Design and features:This Bluetooth wireless noise canceling home/studio-style over-ear model has a closed design and electronic noise canceling feature that reduce both outside noise and sound leaking out into your environment. It can be used wirelessly with audio devices with Bluetooth capability or cord connected to standard audio equipment. The headphones work with or without the noise canceling feature being turned on. You can use the noise-canceling feature without listening to music, and the audio cable can be detached to get it out of the way when the headphones are being used for noise reduction only. When cord connected the headphones have medium high sensitivity when the noise cancelation feature is turned on so they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and lower-powered portable audio devices. When not powered they have low sensitivity; so while they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and higher powered portable audio devices, they may not be a good match for lower-powered portables. The Zik 2.0 has a built-in microphone and integrated touch sensitive music player function and call connect/disconnect controls for use with paired Bluetooth devices. Additional features include external sound monitoring, built-in digital signal processing (DSP) for tone equalization and spatial effects, optional NFC Bluetooth pairing, and the free Parrot Zik 2.0 app, available for Apple and Android mobile devices. The app is required for operation of the noise canceling and external sound monitoring functions, DSP spatial effects, and 5 band equalizer that can be set by the user, that can automatically select tone presets based on music type, and that provides various tone presets selected by various music artists for the headphones. This model has earcups that swivel to flat for ease of carrying and storage, and comes with detachable 45-inch audio cable (the cable's 4-contact mini-plug may not be compatible with some non-Apple/non-Android mobile devices or other audio equipment), a USB charging cable, and a carrying bag.
Sound quality: The Zik 2.0 has a number of different use modes that affect the sound quality. The sound quality score is for the Bluetooth/noise canceling mode with the tone adjustments (EQ) set to flat and the Concert Hall Effect set to off. In that mode, we found the Zik 2.0 did a very good job both for sound quality and noise cancellation. It's a decent choice for the more critical listener for both music and movie soundtrack playback, though it has a few noticeable sonic issues. The overall sound can best be described as ranging from full to lean and a bit constricted. Bass (the tonal region that more or less covers bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes deep, but is a bit prominent compared to the midrange and lacks detail. Midrange (the tonal range that more or less covers voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is thin and a bit constricted (think straitjacketed). Treble (the tonal range that covers cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but somewhat prominent compared to the midrange and metallic sounding. The overall sound has a good sense of liveliness and is somewhat open (sound-wise it almost seems like you don't have anything covering your ears). When the EQ and Concert hall settings are used they do have a noticeable effect on the sound. There was no difference in sound quality between the Bluetooth/noise canceling mode with tone EQ set to flat and Concert Hall effect set to off, and the Airplane mode (wire connected with noise cancelling feature turned on; in Airplane mode EQ and Concert Hall settings don't have any effect). In Bluetooth mode with the noise canceling feature turned off, the sound quality drops a bit but still remains in the very good range; the bass loses impact and depth and becomes subdued, and the midrange becomes thinner. In the unpowered wire connected mode the sound quality totally changes and drops to fair - while it's fine for taking calls and may be adequate for movie soundtracks, audio books, and podcasts, it's not a good choice for music. The bass loses much of its impact and more of its detail, and doesn't go deep, the midrange becomes muffled and congested (bring on the sonic traffic jam), and the treble becomes subdued compared to the rest of the tonal range and sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer are more reminiscent of bacon frying). The overall character becomes full, but what was once a somewhat open sounding headphone becomes closed in (sound-wise it is obvious that you have something covering your ears) and less lively. The noise canceling capability of this model, while inconsistent, was at least very good overall. There was excellent noise reduction when the noise came from the front, fairly even across the entire tonal range. When the noise came from the sides or rear, noise cancellation was bit less effective. A faint hiss can heard when there is no audio program material present to mask it.
Comfort: We found that these headphones produce a sense of moderate pressure around the ears. The over-the-ear fit of the ear pads may be cramped for those with bigger ears, and the pads might feel hot and/or sticky after prolonged use. During wireless use incidental contact with the touch controls on the right earcup can cause unintentional track pause, playback, skipping, or volume level changes.
