CES: Parrot Zik Sport are "world's smartest sports headphones"

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French company Parrot has launched a sporty version of its technology-packed Zik headphones, which are "full of sensors" and come with a fitness-analysing app to help boost your performance.

From the same family as the excellent Parrot Zik and Parrot Zik 2.0 wireless headphones, the Philippe Starck-designed Zik Sport headset aims to analyse and optimise your workout.

A partnering app for smartphones and tablets will measure your heart rate and running style thanks to its integrated "intra-auricular biometric sensors", which make for an eye-catching design.

The app relays this information so you can analyse quite how slow, or maybe fast, you were running.

The Parrot Music Sport app is also said to be compatible "with the majority of existing sport applications" from the likes of Adidas and Nike.

The Zik Sport earphones have Bluetooth 4.0 for connecting to your phone or tablet and sport Parrot's 32bit digital sound processing.

The cans have active noise cancellation but also a "street mode" so you can hear your surroundings as well as your music (handy for not getting run over).

There was no official price on display when the headphones were launched at the CES Unveiled event at CES 2015. But with the Zik headphones costing £300, we'd expect the Sport version to be in a similar ballpark when they go on sale later this year.

Also new from Parrot was an in-car infotainment system that's compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The Parrot RNB6 can function as a stand-alone in-car system but comes into its own when paired with an Apple- or Google-enabled suite of apps for voice control, music playback and more.

Control comes via the 7in touchscreen display or your connected Android or iOS smartphone. It's also due for release later in 2015.

Joe Cox
Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).