Parrot Zik Bluetooth Headphones Review

Parrot Zik Bluetooth Headphones Review. The Parrot Zik is a large exception to the rule that Bluetooth headphones suffer from lower sound quality. When listening to the Zik, you'd never know it wasn't wired. Combined with features such as a touch-sensitive remote and a jawbone sensor, it's a class above other headphones. This set isn't just for music either; it functions better than many Bluetooth headsets for phone conversations as well.

The Parrot Zik does double duty: It excels at both being the top Bluetooth headphones and outshining the competition as some of the best noise-cancelling ones. The specifications support the superior sound quality of the Zik as it has a wide frequency range of 10Hz to 20kHz, a high sensitivity of 110 decibels, a large 40 mm driver and more. The best part of the Zik is the excellent sound quality that produces clear, balanced sound throughout a wide range of musical genres. When listening to audiobooks or talking on the phone, the noise-cancelling technology blends well with natural, detailed sound.

Design, the Parrot Zik

First things first: These headphones are pretty stunning, with a luxurious combination of black leather, chrome, and a nice black matte surface. The ear pads are very plush, and for the first thirty seconds, they're the most comfortable headphones you've ever worn. Eventually, the underside of the headband, which can be precision adjusted and then locked in place, gets a little uncomfortable, putting some less-than-cushiony pressure on the scalp, regardless of adjustments. The awesome ear pads more than cancel out the headband's less-than-comfortable design, however.

Aside from a Power button on the right ear, there are no buttons, but there are plenty of invisible controls. Once you've paired your device via Bluetooth—a process that can be done swiftly via NFC on compatible devices, and fairly quickly using the standard pairing method, as well—you can control volume by swiping your finger up or down the right ear's outer panel. Swipe forward or backward, you skip a song or rewind. Tap once, and you pause or answer a call. It's all quite intuitive, and completely hidden from sight.

Then there's the sensor on the surface of the ear pads that detects when you're wearing the headphones. The aforementioned app lets you set the Zik up so the active noise cancellation switches on the moment the sensor detects they're on—a process that takes a split second. Your music also auto-pauses every time you remove the headphones, and starts up when you put them back on. Simply put, these are very impressive design functions—the kind that, at first, wow you a little bit with their simplicity and originality.

Occasionally, the sensor falters—after all, it's a filter that detects pressure from your skin, but not specifically your cheek. If you rest your headphones around your neck or place your fingers in the wrong spot while holding them, you might hear your music start up unexpectedly. It's easy to fix, however—just move the ear pads away from your skin.

The headphones also include a built-in mic for taking calls, and additional mics for the noise cancellation. A 3.5mm audio cable is also included for wired playback. A USB cable is included for charging and updates, though you can also wirelessly receive updates (via Bluetooth) to the headphones' firmware via the App.

Performance

It's kind of hard to pinpoint what the Zik actually sounds like, since it's very tweakable, thanks to the customizable EQ. To be blunt, without the EQ, the Zik does not sound very good, to me at least. It is far too bass heavy, with weird spikes around the hi-mid region that have an unpleasant effect on vocals and the attack of stringed instruments and some percussion. However: There is never any distortion at top volumes, even on deep bass tracks, and you can fine-tune the EQ so much as to almost completely eliminate the harshness of the sound signature.

Furthermore, while you can use the Zik in passive mode (without being powered up), it might as well be a different pair of headphones. No power gives you a more or less bass-free, treble-heavy frequency response, while powering up makes things overly-bass-heavy. Obviously, you can only use the headphones passively when the included 3.5mm cable is connected to your sound source. (By the way, in wired mode, the Zik will mute your music, but not pause it. At least this was the case with an older MacBook—with headphones off, sound disappeared, but the song in iTunes continued to play.) Being able to use the headphones wired, and even passively, albeit with diminishing returns, is a plus. But the bottom line here is: The Zik has an identity crisis, sonically speaking.

With no EQ adjustment, and powered up, the Zik manages a dubious feat: It is simultaneously muddy (lacking definition in the low-mid range) and tinny (overly tweaked and harsh in the hi-mid range). Not exactly $400 sound. But a visit to the free app, and some tweaking  turns the Zik's capable drivers into nice-sounding headphones.

Connectivity, the Parrot Zik Headphones

The Parrot Zik is one of the most highly connectable Bluetooth headphones. If you want to connect via Bluetooth, it's easy to sync with your NFC-compatible phone, tablet or music device. The Zik also has a 33-foot wireless range so you can set your phone in the living room and wear the headphones to the kitchen without interrupting your audio signal. If you want to connect via a hard wire, the Zik also comes with a detachable cable for passive listening and increased sound quality.

The Zik has an app you can download for your Apple or Android devices. This app lets you activate noise cancellation and a concert-hall effect, check the battery level and access the equalizer. It's a seven-band equalizer, and you can choose from various presets like flat, pop or club. Or you can adjust the frequencies to your specifications. This app has some interesting connectivity features that go well beyond what other headphones can do.

Parrot has everything you need should any questions arise when using the Zik headphones. You can download a software update for your headphones and the application from the site as well as explore the FAQs and user manual. The company website lets you buy spare parts, such as a battery case since the battery is removable. The Zik comes with a one-year warranty, which is about average for the industry. You can also follow Parrot on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Parrot Zik Bluetooth Headphones Summary, Review

The Parrot Zik headphones have excellent sound quality when making phone calls or just listening to music. These headphones are extremely comfortable and use a multi-microphone system to give you clear call quality and excellent noise cancellation. You can use the accompanying mobile app to access a seven-band equalizer by using the presets or a custom setting. And the Bluetooth connection means no wires will ever get in your way.



PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS

• Bowers and Wilkins P5 S2 Headphones, Black
• Monster 24K Over Ear Headphones
• Harman Kardon BT Premium Over-Ear Headphones with Bluetooth Technology
• Jabra REVO Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headphones
• SOL REPUBLIC 1430-02 Tracks Air Wireless On-Ear Headphones with A2 Sound Engine
• BeoPlay H6 Natural Leather
• Sennheiser HD 800 Over-Ear Circum Aural Dynamic Headphone