Parrot Zik 2.0 EQ settings
Parametric EQ correction for the Parrot Zik 2.0, derived from measurements by Rtings. It moves the measured frequency response toward a neutral target.
How the Zik 2.0 sounds before EQ
Measured against a neutral target, the Zik 2.0 comes out bright. Treble sits ahead of the bass, which reads as detail at first and fatigue over time.
The treble region, cymbals, sibilance and sparkle, sits about 7.2 dB forward of neutral, so cymbals and s-sounds can sting. The mids region, vocals and most instruments, sits about 3.8 dB forward of neutral, so vocals push ahead of the mix. The sub-bass region, rumble and the weight under kick drums, sits about 3.2 dB forward of neutral, so kick drums carry extra weight and rumble. The air region, openness at the very top, sits about 3.2 dB forward of neutral, so the very top sounds airy and open (measurements this high up vary between test rigs, so treat the exact number loosely).
The largest single move in the correction is 9.5 dB around 9.1 kHz, on top of a broad tilt of up to 7.2 dB. That is not subtle. This model benefits clearly from correction.
These figures are read from the correction itself: whatever the EQ lifts, the headphone lacked, and whatever it cuts, the headphone had too much of. The target is the community's neutral reference, and how far above 10 kHz you can trust any measurement varies by rig. More bright models.
The correction curve
The solid line is the full measured correction (all 10 filters). The dashed line is what Atrium applies: the same shape at 65 percent strength, capped at 6 dB per band, so the headphone keeps its own character instead of being forced flat.
What the EQ fixes
Summed across every filter, these are the changes the correction actually makes, largest first:
- Around 9.1 kHz the correction cuts the treble by 9.5 dB, over a medium-width band about 1.0 octaves wide.
- Around 1.7 kHz the correction cuts the vocal presence region by 7.6 dB, over a medium-width band about 1.1 octaves wide.
- Around 4 kHz the correction lifts the clarity region by 5.0 dB, over a narrow band about 0.4 octaves wide.
The preamp of -4.9 dB offsets the boosts so nothing clips at full volume.
The filter table below contains bigger numbers than these: its largest single filter is +20.0 dB. That is normal for an automatically fitted correction and it is not a boost of that size. Several of those filters sit on the same part of the spectrum and pull against each other, so what reaches your ears is their sum, which is the curve above. Enter every filter as listed and you get that sum. No single filter's gain is the size of any change.
Parametric EQ settings
Preamp: -4.9 dB (headroom for the summed boost, not for any single row)
| # | Type | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Low shelf | 105 Hz | -3.8 dB | 0.70 |
| 2 | Peaking | 9.01 kHz | -7.2 dB | 1.33 |
| 3* | Peaking | 1.53 kHz | -20.0 dB | 0.39 |
| 4* | Peaking | 820 Hz | +17.9 dB | 0.49 |
| 5* | Peaking | 3.97 kHz | +12.9 dB | 1.51 |
| 6 | High shelf | 10 kHz | -1.5 dB | 0.70 |
| 7 | Peaking | 83 Hz | +2.3 dB | 1.36 |
| 8 | Peaking | 223 Hz | -0.9 dB | 1.46 |
| 9 | Peaking | 569 Hz | -0.6 dB | 2.77 |
| 10 | Peaking | 778 Hz | +0.8 dB | 4.35 |
* Rows 3, 4 and 5 are marked because each of those gains is larger than anything this correction actually does. Those filters overlap others in the list and pull against them, so their full size never reaches your ears. Summed with the rest of the set, the largest change anywhere in this correction is 9.5 dB, around 9.1 kHz. The preamp above is set from that sum, not from any single row, which is why it is only -4.9 dB. Enter every row exactly as listed, including the marked ones and the cuts. The set is correct together and misleading apart.
This is the published correction for the Zik 2.0, unaltered, in AutoEq format. It pastes straight into Equalizer APO or Peace on Windows, and into most parametric EQ apps. Enter every row, including the ones that cut. These are the values to use: the numbers are not rounded off or simplified for the page, because changing them would change the result.
How to use these settings
Manually: enter the preamp and each filter into any parametric EQ. On Windows that is usually Equalizer APO with the Peace interface. On a Mac, eqMac or SoundSource. Set the type, frequency, gain and Q exactly as listed.
With Atrium: pick your Zik 2.0 in the app and it applies a tuned version of this correction: 65 percent strength with a 6 dB per-band cap, which fixes the rough spots without erasing what the headphone does well. Atrium also measures how you hear with a short listening test and layers your personal hearing profile on top. Two people with the same headphones do not hear the same sound. Headphone corrections are part of Signature Edition; the app itself is free.
Headphones that sound similar
Closest matches across all 4,332 measured models, by distance between their deviation curves. Useful if you like how the Zik 2.0 is tuned and want alternatives.