Review: Parrot Zik Bluetooth headphones with multi-touch and NFC

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The market is littered with expensive headphones and while a number of them are quite good, many are too expensive for what they offer. The problem is that many of these headphones offer a lot of flash without any true innovation.

Parrot made a list of all the features that would make a dream set of headphones and created the Parrot Zik. A simple name for a product that’s stacked high with tech and innovation.

Let’s start with the design. Parrot hired iconic designer Philippe Starck who worked with Parrot CEO and visionary Henri Seydoux. Both poured in four years of research and development to create what they believe is the perfect pair of headphones.

The Parrot Zik sells in Bay Bloor Radio and Apple Store Canada for $429, it is available from the Source or $399.

Starting with the design, the Parrot Zik is all about luxury and style with sculpted aluminum and soft stitched leather that provide a high degree of comfort specially for prolonged use.

The technology aspect is really where the Zik surpasses the competition. It is a wireless set that uses Bluetooth to connect to smartphones and PCs, it can use NFC (Near Field Communication) to quickly pair with compatible devices. The headphones have a gyroscope and motion sensor so they know what their orientation is at all times.

Parrot, a known manufacturer of next generation Bluetooth devices, takes the wireless aspect a step higher and integrates swipe control on the headset.

Swipe up and down on the right side of the headphone to control volume. On the left side you can navigate between tracks just by swiping side to side.

A motion detector automatically pauses whatever you are listening to once you take of the headset and unpauses it once you place the headphone back on.

This sometimes causes confusion when you bend down or tilt sideways because the headphones get confused and then pause the content. 

This becomes a problem when the motion detector is too sensitive. If you sneeze, for example, the music will stop. It is a matter of calibration but something user's can't really tweak themselves.

Zik also has a bunch of apps on Android and iOS as well that can enhance the functionality and sound.

The headphones also feature four microphones for taking calls and cancelling noise, and it even has a jawbone sensor that enhances the sound of your voice.

In terms of sound quality, Parrot nails the Concert Hall Effect but also offers great general audio with depth and clarity.

They don’t overcompensate by booming the bass and they seem to have thankfully focused on high-fidelity. To test the range of music styles played the Beatles’ White Album, NAS’ Illmatic, Dvorak’s Orchestral Dances and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ soundtrack for The Social Network.

The Parrot Zik uses Neodymium drivers for improved sound reproduction and has a sound pressure level of up to 110 dB per volt to 1kHz, Impedance is 32 Ohms and it is all regulated by powerful DSP (Digital Signal Processing) algorithms this all combines to give users one of the best consumer headphone experiences we’ve tried.

The Parrot Zik headphones hug your ears and are comfortable but these wouldn’t be ideal for medium to heavy workouts as they will slip off. Also, sweat and leather don’t mix well so I would avoid using this for rigorous workouts.

I would use the Parrot Zik for any other instance, they make great travel companions (use the included plug to enjoy inflight entertainment or to plug into your devices) and they are viable Skype and video conferencing headsets with great voice isolation thanks to the four included microphones.

That's three more than most smartphones

Using the Parrot Zik to make and take calls is intuitive and the audio quality both ways was above average but other headphones in the market will give you better performance for less money.

In terms of innovation, quality and design I can’t see any other set of Bluetooth wireless headphones come close to the Parrot Zik. It changes the way users interact with the headphones and how they enjoy their content.

The issue is that despite all the great features, it still feels like an unfinished product and too much like a prototype. A product with this degree of complexity requires granular user control, which the Parrot Zik sorely lacks.

By seamlessly incorporating all the modern wireless and multi-touch technologies into a sleek and functional headphones that sound amazing in almost any condition.

Although a bit pricey starting at $399, the Parrot Zik offers features that many higher end headphones can't touch in terms of innovation and design. It is a good first generation product but can be better and hopefully Parrot is working on the next generation Zik headphones which will be cheaper and more polished.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5