Reviewed: Parrot Zik, Bose QC 35, Plantronics Backbeat Fit workout headphones

With Apple likely to cut the headphone jack from the iPhone 7, here are bluetooth options that demand attention.

Plantronics BackBeat Fit sports headphones banish the worst gym music.

With Apple probably removing the headphone jack from its upcoming iPhone 7 and the audio world generally moving wireless, 2016 is shaping up as a watershed year for Bluetooth headphones. Market stalwart Bose has re-engineered its most famous noise-cancelling cans to create the QC35s and newer entrants such as Parrot and Plantronics are aiming to capitalise on the convenience offered by Bluetooth technology. But are they as good as their wired counterparts? And which ones are right for you?

Parrot Zik 3.0
RRP $600

French wireless device firm Parrot is better known for its drones than its headphones, but its distinctive Zik range has been making a name for itself over the past few years and the third iteration is Parrot’s best yet. Style-conscious customers will appreciate the Zik’s varied and colourful design options — including “overstitched” and “croco” — but better still, audiophiles will like the sound, which is dazzling.

Parrot’s smartphone app is a bit cumbersome but allows for a ton of customisation to find your perfect soundstage, while perhaps the coolest thing about the Zik 3.0 is the auto-pause feature. If you’re in the middle of listening to something, but need to have a social interaction, pulling the headphones off your ears to around your neck will automatically pause whatever you’re listening to, which will resume as soon as the headphones are back over your ears. This function, which can be enabled and disabled in the Parrot app, makes the Ziks feel as forward-looking as they look. The touch panel on the side of the right ear cup is intuitive and makes skipping tracks and changing volume easy.

However, the main issue is the price. At $600, the Ziks are a hefty purchase and don’t come with much in the way of accessories, just a simple cloth carrying case and cables. Parrot has done an admirable job making great-sounding headphones that feel like the future … and for $200 less they’d be perfection.

Bose QC 35
RRP $499

Bose’s decision to release its famous flagship QC 25 headphones as the newly wireless QC 35 seems on the surface like a genius move, timed just months ahead of the highly anticipated iPhone 7 release and after other manufacturers have helped get the public used to the idea of wireless headphones. As with the QC 25s, the QC 35s use a series of microphones inside and outside the earcups to monitor sound and cancel it out, which it does admirably.

The QC 35s also work with multiple devices simultaneously, automatically switching between your laptop and phone, depending on what’s playing. The Bose app doesn’t boast many features but does have a classy, understated feel, as do the headphones themselves, in typical Bose style.

And how do they sound? Really, really good. Bose has earned its reputation as a top-tier audio manufacturer over many years and the QC 35s are no exception, providing crisp, immersive sound quality.

A real strength of the QC 35 — and this is a make or break for almost all wireless products — is battery life. Bose says the battery is good for 20 hours of wireless listening and 40 hours wired, and my testing showed this was about on the money. The QC 35 does away with the AAA battery used in other models in favour of an integrated rechargeable battery, which is as easy as charging your phone. Full disclosure: I’ve used Bose’s QC 25 for years, and I feel the QC 35s seamlessly replace them with something equal in quality but in a much more seamless and convenient package.

They won’t wow you but they’re extremely well made, and for most people that’s enough. They’re the best wireless headphones available today.

Plantronics Backbeat Fit: RRP $120

One place where Bluetooth headphones really come into their own is the gym. It’s a universal truth that gym music is bad, and it’s also pretty inarguable that a good running playlist can amplify a workout big time. Given I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had unfortunate headphone tangling incidents while running, the Plantronics Backbeat Fit has been something of a revelation.

Though call quality can be mediocre, the small headphones pump enough volume to get you going, and are, importantly, fully sweat-proof. The battery lasts about eight hours, which isn’t great but reasonable considering their size, and they come with an armband for your phone, too.

They’re not amazing sounding headphones and I prefer the others for wear during the day, say in the home or office. But for working out, you can’t go wrong with the Backbeat Fit and the price point of around $120 makes it a no-brainer for anyone who works out regularly (and who can’t stand gym music).