Last month’s CES saw French wireless tech company Parrot demoing the third model in its popular Zic range of Bluetooth headphones, aptly called the Zic 3.0.
Now shipping for $400, the Zik 3.0 inherits the active noise-cancellation (ANC), capacitive touch and HD telephony features of the previous Zik 2.0, but adds some new functions such as auto-adaptive ANC and Qi-compatible wireless charging. While they come in several new colors and textures.
The Zik 2.0 has been reduced from $350 to $200, so I chose to compare the two versions side-by-side to see what that extra two hundred dollars gets you.
Design and comfort
Parrot collaborated with French designer Philippe Starck to define the look of the Zik range, which has seen a few changes between iterations but has largely kept to its signature soft-cushioned pleather cup, close-back design. Style-wise they may not be to everyone’s taste, but after wearing them it’s clear how much thought has gone into the ergonomics.
The Zik 3.0’s steel sidearms and padded headband arches are slightly raised for extra headspace, but I found both models to be comfortable enough for medium-sized heads, plus there are four adjustable levels that also offset. Weight from cup to headband.
The ear cups themselves have about 45 degrees of vertical freedom of movement under narrow steel rails, which bend upward and connect to the side arms at 90-degree, pivoting hinges on the sides, making it easy to rest the cups on your neck.
The cushioning material dissipates heat well given the amount of padding even after extended wear. And despite any new tech inside, at 270 grams, the Zik 3.0 weighs the same as the 2.0 and is just as comfortable after three or four hours of use. The only problem I have with both pairs of gix is when I wear glasses, as the cups tend to press against the side of my head, which starts to hurt after an hour or so.
Like the Zik 2.0, the outer surface of the right ear cup is touch-sensitive on the 3.0, a micro USB port for charging, 3.5mm stereo jack input (both cables supplied) and the power button are on the ridge lining. . Meanwhile the left cup cover opens and closes to access the replaceable rechargeable battery.
performance
What you’ll immediately see trying out Zigs is Parrot’s attempt to make listening a seamless experience. Taking the can off and putting it back on automatically pauses and resumes playback, for example. And with most features controlled via the accompanying iOS/Android app, the onboard touch controls try to keep things as intuitive as possible. In practice however, that intention does not always pan out.
A tap pauses/resumes playback or takes an incoming call, a vertical swipe adjusts volume and horizontal swipes skip tracks, but oversensitivity can be a problem. An innocent stretch or head scratch can easily disrupt playback, for example.
The swiping action on the svelte padding also feels faintly unpredictable and lacks the smoothness and responsiveness guaranteed by smartphone screens. After a while though I got used to the geek’s idiosyncrasies and learned to use a lighter touch.
The Parrot’s 30-decibel ANC processing is best-in-class, beating even Bose’s flagship QC25 cans when it comes to filtering out everyday ambient noise. Both Zic models benefit from a “Street Mode” that avoids filtering out traffic, screams and other sounds on the same frequency for a completely safe ride.
The Zik 3.0’s additional auto-adaptive ANC function also works great, and keeps a balanced sound when transitioning from indoors to outdoors, or when moving toward or away from a sound source like a TV or radio.
Sadly, battery life didn’t improve significantly with the Zik 3.0, and I generally got the same five to six hours of use out of a charge with ANC and Acoustic Effects enabled. That seems fair enough when you consider the technology in these can packs, but pales in comparison to the 24-hour life that can be obtained from a pair of Plantronics Backbeats PRO headphones, for example, and reveals a reliance on the now-aging Bluetooth 3.0 range. standard.
You can buy a spare Zik battery for when the active battery runs out, but with no proprietary way to charge the extra battery outside the headset, it’s a bit of a lame solution on Parrot’s part, although happily standalone Zik charging units are available elsewhere.
Sonically, the Zik 3.0’s 40mm neodymium drivers deliver the same stellar performance as the older model, boasting a clear, assured mid-range, well-defined highs and deep, resonant lows, with bass reproduction strong without being overwhelming.
What’s more, the audio output can be endlessly tweaked using Parrot’s iOS/Android app, once you’ve paired the headset with your smartphone (many of the following functions can also be controlled via Parrot’s app for Apple Watch).
App integration
The app consists of a series of screens that you swipe to navigate. Home screen shows battery level and function status indicators Next is the Noise Cancellation screen, which displays the current ambient noise level and visualizes the frequencies on a ringed dial that you can slide a finger over to increase or decrease the amount of active cancellation. You can also activate the Zik 3.0’s auto-adaptive ANC via the Auto button.
A second swipe gives you a graphic equalizer “pad” for quick and effective tuning, while another brings you to the concert hall screen, where you can play with several authentic-sounding acoustic settings. But it’s the last “producer mode” screen that tinkerers will enjoy the most.
Here you can customize the equalizer signal frequency across five parametric bands and save your adjustments as presets for specific songs, which are automatically activated the next time you listen to the track. Alternatively you can try the huge collection of “featured presets” from various popular DJs and musicians, tuned for use with their own music.
Finally, if you use the supplied wired USB cable, you can use the app to turn on Flight Mode, which turns off all the headset’s bells and whistles except ANC, for up to 18 hours of battery life.
The level of control the app offers is impressive and the equalizer features are a definite highlight, but after a while I felt that Parrot missed a trick by not developing corresponding desktop apps, since you need to pair Ziks with your phone’s settings to make the most adjustments, which An annoying extra step if you’re linking to your Mac via Bluetooth, for example.
Wired vs Wireless
The Zik 3.0’s new feature that parrots love the most is Qi-compatible wireless charging. I tried the headset with two types of universal chargers: Choetech T513 and T517. (Parrot also claims compatibility with Samsung’s wireless charging pad.)
Placing the battery-laden ear cup on the pad activated the glowing red charging indicator light, and 100 percent power was restored from flat in just over two hours, the same time as charging via cable.
The utility of wireless charging is a separate question, but the feature works well enough and at least allows new geeks to live up to Parrot’s “wireless everything” claim.
Finally, the Zik 3.0 lets you continue using the headset while charging via USB. It’s a nice addition that reduces listening distortion and lets you experience your music in “hi-fi quality” 16-bit/48kHz PCM, but certainly not in the already more compressed format.
bottom line
Overall, the Parrot Zik 3.0 headphones feel and sound luxurious, but so can Parrot’s 2.0. Bar the 3.0’s new auto-adaptive ANC mode, I didn’t notice any appreciable difference in noise cancellation quality between the two models. But again, the feature hardly needed improvement to begin with.
Both headsets offer the same impressive HD telephony features, with spoken caller ID and clear voice reproduction thanks to the headset’s multiple microphones. In short, if you can live without auto-ANC, wireless charging and a “hi-fi quality” USB listening mode, save yourself $200 and that’s about it for the Zik 2.0.
professional
- Comfortable design, even after extended wear
- Exceptional sonic performance, enhanced via wired USB
- Intelligent auto-adaptive noise cancellation
- Excellent smartphone app interface
cons
- Battery life is short in wireless mode
- Occasional mood touch control
- Smartphone pairing is required for feature activation
- The extra $200 over the Zik 2.0 is hard to justify
How to buy
The Zik 2.0 ($200) and Zik 3.0 ($400) headphones and compatible replacement batteries can be purchased on Amazon or directly from Parrot’s website.
The Choetech T513, T517 and Samsung wireless charging pads are available on Amazon, while the third-party Zut battery charger module can be ordered through the manufacturer’s website.
Note: Parrot provided the Zik 3.0 headphones and Choetech provided both Qi charging pads to MacRumors free of charge for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
