Parrot Zik 2.0 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Initial review - Opening / Setup: Just received the Parrot Zik 2.0's in black. Parrot put some thought into even the packaging. This is something that a lot of companies dismiss, but considering that this is your consumer's first interaction with the product that they have purchased, there is some value in that first impression - and Parrot certainly recognizes that. Having said that, it did take a little work to get the box open; and again a little work to get the battery out of its little spot in the box. But otherwise, a wonderful opening experience. Instructions were easy - to the point where they are almost not needed. That is the simplicity with which you want to design your product. When you open the Zik's, you connect them via the provided USB cable to your computer to charge the battery. The red charging indicator turns white once the battery is charged. Once the battery is charged, you press the button (which is where the charging indicator is), go into the Bluetooth preferences on your iPhone (or whatever you're using), and the Zik's show up for you to pair them. There are audible indicators to indicate power on, power off, and pairing. Fit: Some have mentioned with regard to the original Zik's and the Zik 2.0's that if they don't have a petite head, the Zik's aren't the best fit. My head isn't huge, but it also isn't small. The Zik's fit comfortably on my head. What may be of concern is the fit of the earpads around my ears, since I don't have the smallest ears. I really like in ear monitor's that have a good fit (I use a pair from Etymotic), or a circumaural (around the ear) design for headphones. I have tried supra-aural headphones (have a pair of Sennheiser HD 25-1 II's that sound just great), but they cause my ears fatigue after a period of use - so my son uses them now. Some also have mentioned the weight of the original Zik's. As you may know, the Zik 2.0's are lighter than the original - but not the lightest headphones around. They feel comfortable enough on my head - we will see how they feel after a while. App / Sound / Bluetooth performance: The app requires you to register. I'm not sure why that's necessary, but fine. As soon as you register, you're told of a software update. It downloads and then transfers to the Zik's via Bluetooth without issue. After the update, the Zik's reconnect to the iPhone, and this is confirmed by an audible signal. However, the App isn't aware of the presence of the Zik's. Killing and restarting app makes the app of their presence. The app gives you a great deal of control over the sound - you can literally shape it in Producer mode, or use a simplified equalizer. You can turn noise reduction on and off. You can enable or disable the feel / size of the room. All of this control results in the ability to really get the Zik's suit how you like to hear. The app also shows you the battery level of the Zik's. I'm getting what I believe are some dropouts - I thought at first it was due to Bluetooth, but it may be that the Bluetooth connection is fine and it's the app that drops out. I can reproduce it, setting my iPhone down on my desk. My head is no more than 18" from my head. And unlike what I experience with another pair of Bluetooth earphones, the dropout isn't short - when it drops out, it easily takes 5 to 15 seconds for it to resume. I don't think it's the iPhone, because I can stream via Bluetooth to the UE BOOM speaker I have from a different level on the home. This will be a deal breaker if I can't figure out a way to resolve it. It seems that you cannot use the Zik's over the wired connection when they are turned on - it isn't possible to be wired + noise canceling + equalized + concert hall sound. If they are turned on, and on your iPhone you select wired headsets, it switches back to Bluetooth headsets. I connected the Zik's to the headphone jack on my Mackie 802VLZ4 mixer, and they sound just awful when they aren't turned on. Turning them on provides a better sound, but it doesn't seem natural - not like what I get from the Etymotic's or from the Sennheiser's. Not only that, but there is a noticeable delay in the sound being delivered through the Zik's - something which is completely unacceptable. I then connected the Zik's to the headphone jack on my MacBook Pro, and listened to the same track that I heard on my iPhone. They sound just awful turned off (passive). And again, turned on, they don't at all sound the same as they do on the iPhone. So it seems that their app is doing something - like the sound is processed through the app. The changes you make in the app don't affect the Zik's directly - they affect how the sound is processed and sent to the Zik's from their app? Further, I noticed that when I turned the Zik's on, and received a text message on my iPhone, the Zik's stopped providing audio from the MacBook for probably 5 seconds. So they at the same time are doing Bluetooth to the phone, and are wired to my MacBook. This isn't really what I want. With all this technology in the headphones, you would think that wiring them would disable Bluetooth. You would also think that you wouldn't leave the Zik's crippled in the absence of the app. So because this app isn't on my Mac, and certain not on a mixer, the only way I can hear the potential of these headphones is with their app on a mobile phone. It seems that there are a lot of elements of the Zik's that haven't been well thought out. They have a place and a purpose, but it seems that they focused a great deal on bells and whistles and missed the boat on the basics. For me, it has turned what I initially considered a one star product to a one star product.