When comparing Parrot Zik 3 vs Naztech i9BT, the Slant community recommends Parrot Zik 3 for most people. In the question“What are the best noise-cancelling headphones?” Parrot Zik 3 is ranked 7th while Naztech i9BT is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose Parrot Zik 3 is:
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.
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 Good passive noise isolation with active noise cancelling
The over-ear, closed back design allows for good sound isolation, minimizing sound leak while also minimizing the outside noise that can interfere with the music. This is further enhanced by active noise cancellation, which actively blocks out noise frequencies.
Pro Long listening sessions should not be a problem
From a full charge, these headphones can give you 12 hours of playback when listening to music via Bluetooth along with active noise cancelling on. Playback time can last up to around 15 hours with noise cancelling off.
Pro Active noise cancelling can be used on its own
You can turn on just active noise cancelling feature without the music, for when you just want to shut out outside noise.
Pro Feature rich for the price
The i9BT has a good combination of features that is difficult to find in its price range. It has a fun sound, a closed back design for good noise isolation and active noise cancelling.
Pro Powerful bass and bright highs
The i9BT has a V-shaped sound signature where the mids take a bit of a back seat in favor of the low and high frequencies. The bass is quite powerful so bass drum hits definitely have a lot of punch and depth. This is balanced out by highs that are very airy, bordering on harsh.
The powerful bass makes the i9BT great for bass heavy music like hip hop and dance. The overall V-shape sound however also makes these headphones a good pick for rock and pop genres.
Pro Feels very soft on the head
Along with the fairly thick and high quality memory foam used on the head band and ear cups, the cushions' surface features real leather. Not only does this combination feel really soft, but is also quite smooth on the skin.
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 Noise cancelling can introduce hiss
Some users hear hiss added to the music with active noise cancelling on. This can be distracting, especially if you are sensitive to these high frequencies.