One-minute evaluate
Not earlier than time, Bowers & Wilkins has revived its iconic Zeppelin wi-fi speaker. Effectively, by way of seems to be, anyway – the inner {hardware} is all new and, it seems, greater than match for goal. The Zeppelin comes with aptX Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Join in-built – plus you get entry to just about all the remainder of the planet’s inventory of music through its clear, tidy and responsive Music management app. There’s help for the Amazon Alexa voice-assistant, too. And the unit is simply as handsome, simply as well-made, and simply as large because it ever was. Better of all, it sounds higher than ever. Whereas it isn’t an alternative to an precise pair of stereo audio system, the Zeppelin serves up a large, well-defined and endlessly participating sound, irrespective of the style of music. And though $799 / £699 / AU$1,199 is loads to pay for a wi-fi speaker, on this case it appears completely justified.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin value and launch date
- Out now
- $799 / £699 / AU$1,199
Design
- Seems like a Zeppelin
- Helpful management app
- 240W of energy
When the unique Zeppelin launched 15 years in the past as an iPod speaker dock it was, not surprisingly, Zeppelin-shaped. Every new model that adopted added performance (or deleted it, within the case of the iPod dock itself), however retained what quickly grew to become an iconic silhouette. So what does the Zeppelin 2021 seem like? You’ve guessed it...
At 210 x 650 x 194mm (h x w x d) and 6.5kg, it’s a reasonably large and imposing gadget; however because of its central metallic pedestal, it doesn’t really need all that vast an area to face on. There’s a dimmable mild that shines from the underside of the enclosure onto that stand, for no purpose that one can actually confirm. It’s obtainable in Midnight Gray (or black), or Pearl Gray (more readily identifiable as gray) finishes. Construct high quality is as spectacular as you’d count on from the model on the value.
That is essentially the most wi-fi Zeppelin thus far – it’s much more wi-fi than 2015’s Zeppelin Wi-fi – so there isn’t a lot to speak about the place the cupboard is worried. Bodily inputs include a socket for mains energy and a USB-C enter for service solely, and there are just a few controls on the rear of the enclosure, too.
Wi-fi potentialities are rather more quite a few, although. AptX Adaptive Bluetooth 5, Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Join can be found for painless wi-fi connectivity, and the Bowers & Wilkins Music app provides additional performance. It’s attainable to combine any or your entire favorite music streaming providers into the app, together with Amazon Music, Deezer, Qobuz and Tidal, in addition to the likes of SoundCloud, Final.fm and TuneIn.
Controlling the Zeppelin through its app is easy and fairly intuitive. There’s a level of EQ adjustment obtainable here, too (not a lot, thoughts – since you couldn’t probably know higher than Bowers & Wilkins the place this form of factor is worried). Or, it’s equally simple to ask Alexa to cope with your requests.
Irrespective of the best way you go about controlling the Zeppelin, nor the methodology you employ to get digital audio information on board, music is delivered by a five-strong speaker driver array designed to ship true stereo sound from the only field. There’s a 25mm double-dome tweeter (as seen in Bowers & Wilkins’ award-winning 600-series loudspeakers) at both finish of the cupboard, whereas dead-centre sits a 150mm subwoofer for low-end presence.
Both facet of that you just’ll discover a 90mm mid-range driver, utilizing the identical Fastened Suspension Transducer expertise deployed by the corporate’s flagship – and super-expensive – 800-series audio system. This lineup is pushed by a complete of 240 watts of Class-D energy.
First, nonetheless, the audio needs to be handled by the Zeppelin’s DAC. A 24bit / 192kHz hi-res gadget, it’s presently – and inexplicably – restricted to a ‘not quite so hi-res’ 24bit / 96kHz most file measurement; nonetheless, that’s more likely to change for the higher sooner relatively than later. In the mean time, the one hi-res tier accessible by means of the Music app is that of Qobuz, however Apple AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth 5.0 are each able to coping with hi-res audio out of your most popular streaming service whereas Bowers & Wilkins types issues out.
Additionally on the corporate’s to-do checklist is getting the Zeppelin some multi-room connectivity. Proper now it’s a stand-alone gadget, however quickly will probably be attainable to create a multi-room system utilizing a number of Zeppelins, in addition to Bowers & Wilkins’ Formation vary of wi-fi audio system. Nonetheless, what you gained’t be capable to do is configure a few Zeppelins as a stereo pair – as a result of it is a stereo speaker, keep in mind?
Audio efficiency
- Punchy, open presentation
- Nice powers of element retrieval
- Even, convincing tonality
Very first thing's first – and we’re beginning here as a result of there’s actually little or no to criticize about the best way this speaker performs – the Zeppelin isn’t as stereo because it believes itself to be.
There’s no denying the separation of its sound, nor the definition of its soundstage, and when vast stereo results or pans are deployed in a recording, the Bowers & Wilkins offers a high quality indication of ‘left’ or ‘right’. However so far as the form of focus and staging that’s obtainable from a pair of audio system, the Zeppelin doesn’t do rather more than allude to it.
However with that out of the best way, the news is mainly all good. The Zeppelin is a well-judged pay attention with regards to tonal stability. The journey from the (deep, textured and information-heavy) backside of the frequency vary to the (shiny, attacking and simply as detailed) top-end is clean and even, with no space understated or overplayed.
It’s notably adept by means of the mid-range, particularly the place vocals are involved. Streaming a hi-res file of On by Kelly Lee Owens through Qobuz lets the Bowers & Wilkins showcase its fearsome powers of communication.
No transient element is simply too high quality to elude it, and no subtlety of method is simply too fleeting to flee consideration. Vocalists exist in a cushty space of autonomy within the Zeppelin's presentation, at the same time as they’re built-in seamlessly into the recording as a complete.
The identical recording permits the Zeppelin to indicate off its dynamic prowess, each in giving the areas within the tune their due, and in placing genuine distance between the quietest and loudest moments. And it’s equally attentive to the smaller dynamic variances within the harmonics of particular person devices. By the prevailing requirements of wi-fi audio system (or, a minimum of, these wi-fi audio system that don’t value nicely into 4 figures), it’s an insightful and revealing gadget. And it manages to undertake this angle with out sacrificing any of its powers of engagement, and with out sounding in any respect indifferent or dispassionate. Regardless of having more particular person speaker drivers than many wi-fi audio system, it has actual unity and coherence of presentation.
So although it lacks outright stereo separation, it’s nonetheless an open and well-defined pay attention. The concept it’s a ‘wide’ pay attention, provided that it’s such a comparatively vast gadget, could seem redundant; however the reality is that this is without doubt one of the most open-sounding, single-enclosure wi-fi audio system round.
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