Buying accessories for your computer (like mice, keyboards, headphones, and other items) can be a confusing jungle. All manufacturers have their own different models, and they usually have not just one, but several in the same series, for different budgets, with different features, each with a long and often silly name. The Zen Hybrid Pro Classic is one of three models in the range, which sits in the middle of the pack in terms of price. With its price of £90, these aren’t the cheapest headphones you’ll find, but in my opinion they’re a very good price for a wireless device.
Of course, my first impression wasn’t a great one. Immediately after pairing it with my PC using the included adapter, some issues arose. Like most headphones these days, it should be possible to pair it with two devices, but my phone didn’t want to find the device. There’s also no way to adjust the volume via the volume wheel, nor can I see any battery status. I tried pairing via regular bluetooth and that pretty much fixed all the issues. Now I can connect it to my PC and phone at the same time, but for some weird reason when I turn the volume wheel the volume goes in six steps…
A collective collection of identical headphones with confusing names.
Okay, leaving aside some technical issues with the connection, we’ll jump to the looks. It’s a pretty unassuming headphone with a design we’ve seen before. The arch itself is made of metal and has some padding so it sits comfortably on your head, and weighs 282 grams. I wouldn’t say it’s the most comfortable I’ve ever worn, there’s a slight pressure at the top and the cushions feel a little warm – but it’s definitely suitable for long-term wear, you just have to adjust and ventilate your ears from time to time. The wrapped cushions do say something about the ANC, which works well with this headset. It’s not amazing noise-canceling, but it suppresses distractions and loud sounds to a certain extent, and you can turn the sound off completely if you start your music at a lower volume. Just press a button and you can hear the sound without taking off your headphones.
The buttons are physical, which I personally appreciate. While my go-to headphone at home is the Sony WH-1000XM4, I never really got used to its touch controls. The buttons on the Zen Hybrid are small and unobtrusive, maybe a little too much, but you get used to them. The only button I don’t really like is the microphone mute button, which is on the front and is rounder and smaller than the other buttons.
For anyone over 11 years old, the LED ring can change color or turn off completely.
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It can be folded up to make it easier to put it in a bag, however, no case is included, and even though the metal frame feels stable, there’s a lot of plastic around it, so I personally would be careful putting it down.
Then we have the most important thing; the quality of the sound. There are 40mm drivers in the headphones and first impression is that a rather dull and discreet sound profile has been chosen. The bass takes up too much, and the slightly “trapped” sound profile doesn’t feel subtle. Of course, it can be tweaked using the equalizer, and Creative has its own mobile app and PC program where you can tweak the sound to your liking, but no matter how much I tinkered with it, the basic sound profile always seemed to stay here. However, if you’re not connected through an adapter, you won’t be able to access any features in Creative’s own apps.
The sound that comes out is clear at times, and this is most noticeable on the vocals. Brandon Flowers’ vocals sound great on The Killers’ “Runaways,” but the arrangement around him feels a little uninspired in these headphones. Taylor Swift’s hit “Anti-Hero” also sounds great with Swift’s voice taking the driver’s seat, but the music itself is a little too confusing. However, I’m more satisfied with this headset when I’m playing games, and in multiplayer games the most important thing is the sound effects like footsteps and stuff, and they work really well. All in all, this is a slightly unbalanced sound profile that can be summed up simply as “good” in most cases, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with these if you listen to music where vocals are at the forefront. But that’s the point, when a lot of instruments have to be grouped together and room has to be left for the bass, I end up with a lot more variety in my ideas. Some days it sounds very good to others, and to some types of music it’s almost unacceptable.
Regarding the microphone, the fact that I chose to remove it and use an external microphone really needs to be said. For the first two days, my companions complained that the sound started crackling at high volumes, and then said it sounded very small and quiet. Although I tried the included adapter and connecting directly via Bluetooth, I never solved the problem, as well as the fact that using the adapter I could not connect to both the PC and the phone at the same time. So, clearly, the microphone failed inspection.
Despite some flaws and criticisms, I will end with one very positive thing and that is about the battery life of this headset. You get 80 hours of battery life out of it, and if you turn off the ANC and LED lighting on the sides, you can get up to 100 hours of battery life. It’s certainly amazing, and five minutes of charging will give you five hours of listening time. It’s a shame that the other stuff isn’t as high quality, because even though it would result in a higher price tag, I’d rather have everything work well and sound better.
