Sennheiser HD 598 SR vs Parrot Zik 3

The large ear pads feature a velour surface and a soft foam material underneath. The comfort of the headband is also notable. It features a synthetic leather material with a thick foam inside. In combination, these cushioned parts feel like pillows on the head.

These headphones are in a price range that is quite affordable, yet offers sound and build quality that is beyond the standards in its price bracket.

The bass takes a bit of a back seat compared to the other frequencies, yet is still enough to give fullness and punch to the sound. The mids are the star of these headphones' sound signature. They are clear and a little bit forward, which give a lot of extra detail and presence to guitars and vocals. The highs are pretty crisp and clean, and complement the other frequencies really well.

Even for open back headphones, the soundstage that the HD 598 produces is amazing. It is quite wide yet natural at the same time, which makes it feel like you're listening to the artist perform in front of you live. This wide sound stage and great imaging also make these ideal for games and movies, as these can enhance audio immersion.

This makes the headphones quite easy to store, and the cable easy to replace. Also, the attachment mechanism is a twist to lock system which minimizes the chances of the cable getting disconnected while in use.

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.