Bose QuietComfort 25/QC25 vs Parrot Zik 3/Zik 3.0 Wireless: Which Headphones Are Better?

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Aug 07, 2021 12:21 AM

See Bose QuietComfort 25/QC25 Review

TypeOver-ear

EnclosureClosed-Back

Noise CancellingYes

WirelessNo

TransducerDynamic

MicYes

TypeOver-ear

EnclosureClosed-Back

Noise CancellingYes

WirelessYes

TransducerDynamic

MicYes

Our Verdict

Bose QuietComfort 25/QC25

Parrot Zik 3/Zik 3.0 Wireless

If you want a wired headset, then the Bose QuietComfort 25/QC25 are a better choice but if you prefer a wireless option for most of your use cases, then get the Parrot Zik 3/Zik 3.0 Wireless instead. The Parrot have a lot more features and also come with an audio cable to use wired. They have a sturdier more durable and premium looking design than the Bose. They also have a customizable sound since they are active headphones that come with a good app. The Bose, on the other hand, have a much more comfortable over-ear fit that you can wear for hours without fatigue. They also have a slightly better sound quality and an easier-to-use design for most users.

Variants

QuietComfort 25 (Android, Black)
QuietComfort 25 (Android, White)
QuietComfort 25 (iOS, Black)
QuietComfort 25 (iOS,White)

Zik 3 (Black Leather)
Zik 3 (Black croc)
Zik 3 (Black stitched)
Zik 3 (Brown croc)
Zik 3 (Camel leather)
Zik 3 (Green croc)
Zik 3 (Ivory stitched)
Zik 3 (Red croc)

Review

See Parrot Zik 3/Zik 3.0 Wireless Review

Check Price

Android, Black

QuietComfort 25

Black Leather

Zik 3

Android, White

QuietComfort 25

Black croc

Zik 3

iOS, Black

QuietComfort 25

Black stitched

Zik 3

iOS,White

QuietComfort 25

Brown croc

Zik 3

Camel leather

Zik 3

Green croc

Zik 3

Ivory stitched

Zik 3

Red croc

Zik 3

Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Threshold

0.10

Mixed Usage

6.8

Bluetooth Version

No Bluetooth

3.0

Comfort

8.5

7.0

Noise Isolation

8.7

7.7

Battery

7.8

6.2

Passive Soundstage

5.0

1.9

Full Comparison

Mixed Usage

6.8

Neutral Sound

7.4

6.6

Commute/Travel

6.9

7.2

Sports/Fitness

6.3

7.0

Office

7.1

6.7

Wireless Gaming

5.8

5.3

Wired Gaming

7.4

7.3

Phone Calls

7.0

6.8

Design

Style

Design Picture 2

Type

Over-ear

Enclosure

Closed-Back

Wireless

Yes

Transducer

Dynamic

Show Text

Comfort

8.5

7.0

Comfort Picture

Weight

0.47 lbs

0.62 lbs

Clamping Force

0.68 lbs

0.94 lbs

Show Text

Controls

6.6

7.1

Controls Picture

OS Compatibility

iOS

Not OS specific

Ease Of Use

Good

Mediocre

Feedback

Decent

Subpar

Call/Music Control

Yes

Volume Control

Yes

Microphone Control

Channel Mixing

N/A

Noise Cancelling Control

Adjustable

Talk-Through

Adjustable

Additional Controls

Show Text

Breathability

6.4

6.5

Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference

6.1 °C

5.6 °C

Show Text

Portability

6.2

Portability Picture

L

4.92"

8.27"

W

5.51"

6.69"

H

2.95"

1.57"

Volume

80.14 in³

87.11 in³

Transmitter Required

N/A

Show Text

Case

8.0

5.5

Case Picture

Type

Hard case

Pouch

L

8.27"

N/A

W

5.71"

N/A

H

1.7"

N/A

Volume

83.54 in³

N/A

Show Text

Build Quality

7.5

8.5

Build Quality Picture

Show Text

Stability

6.5

7.0

Stability Picture

Show Text

Headshots 1

Angled Picture

Side Picture

Headshots 2

Front Picture

Rear Picture

Top

Top Picture

In The Box

In The Box Picture

Show Text

Sound

Sound Profile

Frequency Response

Frequency Response

Bass Amount

-0.31 dB

1.45 dB

Treble Amount

-1.61 dB

-0.64 dB

Frequency Response Consistency

7.9

8.2

Consistency L

Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation

0.41 dB

0.36 dB

Show Text

Raw Frequency Response

Bass Accuracy

8.4

8.7

Bass

Bass

Std. Err.

2.31 dB

1.81 dB

Low-Frequency Extension

10.91 Hz

10 Hz

Low-Bass

0.55 dB

3.22 dB

Mid-Bass

1.99 dB

0.7 dB

High-Bass

3.73 dB

-0.34 dB

Show Text

Mid Accuracy

8.3

7.6

Mid

Mid

Std. Err.

