When comparing Parrot Zik 2.0 vs Phiaton Chord MS 530, the Slant community recommends Phiaton Chord MS 530 for most people. In the question“What are the best portable Bluetooth on-ear/over-ear headphones?” Phiaton Chord MS 530 is ranked 6th while Parrot Zik 2.0 is ranked 7th. The most important reason people chose Phiaton Chord MS 530 is:
Chord MS 530 offers a balanced sound experience with no glaring flaws.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Detailed highs and punchy bass
The highs are the highlight of the Parrot Zik 2.0's sound signature. They are very clear and crisp without adding any harshness to the sound. The bass is also very good as the headphones can produce a very satisfying rumble and punch in the low end. The mids are slightly recessed, so instruments like guitars and the vocals are not too prominent, but are still clear.
Pro Decent battery life
From a full charge with all of the audio features on, you can get anywhere from 5 to 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 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 2.0's Presence Sensor detects such motions, negating the need to manually pause/play the music.
Pro Tapping on the outsite of the cup activates Siri or Google Now
Pro Wired and wireless connectivity
The Parrot Zik 2.0 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 Light and comfortable
Pro Excellent adaptive noise-cancellation
Consisting of 8 microphones (4 inward facing, 4 - outward) these headphones have excellent noise-cancellation. A feature called "Street Mode" uses the microphones to add noise from the outside to whatever's currently playing allowing you to be aware of your surroundings. You can also adjust how much outside noise you wish.
Pro Informs of who's calling
Pro A number of color variants available
Aside from the sleek looking design, the Zik 2.0 also comes in a number of colors including black, white. blue, red and many more. These options are great if you have a specific color preference.
Pro Right ear cup accommodates gesture controls
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 Companion app offers lots of customizability
There are iOS and Android companion apps for advanced settings. These allow for equalization, virtualization, turning noise-cancellation on and off, changing output frequencies and sound stage among other things. These settings can be applied on an artist/album/song basis and shared with other owners of Zik headphones.
Pro Good sound quality
Chord MS 530 offers a balanced sound experience with no glaring flaws.
Pro Comfortable
Both the fit is comfortable and control buttons are easily accessible.
Pro Good battery life
Chord MS 530 has between 17 and 30 hours of battery life depending on whether you use active noise canceling or not.
Pro Optional, good active noise cancelling
Chord MS 530 offers high quality noise cancelling that you can choose to use or ignore completely with an easy to access switch at the side of the earphones.
Pro Can be paired with two devices simultaneously
You can connect to two different devices at the same time.
Pro Good call quality
Clear sound, good noise cancelling and easy access to call buttons.
Pro Wireless & wired modes
Works both as a wireless and a wired device.
Cons
Con Charging can be slow
You may need to remember to charge these headphones on a frequent basis. It takes around two and a half hours to charge this battery from empty to full, which may be too long, especially if you are always on the go.
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 2.0 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 Padding might get warm with extended use
If you live in a warm climate, the padding tends to get warm after a couple of hours of use.