Parrot Zik 2.0 Headphones

Parrot Zik 2.0 Headphones Review – Thanks to designer Philippe starck, Parrot has whipped up an attractive set of headphones. A touch-sensitive panel takes up the entire surface area of the right earcup’s outer shell.

A small offering of physical features are found around its perimeter: a micro-USB port, a 3.5mm input for wired listening and a power button. A sensor on the right earcup’s padding detects whether the Zik 2.0 are on your head, pausing the music when they’re removed and resuming again once they’re back on. Each cup is sprinkled with striking, metal-rimmed accents that house external microphones to boost the effectiveness of the active noise cancellation. The headphones don’t work without an app.

This is a bold move by Parrot but it works very well, and means the listener get a nice mix of hardware and frequently updated software to back it. The free-to-download Parrot Zik 2.0 app, available on Android and iOS, opens a treasure chest of features, the key ones being a batterylife indicator, noise-cancellation adjustment and a variety of pre-set equaliser settings.

Pros

• Starck’s design is tremendous.
• Performance is fantastic.
• The app is easy to set up on Android and iOS

Cons

• You need a smartphone, tablet or laptop

Parrot Zik 2.0 Headphones Specifications

• Connections Bluetooth 3.0, NFC
• Speakers 40mm neodymium
• DAC Built-in 192kHz – 24 bit
• Dimensions 175 x 202 x 39.3mm
• Weight 270g
• Battery life 18 hours