While Bose and Sony have become the go-to brand choice for many people looking for active noise-canceling (ANC) Bluetooth headphones, there are budget alternatives to Sony's and Bose's noise-cancelling headphones such as the Mixcder E9 which deliver similar set of features without breaking the bank.
Affordability is always a plus but doesn't count for much if the headphones aren't put together well. The Mixcder E9 are affordable but most importantly, they are quality budget noise canceling headphones made with premium materials like aluminum used in the inner construction of the adjustable headband. The build quality is on par with the E7 Bluetooth headphones, Shareme5 and Shareme7 which feature the cool "ShareMe Technology".
With that said, the Mixcder E9 headband doesn't have the "memory flexibility" that allows you to twist and bend it like you can with other headphones models.
You actually don't ever want to bend the headband unless it's by design because you will deform the headband and they won't wrap around your head properly afterwards.
Black matte plastic is the main material and color used for the overall external construction of the headphones with the exception of the sides of the earcups which have a low gloss black plastic finish with a hologram-like effect.
The lower part of the headband has a hinge section that allows up/down movement of the earcups as well as 180 degrees rotation so you can lay the Mixcder E9 headphones completely flush a surface.
The main user control buttons are located on the left earcup and consist of three buttons, namely power button, volume up and volume down buttons, the micro USB port and an led indicator status.
The volume buttons are located in front so they face forwards, making them easily accessible when wearing the headphones. All buttons on the E9 headphones are physical raised buttons that you press rather than touch to operate.
Like most bluetooth headphones, user control buttons are multifunctional so they serve different functions like, for instance, the power button which doubles as the bluetooth pair button as well as the answer/reject call button.
The volume buttons let you skip tracks forwards and backwards. The active noise cancelling switch (marked ANC) is located on the right earcup and when activated it lights up a tiny built-in led to let you know ANC is operating. This is useful because ANC does decrease battery life to around 22 hours. Without ANC turned on, batter life is around 27 hours.
The E9 headphones feel nice on the head thanks to comfortable earpads though, bear in mind that the Mixcder E9 are over-the-ear style headphones with shallow earcup depth  (0.5cm) which means if you have protruding ears that stick out your ears will rub against the speaker drivers, making the fit not as comfortable.
The Mixcder E9 connect via bluetooth but you can also connect them via 3.5mm audio jack, which not only offers better audio sound quality but also a convenient way to extend playtime when the battery runs flat.
The Mixcder E9 deliver very good audio quality with big sound thanks to 40mm speaker drivers, low impedance (32 ohms) and high sensitivity (94dB) that allows you to turn the E9's volume all the way up without distortion. The overall sound is flat but dynamic sounding with strong bass and good treble frequencies. The better sounding Mixcder Bluetooth headphones to date will have to be the Mixcder Drip Edition.
Recharging the internal 500mAh lithium battery takes around 3 hours during which time the led status indicator shows solid red. When full charge is complete the led indicator turns off. The maximum charging input is 5V/1A so the E9 headphones don't have fast charging capabilities.
It's nice that you can use the Mixcder E9 wirelessly while charging and that you also get alerted when battery is running low via an audible warning tone alert and a flashing red light. The battery cells can hold charge for at least 2 months on standby.
The Mixcder E9 headphones use a bluetooth 4.0 chip so you can pair them with virtually all devices including a computer.
If your computer is not bluetooth-ready though, you will need to purchase a Bluetooth dongle adapter. Luckily, the Mixcder E9 headphones can work with a USB bluetooth 2.1 adapter so you don't have to buy a bluetooth 4.0 adapter which is twice the price.
If you do have to buy an bluetooth dongle, it's worth getting a class 1 bluetooth dongle (instead of class 2) because class 1 bluetooth adapters have a stronger bluetooth signal capable of covering a longer range (up to 100 meters) which helps the 10-meter wireless range you get with the Mixcder E9 headphones.
When paired with a smartphone, the Mixcder E9 budget bluetooth noise canceling headphones will connect with the last paired device automatically when you power on the headphones. This isn't always the case though when pairing with a Windows computer where some bluetooth headphones don't always auto connect every time although this is a known software issue.
In the department of noise cancellation, the Mixcder E9 active noise canceling feature works good at cancelling constant noise (i.e. machinery noise) but not as efficient at cancelling variable noise like the more expensive Bose and Sony bluetooth headphones. For the price though, the Mixcder E9 do a good job of overall background noise reduction.
The built-in omnidirectional microphone volume gain in the E9 headphones isn't extremely high but it's clear enough to make quality hand-free phone calls. There isn't noise canceling integration though so the microphone does pickup background noise.
Accessories are included with the E9 headphones, which sweetens the deal especially for quality budget headphones of this price.
With the E9 headphones, you also get an airplane adapter, microUSB charging cable, audio cable and owner's manual. Buy it