The Parrot Zik 2.0 are the updated sequels to the Zik noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones. Like the original Ziks, the 2.0s look fantastic, thanks to styling by Philippe Starck.
They’re not just for looks however (which can’t be said for a lot of high-end headphones). There’s processing and electronic gadgets galore inside. Does that mean they perform as good as they look?
Here’s our full review.
Before we get going, if you’re curious about the value of high-end headphones, or have questions about headphones in general, first check out Are Expensive Headphones Worth It?, What Are The Best Headphones?, Glossary of Headphone Terms, Best Headphone Test Tracks, and Noise Cancelling Vs. Noise Isolating Headphones.
I’m going to skip over some of the boring parts, since I wrote a preview of the Ziks already. This, being an actual review, will just focus on how they work/sound/feel/etc.
Fit and Finish
Like the original Ziks, the 2.0s have impeccable fit and finish. They feel like a high-end headphone, eschewing the plastic on most over-ear headphones for leather and metal.
Yet they’re not particularly heavy, at 9.5oz (270g). The earcups are soft and well padded. There’s not a lot of clamping pressure. On my head at least (which is fairly normal in size), they’re quite comfortable.
Dealbreaker
I almost didn’t review the Zik 2.0s, such is my hatred for how they “work.” You basically can’t use them to their fullest without downloading an app. It gets better. The app won’t work unless you register. So for $400 you also have to give Parrot your email address, Facebook, or
Don’t want to give Parrot your info? Too bad, you can’t toggle the noise cancelling without the app (a whole other issue we’ll get to). There are some sound adjustments in the app too, but those are secondary.
Seriously, who thought this was OK? $400 headphones that won’t work as advertised without giving the company your personal info. That’s what this is.
Give them a fake email address, on principle.
Out of curiosity, and the desire to give you, dear reader, a thorough review, I tried to log in via Facebook. The default permissions are: Public profile (required, but that's just the basic public stuff), Friends list, and email address. Ah, you knew they’d get that last one eventually. It can’t post to Facebook, apparently. You can disable Friends list and Email address from the permissions (which I did). Doing so caused a “Facebook error” in the Parrot app and it wouldn’t allow me to log in. So I logged in using G+ instead because who cares.
The Damn App
Admittedly, the app is quite nice. Slick, minimalist, and OH GOOD, ADS! A house ad from Parrot about the launch of the Zik 2.0 sits at the top. Well, at least there are no 3rd party ads.
The bulk of the screen is the battery life remaining on the 2.0s, which is nice. Simple toggles on the bottom activates/deactivates the noise cancelling, EQ, and Concert Hall settings. Swipe to the right, and there’s a cool SPL meter, which you can use to dial in how much noise cancelling you want (from Max to Street Mode, which lets you hear the world around you).
With another swipe, you’re in the Equalizer. There are preset modes, like “Punchy” and “Deep.” There’s also a slick 5-band graphic EQ where you can dial in the sound to your liking.
One more swipe reveals the Concert Hall settings, where you can adjust the sense of “space” in the headphones, even moving the virtual speaker placement. More on this later.
Swiping one last time brings you to a screen where you can download presets created by musicians, tweaked to get the Ziks to sound how they like them. I downloaded DJ Jazzy Jeff’s preset and I think he likes treble a LOT more than I do.
Admittedly, the original Ziks also required use of an app to activate/deactivate their noise cancelling. With those, Parrot’s first headphones, it was quirky. Annoying, but quirky. With an entirely new design there’s no reason why this ergonomic roadblock should have survived, especially since the earpads are touch sensitive. Parrot didn’t even need to add a button to the headphone. You can already pause and change music tracks, or change the volume, but there’s no combination of tapping that activates/deactivates the noise cancelling. What could have been classified as an oversight with version 1.0, is clearly a design decision (and a bad one), in version 2.0.
