Parrot Zik 2.0 Preview

Image courtesy of Parrot.

The Parrot Zik 2.0, a follow up to the Bluetooth and noise cancelling Zik, has some new features, a slightly different shape, but still a different/interesting look thanks to designer Philippe Starck.

The noise cancelling has new modes, there’s more functionality in the touch-sensitive earcup, HD telephony, special sound modes, and more.

Here’s a preview.

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 of course Noise Cancelling Vs. Noise Isolating Headphones.

The original Ziks were a cool headphone. They looked fantastic (IMO), and had decent sound with a bit of extra bass, but smooth treble. That’s a sound profile I generally like. The noise cancelling performance was OK, and there were some quirks with the functionality (like requiring use of an app to access all the features).

The Zik 2.0’s biggest change is in the looks. They’re more rounded, though still clearly in the same family.

The touch-sensitive earcup returns, swipe left and right to change tracks, up and down to adjust volume. The Head Detection feature returns too, where the headphones will pause the music when you remove them from your head. On the original Ziks, this was problematic for those with smaller heads, as the headphones would think they were off when they weren’t. We’ll have to see if this has been resolved.

When using with a phone, the Zik uses a text-to-speech feature to read you who’s calling. Holding a finger on the earcup activates Apple's Siri or OK Google , letting you call by speaking a name.

More interesting, using multiple microphones, the Ziks will determine what’s your voice, and what’s background noise. A bone conduction sensor adds bass to your voice even with lots of ambient noise. They’re also compatible with HD Voice.

It’s unclear if the noise cancelling has been improved, the press release merely describes how the tech works. This is tough, as Bose has a lot of important patents, hence the incredible performance of the QuietComfort 25 and QuietComfort 20.

There’s a “Street Mode” which is interesting. The headphones, using some of the built-in microphones, re-insert some of the surrounding ambient sound back into the headphones. This could be beneficial if you’re walking on a busy street, so you can still hear the traffic, or as Parrot points out, you can year your own voice in your ears while talking on the phone.

The free app, available on iOS and Android (and eventually Microsoft Windows phones too) lets you add spatialization effects and/or a 5-band EQ. Most spatialization effects in other products merely add distracting reverb, on the Zik’s they created a decent sense of space, like you were listening in a room instead of just headphones. I presume the 2.0s will expand on this (pun intended).

Parrot is claiming 18 hour battery life with just the noise cancelling on, 7 hours with NC and the audio spatialization effects, and one hour less if you add Bluetooth.

Conclusion

I’m on the list to get a review pair of the 2.0s. I liked the original Ziks despite (or perhaps because of), their quirks. They’re a bit pricey, but if they sound like the originals they could be a cooler-looking step-up option for those that don’t need the raw noise cancelling of the Bose QC25s, or want something Bluetooth that has NC.

The Zik 2.0s will be available in November for $400.

Zik 2.0: $400

Parrot.com