TWS true wireless earphones - under $100
THREE STARS - The Aukey EP-N7 offers good ANC active noise-cancelling and Transparency mode for a small price, but it's not the most refined pair of wireless earbuds.
Aukey EP-N7 review:
Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC codec
IPX5 waterproof (rain and sweat proof)
4 - 5 hours listening on a full charge (ANC on/off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 3 sizes ear tips and USB-C cable
Check price on Amazon US or other Amazon countries
Below this Aukey EP-N7 review, you will find comparisons of the Aukey EP-N7 vs SoundPEATS T2, Earfun Free Pro, Oppo W51, Mpow X3, and Aukey EP-N5.
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Design, comfort and battery life
As cheap noise-cancelling earbuds become more and more common, the cases seem to appear more casual as well. The Aukey EP-N7 has a simple and compact case, a kind of dark-grey pebble. You'll find a USB-C port in the back and four LED-lights to indicate the remaining battery life on the front. It should be able to recharge the earbuds four times before the case needs power itself.
The Aukey EP-N7 doesn't have the same staggering battery life of slightly more expensive ANC earbuds - it runs at around 5 hours with ANC off and can deplete sooner with the function activated. The comparably priced SoundPEATS T2 can reach up to 8 hours, in comparison.
The stem-design earbuds aren't beauties, with the same dark grey rubbers and round black panel on the top, which houses a LED-light that fires in idle mode or when charging. The earbuds are quite comfortable, happily. You place the smooth and oval inside diagonally in your ears, and with the ear tips placed at the very end of this part, the Aukey achieves a tight fit. Its IPX5-waterproof rating makes them even more suitable for sports: they withstand rain and sweat.
Connectivity and controls
Other than you'd expect, the Aukey EP-N7 has touch panels in the middle of the stem - not the black upper-part. The earbuds respond fairly well to your touches but could act a little quicker. The control scheme is convenient:
Tap L or R to play/ pause
Double-tap R to skip to the next track
Double-tap L to return to the previous track
Hold L or R 2 seconds to cycle between ANC functions
Triple-tap L or R to activate the voice-assistant
Sadly, there's no option to change the volume on your earbuds themselves. It does pause automatically when you take an earbud out and resumes when it's in again.
The EP-N7 Bluetooth connection holds up to ten meters away from your device and holds in areas crowded with wireless signals. It's possible to switch between listening mono and stereo as well, no matter how often you switch between one and two earbuds.
Calling and watching movies
Taking a phone call with the EP-N7 is doable when you're indoors or in quieter areas without wind. Outside or in noisy areas, things are horrible. Brighter sound can come through piercingly loud in the call, and while darker sounds are reduced nicely, they do drag down your voice, which can shift from loud to soft to even inaudible.
The Aukey EP-N7 isn't recommended for video calls and Zoom meetings. Even though your voice sounds warm and quite natural, its output is way too soft for this purpose.
In videos, the Aukey EP-N7 offers good playback for audio and video, although it's doesn't always hit perfect synchronization in the YouTube-app on iPhone. There's also a noticeable delay in sound effects when you're playing games.
Noise cancelling test of Aukey EP-N7
With a long tap on the sides of the earbuds, you switch between ANC off (standard), ANC on, and Ambient Mode. Cycling between the functions could have been faster, but each step is confirmed by an English voice prompt.
ANC quality: The Aukey EP-N7 has convincing ANC noise-cancelling, which filters out background sounds and darker tones of nearby sounds well. Brighter closeby sounds can still come through. Especially traffic in the distance is reduced successfully, even when you're not playing any music.
Ambient/ Transparency Mode: The mode that lets you hear traffic and voices around you when you need it, works well. With the function enabled, it's easy to place vehicles around you or eavesdrop on a nearby conversation. This works well up to one-third of the volume bar.
Wind noise: Unfortunately, both the ANC and Ambient Mode let through a lot of wind noise, rendering both functions useless when you're in the wind, walking or cycling.
