Parrot ZIK Wireless Headphones By Philippe Starck (PF560000)

I love these headphones. They sound really good and are incredibly comfortable. I've used a lot of the "Industry Standard" headphones like the HD280pro, M50, etc, but these blow them out of the water. I guess that is why they are so much more money. At first I thought they were going to be heavy and bulky, but they surprised me and weren't that at all. They are actually super comfy.



The bluetooth quality is really good. I think that I liked the sound quality of the bluetooth better than when it is plugged in.



The gesture control on the side of the headphone is really cool too. It seems natural to use.



Price is steep, but I think they are worth it.



The app is sweet too. Pricey headphones, but at least the app is free.

I went to CES this last year as I always try to, and I was in the area when I saw this "Drone" by Parrot. It was a 4 propeller little remote helicopter with a built in HD camera. It was flying around doing all sorts of tricks. Needless to say I was amazed at the technology that Parrot has been dipping their feet into. But beyond the cage with the Drones was a carpeted section that had about 8 of these headphones on display.



At first glance, I thought these had an incredibly modern design. It looked almost like a "concept headphone" or something. I picked it up and immediately could tell that this was a serious headphone. It is heavy. But not clunky and bulky kind of heavy. Its firm heavy, like it has been built to last. A characteristic that I think is dwindling in the headphone market. Its frame was like a brushed aluminum or clean metal type frame. the headband is wrapped with leather and was well padded. The actual cans have a nice finish on them, that allows you to grip them well. I thought there was a cable dangling down from the ceiling and plugging in the sound so I put them on for a try.



The ear cushions are possibly the most comfortable pads I have used. They are very soft, and generously padded. They isolated very well. The weight on them was pleasantly reassuring. The noise cancelling was one of the most impressive functions. 9 out of 10 "Noise Cancelling" headphones have a pressurized feeling they create on your ears, and emit a hissing sound that varies by the quality of the headphone. I didnt hear that on these at all. These are 1 of 2 Noise cancelling headphones that left me fully satisfied. When you combine the natural isolation of the pads with its premium noise cancelling feature, I was left with a peaceful, controlled environment to enjoy the music. And trust me, it was pretty loud in that Hall! The sound on the headphones was great. I found myself enjoying whatever type of music they had looping through. It was full, and balanced. They delivered all the details with a touch of warmth to them.



After about 10-15 minutes one of the representatives in the booth walked up to me with a little pamphlet in his hand. It was then that I noticed the cable coming down from above was actually a coated wire, it was a restraint. (I later learned that these have 3.5 mm jack for a hard connection and that the headphones can still work with the cable if the battery life runs out over extended use. as simple as this is, its a necessary feature that too many popular headphones dont have) The headphones were bluetooth. I was eager to learn more. When I spoke with the man, he described some of the features. When he first held the headphones, he pointed to the sensor on the ear cup (that i had no idea was even there when I was wearing them). The sensor automatically turns off the headphones when you take them off, and on when you put them on. he demo'd the sensors on the sides, and the next track and volume up and down. The more and more I changed the volume, and skipped tracks forward and back with the wave of a hand the more impressed I was. It was very accurate. I held my hand away and tested the range of error. When I got my hand more than a few inches away the sensor wouldnt respond. I was worried other peoples hands or movements would affect this, but I didnt experience that problem. I think the "touch to answer" function is great as well. I wouldnt have to fumble around to find the remote on the cable. After my sensor testing, he pulled out his phone and showed me the Android App they had for it. He was adjusting the Concert Hall effects, it shows the rechargeable battery meter, there was an EQ in there... It was the first time I had ever felt like I was really in control of the sound of the headphone. Not just making adjustments on the headphone amp or my phone. Really having the ability to tweak the sound to my liking was something far beyond anything I have seen.



I really believe that Parrot spent some serious time when they were designing this. It has features that you couldnt find even if you combined 10 of the best headphones out there. Then, to back it up with arguably the best construction of any headphone in this price range.... well I think this might just change the way this enormous headphone market approaches their own future models. This may very well be a standard in a few short years. But until that point, this is far beyond its competition. Parrot has set the new par with the ZIK! Excellent choice!



Ease of Use is the only category I would not give this 5 stars. But that is not to slam the product by any means. Anything that has this many features and functions will require some getting use to. I dont think everyone is cut out for this product. But then again, at $399.00 Thats not the way Parrot intended either :)