When comparing Parrot Zik 3 vs Sony MDR-1000X, the Slant community recommends Sony MDR-1000X for most people. In the question“What are the best noise-cancelling headphones?” Sony MDR-1000X is ranked 4th while Parrot Zik 3 is ranked 7th. The most important reason people chose Sony MDR-1000X is:
The ear cups can be folded into the headband. This reduces the headphones' size so that it can easily fit inside bags.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Very good build quality
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.
Pro Interchangeable battery
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.
Pro Punchy bass with good clarity
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.
Pro Good at blocking ambient noise
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.
Pro Gesture controls on right ear cup
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.
Pro Wired and wireless connectivity
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.
Pro Music automatically pauses when taking these off
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.
Pro Decent battery life
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.
Pro Headphones can fold down to a more compact size
The ear cups can be folded into the headband. This reduces the headphones' size so that it can easily fit inside bags.
Pro Good noise isolation
These have great noise isolating properties and can block out a good amount of sound even with the noise cancelling off. The ear cups are closed back, the ear pads go over the ear and seal well, and this effectively minimizes sound leakage to and from the headphones.
Pro Quick Attention mode allows easy conversations
If you need to talk while using these, all you need to do is to cover the right ear cup with the palm of your hand. This activates Quick Attention mode which cuts off the music and amplifies voice for easy conversation. To get back to listening to music, all you need to do is to remove the palm from the ear cup.
Pro 4 noise cancelling modes to choose from
Users can set the feature to fully on or off, or set it to Ambient Sound which then offers 2 more options. Normal Mode allows some outside noise through, while Voice Mode allows voice frequencies through the noise cancelling.
Pro Effectively cancels outside noise
The MDR 1000x's active noise cancelling is one of the best in the market today. With the mode activated, a significant amount of outside noise is blocked, allowing you to really enjoy your music with minimal distractions.
Pro Noise cancelling otimizer
The noise cancelling optimizer runs a series of quick tests, with beeping noises, to adapt to ambient noise.
This is handy against construction work noise in front of your window.
Pro Can be used wired or wireless
You can use these headphones wired using the detachable 3.5mm cable or you can go wireless with Bluetooth.
Pro Fun-sounding with good details to the audio
The bass is impactful and controlled and works really well with most genres that are popular today. The mids are slightly forward at just the right levels, which ensures that the vocals can be clearly heard. The highs are emphasized and sound great with a lot of clarity and detail, especially on the upper registers.
Pro Right ear cup functions as touchpad remote
Swiping or tapping on the right ear cup's surface can pause or play track, go to the next track or go back to the previous one and can control volume levels as well.
Pro Built in mic makes taking calls very easy
There is a built in microphone which negates the need to remove the headphones to answer a call.
Pro Carrying case allows for easy and secure transport
This comes with a carrying case that is made from high quality materials. It should provide extra protection to the headphones against scratches and minor impacts, which are quite common when taking these while traveling.
Pro Long battery life
The internal battery can give up to 20 hours of listening to music.
Cons
Con Presence Sensor can be too sensitive
At times, even slight unintentional movement of the head can trip off the Presence Sensor, pausing the music. This can get very annoying if it happens frequently.
Con Can be a hassle to take on the go
The industrial design of the Parrot Zik 3 looks amazing, but also comes at the cost of the portability. The ear cups cannot be folded into the headband. You will need to account for its size when travelling. An alternative will be for you to hang these off your neck while on the go, which may not always be comfortable.
Con Highs can be too piercing
The boosted highs add a lot of detail to the sound that these headphones produce.This also makes it too harsh for some.
Con Weight can cause comfort issues
If heavy headphones are not your thing, then these may not be for you. The use of quality yet hefty and the internal battery contributes to the overall weight. As such, these can put a little extra strain on the head and neck when worn for long periods.