xXDUNNXx
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2011
- Posts
- 13
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- 0
Here goes nothing!
I hated the trial and error of finding something right for me. Maybe this will help some people out. I know what I like. That is clear, precise, and powerful sound reproduction. This is very hard to find in a set of bluetooth headphones. I am testing with a Samsung Galaxy S5, and Spotify with "Extreme Quality" tracks. The bottleneck is the bitrate of the tracks.
Sound:
Beats- Lows are low, and not nearly as muddy and overbearing as before! Mids are more present than ever in Beats. Highs are a tad too "Crispy", but not a big deal. Noise cancellation is always on, but this isn't too much of a bummer, everything is still clear.
Level-Over- Lows are soft, but have no impact nor much extension. Mids are clear but overbearing. Highs are nice and detailed, yet a little lacking. Noise cancellation on makes them lose so much detail.
Zik- Lows are extended well and are pleasant, but a little muddy. Mids are clear and precise. Highs are nice and detailed, but have the typical bluetooth crackle. Noise cancellation is wonderful, except with wind which it really amplifies.
Wireless:
Beats- They confirmed with me that they apparently DO use APT-X codec. Why is it not advertised? Not a clue. This makes sense seen as how the audio is nearly as good as wired and doesn't have the typical nasty sound like when transmitting from my Galaxy Nexus with no APT-X. The DSP and amplifier built in do a great job. It is loud via bluetooth. Loud enough that I only push 75% volume.
Level-Over- These use APT-X. The DSP and amplifier built in do a mediocre job, if even that. It is at most decent via bluetooth. 100% volume distorts terribly and even that is not that loud. Wired is not much better. My Panasonic RP-HTF600-S cans sound better for a whopping $30. Just sad performance.
Zik- These use AAC and SBC and you can hear it. It's terrible. The DSP and amplifier built in do a wonderful job, if only they were fed APT-X. It is wonderful sound, but it is your classic lossy bluetooth sound, crackles and all. It does get loud!
Noise Cancellation:
Beats- Wow, these are actually really good. They let really loud noises in and not much else. Of course they have a hiss when no music is playing, but that's expected. The "Adaptive" cancellation turns that down when music is playing. By the way, these are awesome on a plane.
Level-Over- Wow, these are actually mediocre again. Why did I pay so much? They let really loud noises and even some soft ones in. On the airplane, turning your head creates this awful reverberation inside. They have a hiss when no music is playing, but again that's expected.
Zik- If only. They do a wonderful job, except with wind. They barely have a hiss when no music is playing and are the best of the bunch in this department.
Comfort and quality goes to the Zik headphones, runner up are the Beats. Sorry Samsung.
Music control I am going to give it to the Beats. Innovation goes to the Zik's, but I hate the touch controls. Mistakes and accidents happen with touch.
For the first time ever in the history of me, I choose Beats over the others. I wish they were all $100 less, but it is what it is.
I hated the trial and error of finding something right for me. Maybe this will help some people out. I know what I like. That is clear, precise, and powerful sound reproduction. This is very hard to find in a set of bluetooth headphones. I am testing with a Samsung Galaxy S5, and Spotify with "Extreme Quality" tracks. The bottleneck is the bitrate of the tracks.
Sound:
Beats- Lows are low, and not nearly as muddy and overbearing as before! Mids are more present than ever in Beats. Highs are a tad too "Crispy", but not a big deal. Noise cancellation is always on, but this isn't too much of a bummer, everything is still clear.
Level-Over- Lows are soft, but have no impact nor much extension. Mids are clear but overbearing. Highs are nice and detailed, yet a little lacking. Noise cancellation on makes them lose so much detail.
Zik- Lows are extended well and are pleasant, but a little muddy. Mids are clear and precise. Highs are nice and detailed, but have the typical bluetooth crackle. Noise cancellation is wonderful, except with wind which it really amplifies.
Wireless:
Beats- They confirmed with me that they apparently DO use APT-X codec. Why is it not advertised? Not a clue. This makes sense seen as how the audio is nearly as good as wired and doesn't have the typical nasty sound like when transmitting from my Galaxy Nexus with no APT-X. The DSP and amplifier built in do a great job. It is loud via bluetooth. Loud enough that I only push 75% volume.
Level-Over- These use APT-X. The DSP and amplifier built in do a mediocre job, if even that. It is at most decent via bluetooth. 100% volume distorts terribly and even that is not that loud. Wired is not much better. My Panasonic RP-HTF600-S cans sound better for a whopping $30. Just sad performance.
Zik- These use AAC and SBC and you can hear it. It's terrible. The DSP and amplifier built in do a wonderful job, if only they were fed APT-X. It is wonderful sound, but it is your classic lossy bluetooth sound, crackles and all. It does get loud!
Noise Cancellation:
Beats- Wow, these are actually really good. They let really loud noises in and not much else. Of course they have a hiss when no music is playing, but that's expected. The "Adaptive" cancellation turns that down when music is playing. By the way, these are awesome on a plane.
Level-Over- Wow, these are actually mediocre again. Why did I pay so much? They let really loud noises and even some soft ones in. On the airplane, turning your head creates this awful reverberation inside. They have a hiss when no music is playing, but again that's expected.
Zik- If only. They do a wonderful job, except with wind. They barely have a hiss when no music is playing and are the best of the bunch in this department.
Comfort and quality goes to the Zik headphones, runner up are the Beats. Sorry Samsung.
Music control I am going to give it to the Beats. Innovation goes to the Zik's, but I hate the touch controls. Mistakes and accidents happen with touch.
For the first time ever in the history of me, I choose Beats over the others. I wish they were all $100 less, but it is what it is.