Noise Cancelling
It’s too bad the Zik 2.0s are so annoying to use, because their noise cancelling is fantastic. Really, really good. Not quite as good as the category leading Bose QuietComfort 25s, but the closest I’ve seen/heard.
I had audio guru Brent Butterworth measure the Zik 2.0's noise cancelling using headphone test equipment. He found the Zik 2.0s dropped a maximum of 26 dB around 170 Hz, but were almost that good over a very wide band.
Judged just in terms of noise cancelling, these are probably the second-best over-ears on the market after the QC25s. That’s saying something.
Sound
The Zik 2.0s sound very different depending on how you’re listening.
The most “naked” mode would be with the processing and noise cancelling off (the power completely off, for that matter), and listening via a cable (I used my
There’s a bump in the upper bass, and not a lot of treble. They sound a little dull and muffled. Not bad, though. I’ve certainly heard worse. Not $400 headphone quality, for sure, but this is just one way to listen to the Zik 2.0s (and probably, the least common method, given all they do).
Powered on, but will all the features disabled, the Ziks sound a lot better. There’s a lot more treble, though a bit of sibilance, and a bit of a spike in the 2-3k range (snare drums). Bass is well defined, and there’s a lot of it. I could do with a little less of that 2-3k spike, but overall they sound decent in this mode.
Activating the noise cancelling changes the sound a little, but not a ton. Maybe a touch more low bass, and a little more mid-to-high treble. Pretty similar, really.
The Concert Hall setting is interesting. This doesn’t just add reverb like what you’d get with most modes of this type. Instead, it creates a fairly convincing sense of space. Using the app, you can even adjust where the virtual “speakers” appear. Using the app you can drag the "speakers" so they’re sort of in front of you, or more on either side of your head. It's a neat effect. The sound with the Concert Hall processing active is a lot more crisp, indicating there’s something more going on with the treble. Where in the other modes the Zik 2.0s were on the edge of what I’d consider comfortable to listen for a while, the Concert Hall modes were a bit much. It’s a trade off. The sense of space is great, but the added sibilance isn’t.
However, and here’s where we come to the interesting part, you can adjust all of this with the Equalizer in the app. I was able to dial down the frequencies I didn’t like to an extent. EQs in general, including this one, can help, but they’re not magic. So even after a bit of fiddling with the EQ, getting the sound more to where I liked it, the Ziks still didn’t sound as good as some other headphones without the electronic trickery.
I listened to a few of the same music tracks over Bluetooth, using my
Conclusion
To make sure I wasn’t missing something, I asked Parrot about the registration requirement, and this is what they said,
“The registration is a means for the Zik 2.0 owner to store Tuned By presets by artists or that the user has personally created, as well as share their favorite presets with the Zik 2.0 community. The only time registration is not required is when users don’t have internet access, in which case the presets cannot be accessed.”- Parrot
Except they were unable to tell me how to access it without Internet. Do I have to turn off my mobile’s antennas first? Also, those other presents they mention? To save EQ settings, you have to save it as a preset which, guess what, you have to create a username and password for, beyond the initial registration. And that's even if you have no intention of sharing said preset with others online. I give up.
So, here’s the deal. I just can’t recommend headphones that require the use of an app for their basic functions (like noise cancelling), especially when that app requires you to give Parrot personal info they have no right to. Am I blowing that out of proportion? Your call.
If you don’t mind having to use an app (and the nonsense that goes with it), the Zik 2.0s are quite something. The noise cancelling is fantastic, they look great, and the EQ (since you have to use the app anyway), does a good job dialing in whatever sound you like.
But for $400, the Parrot Zik 2.0s are a bit pricy, even if they are gorgeous to look at and come with a ton of interesting features. They sound decent, but not as good as they should for this money.
Also, you’d hope for this money they’d be effortless to use, not clunky and annoying. Could many of these issues be fixed with some software tweaks (and an app you don’t need to register)? Sure seems that way to me. But I can’t judge them on what they could be, only what they are.
Zik 2.0: $400
