

The volume controls need to be clicked multiple times to change volume. When you get to maximum volume, you’ll get a beep. If you press and hold, they advance or go back to the next music track.

Connecting to my phone was also a slam dunk and the sound was good.

In both modes the noise cancelling was not as dramatic as I expected, but external noises were reduced. To be fair, this was the first ANC device I have tried, and the documentation says that noise reduction depends on many external variables and will not be 100 percent.

Incoming Call

I was skeptical about the microphone, a tiny pinhole on one of the earphones. I arranged to receive a call (unfortunately, not from Linda Ronstadt). When the call arrived, I was able to answer by pressing the power button. The microphone worked just fine. I could hear myself on the other phone at the end of the hall. There was a slight delay, but that could have been to factors (phone, satellite, Martians) outside the control of the headphones.

When the call was finished, the music started again, no problem.

Overall, I was impressed with both the sound and connectivity. The controls took a little getting used to and I had to experiment a little bit, but if you use the device regularly, this should eventually become automatic for you. As with almost everything, the price will vary across the internet, but you should be able to find the E7 for around $60. It comes in black, orange and green.

More info on the E7, and its more expensive cousins, can be found at the Mixcder website.

I’ve included an unboxing video, below.