Parrot Zik 3 review
Parrot’s third iteration of the Zik headphones aren’t something you’d expect to see on the shelves of your local big-box tech outlet.
Apart from a price that’s likely to make your eyes water, these designer cans look like they emerged from a time capsule buried on the set of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
Though they still contain the basic headphone components of two over-ear cups attached by a headband, the set’s bold curved design and premium textured and brightly coloured materials have a tendency to polarise an audience — the worlds of high-end fashion and premium technology aren’t always this closely intertwined.
But if the lofty design of these headphones gives you the impression that they were nothing more than a fashionable gimmick, then you’ve been misled.
The Zik 3 headphones are pitched as ‘wireless everything’ which is a compact way of saying they’re capable of Bluetooth playback with call passthrough and induction charging.
It’s also worth noting that the Zik 3 headphones have some of the best active noise-cancelling technology we’ve experienced and a touch sensor on the headset that allows you to control the entire audio playback without having to touch your paired smartphone.
Parrot’s software is impressive in its own right, with Android, iOS and Apple Watch apps that’ll allow you to see the headset’s battery life, manually control the level of noise cancelling, play with audio context configurations that show off the headphone’s 5.1 surround sound, and choose from a massive selection of pre-configured and customisable equaliser settings.
Most importantly, the audio quality is great for Bluetooth headphones. If you’re a fan of the Zik 3’s overall aesthetic — and can stomach that lofty price — you won’t be let down by the quality of audio technology.
Price: $599
From: Parrot
