Design and features: The headphones work with or without the noise-canceling feature being turned on, and you can use the noise-canceling feature without listening to music. These headphones can be used wirelessly with Bluetooth devices or can be cord connected. When the cord is connected, they have medium high sensitivity when powered so they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and lower-powered portable audio devices. When not powered, they have very low sensitivity; so while they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and higher powered portable audio devices, they are not a good match for lower-powered portables. The Zik 3 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 a built-in digital-to-analog audio converter that in powered mode can decode digital audio signals received from a computer via a USB cable connection. It has a text-to-speech caller ID function that will announce the name of a caller if the name is entered in a Bluetooth-connected smartphone's contact list, and the headphones can be set to automatically pause audio playback when they are removed from the head and resumes audio playback when they are placed back on the ears. The free Parrot Zik app, available for Apple and Android mobile devices, 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. The app also has tone presets and a social-networking feature that provides various tone presets selected by various music artists for the headphones. This model has earcups that swivel flat for ease of carrying and storage, and comes with a 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 3 has a number of different use modes. In most cases, changing the mode changes the sound quality to a greater or lesser degree. In Bluetooth/noise-canceling mode with the tone adjustments (EQ) set to flat and the Concert Hall Effect set to off, we found the Zik 3 delivers excellent active-noise reduction and sound quality that falls in the very good range - it reproduces music and voice very well, although it does have some noticeable sonic quirks. The overall sound can best be summarized as somewhat boomy and sizzly, and is very similar to the sound in the Zik 2.0 in the same mode. Bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes deep, but is a bit prominent and lacks definition. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is thin and a bit constricted (think straightjacketed). The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but somewhat prominent, sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying), and metallic sounding. The 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 and wire-connected modes with the noise-canceling turned on with tone EQ set to flat and Concert Hall effect set to off (what Parrot calls the "Airplane mode"). 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 becomes boomy, and depending on how well the earcups seal around the ears, may become more prominent (tight seal) or subdued (not well sealed). In the unpowered wire connected mode, the sound quality drops to fair - the bass looses depth and impact, and the overall sound becomes muffled. The noise-canceling capability of this model was excellent, but the character of the outside noise reduction changed a bit depending on what direction the noise was coming from - when it came from the rear, the reduction was fairly even for all tones, but as the noise moves towards, the front higher tones are reduced less so noise may take on a hissy quality. When the noise-canceling feature is turned on, the headphones themselves generate a very faint hiss, which can be heard when there is no ambient noise or audio program to drown it out.
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.