2.27 dB

3.18 dB

Low-Mid

1.81 dB

-1.95 dB

Mid-Mid

-0.01 dB

-2.64 dB

High-Mid

2.99 dB

3.86 dB

Show Text

Treble Accuracy

6.9

5.2

Treble

Treble

Std. Err.

4.09 dB

5.74 dB

Low-Treble

1.2 dB

-3.82 dB

Mid-Treble

-1.4 dB

-2.54 dB

High-Treble

-3.64 dB

2.85 dB

Show Text

Peaks/Dips

7.4

5.9

Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks

1.59 dB

2.55 dB

Dips

1.64 dB

3.08 dB

Imaging

8.3

8.8

Group Delay

Phase Response

Weighted Group Delay

0.15

0.17

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch

1.06

0.41

Weighted Frequency Mismatch

2.44

1.53

Weighted Phase Mismatch

3.92

Show Text

Passive Soundstage

5.0

1.9

PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)

4.8 dB

8.83 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.)

6.37 dB

2.14 dB

PRTF Distance

10.18 dB

-0.95 dB

Openness

1.3

2.3

Acoustic Space Excitation

4.7

3.1

Show Text

Virtual Soundstage

0.0

Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling

Speaker Modeling

Room Ambience

Head Tracking

Virtual Surround

No App

Weighted Harmonic Distortion

7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90

0.164

0.277

WHD @ 100

0.224

0.160

Test Settings

Firmware

No Firmware

Power

Connection

Wired

Codec

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

EQ

No EQ

ANC

Tip/Pad

Default

Microphone

In-line

Isolation

Noise Isolation

8.7

7.7

Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio

Overall Attenuation

-25.26 dB

-20.59 dB

Noise Cancelling

Yes

Bass

-17.49 dB

-14.44 dB

Mid

-26.05 dB

-15.18 dB

Treble

-33.1 dB

-31.95 dB

Show Text

Leakage

5.9

7.5

Leakage

Leakage Audio

Overall Leakage @ 1ft

45.44 dB

36.38 dB

Show Text

Microphone

Microphone Style

Integrated

Yes

In-Line

Yes

Boom

Detachable Boom

Mic

Yes

Show Text

Recording Quality

7.6

Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech

LFE

369.71 Hz

FR Std. Dev.

4.05 dB

HFE

20,480 Hz

Weighted THD

1.225

Gain

16 dB

Show Text

Noise Handling

6.1

SpNR

Speech + Pink Noise

Speech + Subway Noise

SpNR

13.23 dB

Show Text

Active Features

Battery

7.8

6.2

Battery Type

AAA

Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life

32.8 hrs

5 hrs

Additional Charges

N/A

Total Battery Life

32.8 hrs

5 hrs

Charge Time

N/A

2 hrs

Power-Saving Feature

Yes

Audio While Charging

Yes

Passive Playback

Yes

Charging Port

None

micro-USB

Show Text

App Support

0.0

8.5

App Picture

App Name

No App

Parrot Zik

iOS

Yes

Android

Yes

macOS

Yes

Windows

Yes

Equalizer

Parametric + Presets

ANC Control

Adjustable

Mic Control

Room Effects

Yes

Playback Control

Yes

Button Mapping

Surround Sound

N/A

Surround Support

Show Text

Connectivity

Bluetooth

0.0

7.5

Bluetooth Version

No Bluetooth

3.0

Multi-Device Pairing

NFC Pairing

Yes

Line Of Sight Range

N/A

93 ft

PC Latency (SBC)

N/A

145 ms

PC Latency (aptX)

N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD)

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL)

N/A

iOS Latency

N/A

Android Latency

N/A

Show Text

Non-Bluetooth Wireless

0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range

N/A

Non-BT Latency

N/A

Wired

9.5

Cable Picture

Analog Audio

Yes

USB Audio

Detachable

Yes

Length

5 ft

4.06 ft

Connection

1/8" TRRS

Wired Latency

0 ms

Analog/USB Audio Latency

0 ms

Show Text

PC / PS4 Compatibility

PC/PS4 Analog

Audio Only

PC/PS4 Wired USB

PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless

Xbox One Compatibility

Xbox One Analog

Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless

Base/Dock

0.0

Type

No Base/Dock

N/A

USB Input

N/A

Line In

N/A

Line Out

N/A

Optical Input

N/A

RCA Input

N/A

Dock Charging

N/A

Power Supply

No Base/Dock

N/A

Show Text

Check Price

Android, Black

QuietComfort 25

Black Leather

Zik 3

Android, White

QuietComfort 25

Black croc

Zik 3

iOS, Black

QuietComfort 25

Black stitched

Zik 3

iOS,White

QuietComfort 25

Brown croc

Zik 3

Camel leather

Zik 3

Green croc

Zik 3

Ivory stitched

Zik 3

Red croc

Zik 3