French drone company, Parrot, has returned with a highly anticipated follow-up to their Zik 2.0, this is the Parrot Zik 3.0 review.
Parrot Zik 3.0 Review
The third generation is definitely a headphone that grabs you just by looking at it. With an aluminum chassis and a faux leather finish in shades of emerald green, ivory, black, red, and brown, the Zik 3.0 makes sure the level of attractiveness is at the highest caliber. Especially with some of the models featuring a crocodile-like exterior. These headphones are built to look almost identical to the Parrot Zik 2.0, but with slight alterations. The extenders are a little longer. The headband is a little wider and the ear cups are a tad bit larger for a comfier fit.
Smart Controls
With a simple tap or glide of your finger across the ear cups, users can easily take calls, end calls, skip back and forth between tracks, as well as adjust the volume. The microphone in the headphone delivers clear audio. I answered a call from my phone which was about 30 feet away and the signal was still strong. Another cool feature that must be mentioned in this Parrot Zik 3.0 review is the bone conduction sensor that turns off your music when you remove the headphones from your head. At times, this sensor may be a little hyper-sensitive. You may experience some stopping in your music if you are eating, drinking or speaking.
Active Noise Cancellation
Improving its reach by two decibels at 60 decibels, the headphones do a great job of completely muting air conditioner noises and the like using 6 microphones with automatic adaptive noise cancelling.
Battery Life
The Parrot Zik 3.0 also boasts a more definitive battery life than the 2.0. The second generation battery was said to last somewhere between 4-20 hours. The newer version will last up to 18 hours in Flight mode (active noise cancellation + line-in) and 7 hours in Eco mode (active noise cancellation + line-in + spatialization effect).
Sound
The Parrot Zik 3.0 review would not be complete without appraising the sound quality, which is good, for a Bluetooth headphone. The headphone reaches a frequency response between 20 – 20 Hz on 40 mm drivers at an impedance of 32 ohms. The bass is prevalent but could be a little cleaner. The headphone picks up instrumentation and vocals pretty well, but at higher volumes I felt they became a bit fuzzy. Unadulterated by use of Parrot Concert Hall and the equalizer, much of the audio seems more compressed.
Parrot Concert Hall Mobile App & Equalizer
Since audio is a primary concern when it comes to headphones, Parrot has created a mobile app that takes your audio to the next level. The audio is greatly improved with the ability to customize it to your liking. Users can access Parrot concert hall to adjust the spatial presence of their music, as well as the reverb – recreating the feel of a concert hall, jazz club, living room, and silent room to either be right in front of them or around them. The equalizer is just as customizable. With the right adjustments, I was able to achieve richer bass and clearer more salient high pitched vocals in my music. This feature, like that in the 2.0, is what really makes the sound quality really good.
Power Button
A vice of the Parrot Zik 2.0 was the placement of its power button. Users often accidentally turned off the Bluetooth capability of their headset while trying to take the Parrots off of their head. Unfortunately, the power button is in the same position on the new edition.
Wireless Charging
The Parrot Zik 3.0 can be charged using the included cable or a wireless charging mount, which is not included. The mount is what really embodies Parrot’s “wireless everything” slogan.
The Parrot Zik 3.0 will come with a lithium ion battery, a standard cable, and a microUSB cable which allows you to plug your headphones straight in to your computer to listen to HiFi sound, like that of a CD. Remember those?
Parrot Zik 3.0 Review Key Differences:
- Longer extenders
- Wider headband
- Larger earcups
- Longer (and more definitive) battery life
- HiFi connectivity
The Parrot Zik 3.0 currently retails at $399.99.
Compare the ranking of various headphones, earbuds and in-ear monitors using our tools.
Discuss this, and much more, over on our forum.
---MAJORHIFI may receive commissions from retail offers.