Versus competitors: The performance is among the best around the $60 price tag, along with the SoundPEATS T2 (which can have a malfunction, mind you) and the Oppo Enco W51. The Aukey EP-N7 performs better than the Aukey EP-N5, Mpow X6, and Earfun Free Pro.
Also read: The best wireless ANC earbuds
Sound quality of Aukey EP-N7: Unpolished
When it comes to sound, it's always a surprise what you're going to get with Aukey. Sometimes the brand rebadges QCY and Haylou, and earphones sound mostly balanced. Other times, they have a focus on bass. The EP-N7 belongs to the latter category.
The EP-N7 has a bulbous midd-bass. It pumps actively in pop, dance, and electronic songs but can thump just as easy in singer-songwriter songs where you wouldn't expect it. It's bass quantity over quality, unfortunately. What should be the deepest-darkest sub-bass tones otherwise sound remarkably close to mid-bass on the EP-N7, and this mid-bass is a bit loose; it lacks tightness.
The bass continues into the lower-mids, where darker electronic tones, drums, and the lowest male vocals enjoy heavy emphasis. As even typical mid-instruments like guitars and the piano sound darker than natural, you may have an idea of how warm and full the EP-N7 sounds.
The EP-N7 restricts the upper-mids and rolls off the highs early, staying far away from brighter - let alone sharper sounds. That said, higher-pitched male and female vocals have no problem battling the thick lows. Don't expect a big amount of detail in vocal performances, but voices are forward enough to stand out from the other frequencies. There's even some instrumental left-right separation going on around you. There's just enough emphasis on upper-mids to prevent the sound from going too dark or muddy.
The best way to describe the sound character of the Aukey EP-N7 is youthful. It has plenty of energy, but it's unmistakably unpolished.
Aukey EP-N7 comparisons
Aukey EP-N7 vs SoundPEATS T2
While the SoundPEATS T2 doesn't have the most refined bass, it's quicker, stabbier, and punchier than the Aukey bass. The T2 presents vocals and upper-mids clearer, and reaches into the highs further, making a more balanced sound. The ANC performance of both these models is pretty similar - although the SoundPEATS can show a disturbance when using ANC without playing music. The T2 does have a much longer battery life per charge, however.
SoundPEATS T2 review ($60)
Aukey EP-N7 vs Earfun Free Pro
If strength of bass is more important to you than noise-cancelling strength, the Earfun Free Pro is a better choice to make than the Aukey. The Earfun has a more qualitative, stronger mid-bass, deeper rumbling sub-bass and handles multiple layers of bass and lower-mids better. Mid-tones are more pronounced and highs are further extended and give the sound a more vidid character.
Earfun Free Pro review ($60)
Aukey EP-N7 vs Oppo Enco W51
The Oppo Enco W51 has the strongest noise-cancelling around the 60 dollars price-mark, and while the Aukey comes close, the Oppo still manages to bring more rest in your ears and head. The Oppo sound is more refined as well, with a more balanced presentation with a slightly warm undertone, clearer vocals and highs, and more definition in the lower frequencies.
Oppo Enco W51 review ($60)
Aukey EP-N7 vs Aukey EP-N5
The EP-N5 is another ANC noise-canceling model from the same brand, at around the same price even. This Aukey has a different sound character: the EP-N5 aims for clarity and emphasizes treble instead of the lows. It makes instruments sound more natural, although it can reach into brightish, sharp territories of which the EP-N7 doesn't even know the existence.
Aukey EP-N5 review ($50)
Aukey EP-N7 vs Mpow X3
The Mpow X3 has a cleaner, quicker mid-bass than the Aukey EP-N7, but even more so: the X3 has much more pronounced upper-mids. Vocals sound clearer and brighter on the Mpow, and so do violins, trumpets, cymbals, and lighter electronic tones. The Aukey sounds smoother in return - and has much more effective noise-cancelling as well.
Mpow X3 review ($50)
Verdict
The Aukey EP-N7 offers good Active Noise-Cancelling and a solid Ambient Mode for a reasonable price, but its battery life, call quality, and sound quality could be more impressive.
Three stars - worth considering
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I received the Aukey EP-N7 from the manufacturer to test and review. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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