Parrot Zik 2.0 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black)

Let me preface this review by saying that I've owned and tried many types of headphones. These headphones have the best noise cancellation when on the plane or at home hands down. Period. I have owned Beats, Bose, and Audio Technica (the $300-400 versions of each). In fact, I just flew and compared the Bose QC 25 and the Zik 2.0 on the plane, and it wasn't even a contest. The big place where the Bose and others do not block out noise is the frequency range of people talking. I suspect this may have to do with FAA regulations so you can hear the captain of the plane in case of an emergency. With the Parrot Zik 2.0s on, I couldn't hear the people around me talking and only faintly the captain. With the Bose on, I could hear the annoying people talking constantly behind me.Of course these are the most advanced headphones money can buy right now. They work with an app that works on iOS or Android phones and this highly customizeable. Besides an eq, the app allows a variety of concert hall settings that can be adjusted and sound particularly good if you're listening to live music and want more of an effect of being at a concert. Besides that, they have touch controls on the right earpiece. Tap, they pause. Tap/slide finger up/down - adjust volume, slide finger front or back - forward or reverse. They even pause when you take them off. They have 8 microphones to filter out ambient noise.Besides for air travel - they sound very, very good. At home, however, I would choose the V-Moda Crossfade 100s. These have the best sound in a headphone under $500 IMO. I tested the crossafdes against just about everything in the pricerange of $150-500 and the level of separation and detail is unparalleled. On the plane, however, the "noise isolation" of the crossfades just couldn't compare to the Ziks which have active noise cancellation. I found myself having to turn the crossfades up quite a bit to hear the full sound range and then they were too loud in some frequencies. The Ziks just sound better than anything I've tried while on the plane. Period.In case you're wondering, these are worth the upgrade from the Zik 1.0 for several reasons. 1) They are lighter and noticeably more comfortable than the 1.0s. This is especially noticeable when you wear them for a couple of hours and the 1.0s would start to hurt your head. Not the case with the 2.0s. 2) They have 8 microphones and do a better job of noise cancelling (30db vs 25db- this may seem small but is very noticeable). 3) They have a pass through option for being on the street - they allow street noise in so you can hear while you're riding your bike or walking on a crowded street. 4) The app that comes with the Zik 2.0 is much improved from the Zik 1.0. It has a better range of options for equalization and has customizeable settings for artists to download they're preferred settings for their music (the 1.0s only had a Lou Reed setting). 5) They just SOUND BETTER - better separation, better imaging and better less muddy sound.Overall, I can HIGHLY recommend these for travel. These have the best noise cancelling I've heard. The sound is excellent and the app makes the sound very adjustable. They sound very good at home and can be tweaked to your hearts content as well. There really are only 2 cons about these headphones. 1) For $400 they should come with a case - all their competitors do. They come with only a cloth bag and you need to spend another ~$40 on a case. 2) The battery life is not that great. They have a rechargeable battery in them, and it lasts about 6-7 hours on the plane with the noise cancelling and eq on. NOTE - this is a different battery than the Zik 1.0 battery. The Bose or Beats take a AAA and it lasted about 15-20 hours when I used them.

If you are a true audiophile, look no further, do not waste any more time researching headphones and order these. That is to say unless your head is the size of Herman Munster. I am a typical "American Man" and skip all of the paperwork in the package so I can get to my goodies. As fast as possible, get that battery in and charged (a couple of hours). Unremarkable experience there, plugged into computer and charging. But when you pair it to a device, the magic begins. First an option to download a pdf version of the manual appears which was great, good to have for , later. But an app downloads as well. This app talks to the Parrot (not the converse as with the feathered kind). This app is powerful and with it you can turn on/off the noise reduction. The noise reduction is outstanding and completely obliterates the world around. You can turn if off such as when walking down the street so you stand less of a chance of getting hit by a bus. Next are the settings. You can customize the sound setting song by song if you wish, or by artist, genre, etc. You can save these settings, share them on the internet in a little private "Parrot world" and even use settings designed by the artists themselves. So that stopped me for an hour and a bit playing around before unleashing the sheer power. Pairing is as easy as falling off a log in the water. It "wants" to pair with your devices. It will first look for the last device it paired with, if that one isn't available, it will seek out what is. This level of Bluetooth is just breathtaking for the preservation of sound quality. I've heard nuances in songs I have never heard before. Now I'm 53, been listening for a little while to say the least and to hear background nuances in Led Zeppelin I didn't know existed blew me away. The same holds true for other genres as well. I am a rocker at heart and am into fusion, jazz, guitar based southern rock (Tedeschi Trucks), and others. Basically everything but rap and country music. Reading a book on a rainy day with some Mozart through these babies is pure heaven.Now, the good, the bad, and the ugly wrapped up together. I said earlier "unless you have a head the size of Herman Munster," and I mean it. I have a big head (not just because I am American). My head is the biggest head size to accommodate these headphones (maybe I have a big brain...nah), so if you are in the large dome class, you are going to be disappointed as these will not fit down to the bottoms of your ear lobes. I just made the cut. Having said that, with a proper fit, there is basically no sound bleed to annoy your close proximity mates. All controls are on the right ear piece. The on/off button is in a convenient location, but a bit too convenient as it is located in a spot where I typically grab them to adjust or remove, which shuts them off or puts them into a mode I have not read about in the manual. No biggie. The volume is adjusted just by swiping your finger from bottom to top across the surface of the right ear pad. Nice. I am still experimenting, but I think these puppies can "clip out" if you are pushing them too hard. This has lessened with practice. And they provide as much volume as you would want and/or is safe. The right ear pad also touts the feature to pause and skip or go back. I found this to work depending on the device you are paired to. Apple devices (except computers) work great. An Apple computer seems to ignore the commands sent by the Parrot. I use VLC player and no such control works with the Parrot. I have (to date, read the manual) been unable to get the app onto a computer and have it on my iPads, iPhone, etc. For the times when the Parrot is paired to a device which behaves, the headset control for pausing, skipping songs etc. is a bit finicky. Could be due to fat fingers or I haven't gained the right "touch" yet. I haven't travelled for awhile so I have not checked out the "airplane" feature and have no idea what it does. I hope it enhances the already near perfect noise canceling. These head phones are as advertised "unlike anything else in the world." I might add "at this price level" because this is the absolute upper limit of what I will spend on such a device. But I believe I have found the holy grail of headphones. I have been through three pair of Sennheiser and have "gifted" them as well as tossed them. Don't be a fool man, this is what you are looking for/needing.