Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 vs Parrot Zik 3

With the BackBeat Pro 2, you get powerful yet clear sound that is comparable to higher end models but at a noticeably more affordable price. Wireless range and stability is quite good and the noise cancelling, while not the best, can reduce a good amount of external noise.

While the active noise canceling is not the best, it is able to reduce a good amount of noise from your surroundings. Loud engine sounds or high pitched noise may still mix in with your music though.

The BackBeat Pro 2’s mids and treble are not forward, yet sound clear and neutral. You may hear a bit of sharpness in the higher frequencies, but overall you’ll get a pleasant listening experience with great details from your music.

The low-end is quite emphasized, so you’ll get a lot of thump from bass hits. Bass lovers will likely find these headphones to be up their alley.

You won’t need to press a button on the headphones or on your source device to pause the music when you need to remove the BackBeat Pro 2. There are sensors inside the headphones that detect this motion, so the music is automatically paused, and then resumed when you put the headphones back on.

Listen to the environment via a microphone without taking off the headphones.

These headphones have Bluetooth connectivity for wireless convenience, but you can also switch to 3.5mm wired mode if the battery runs out and you cannot charge right away.

You’ll be able to hear audio even if you are around 100 feet away from your source device, provided there is a clear line of sight. Signal quality is also pretty good with minimal music cuts and drops.

These headphones can last up to 24 hours of playback from a full charge, and this with moderate volumes in wireless mode with noise cancelling activated. This is very good battery life, considering other wireless headphones at the price range only have around half the battery life on average.

The Zik 3 features a solid build. The headband is made out of metal and can flex a good bit without breaking. Headband adjustment is quite stiff, which ensures that your adjustments stay in place. The ear cup surfaces are covered with leather which makes the headphones look and feel premium.

You can remove the right ear cup cover to gain access to the headphones’ battery. You can replace the battery if the performance is diminishing, or you can bring a spare, charged battery to swap in with the depleted one for longer playback use.

The bass reproduction is full and punchy, yet does not get overpowering. Bass hits sound tight, fast and have fairly good depth. The mids sound natural while the highs are clear, yet a bit rolled-off. This allows the Zik 3 to deliver fairly clear sound without getting harsh.

The punchy bass makes these heapdhones work well with popular modern genres like EDM, hip-hop and the like yet can still work well with pop, jazz, classical and similar music genres.

The noise cancelling is fairly effective. While it does not cancel out all ambient noise, the feature reduces a good chunk of it, so it does not interfere too much with your music.

You can swipe left or right for previous or next track, tap to play or pause as well as answer calls with the headphones on. This can be very convenient, as you do not need to deal with small and difficult to press buttons.

The Parrot Zik 3 features Bluetooth as well as NFC connectivity for wireless use, which is great for modern smartphones or devices. If your music player does not have wireless connectivity, a 3.5mm jack can be used.

When you take the headphones from your head or put it back on, the music can automatically pause or resume. The Zik 3's Presence Sensor detects such motions, negating the need to manually pause/play the music.

From a full charge with all of the audio features on, you can get around 7 hours of listening time. However, if you choose to run these in airplane mode (wired connection with noise cancellation) you can get around 16 to 18 hours of use.