Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Loudspeaker Dock System for iPod and MP3 Players

by B&W

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 25.2 x 8.2 x 6.8 inches ; 17 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 16.5 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0014B8NJE
• Item model number: Zeppelin
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Welcome to the speaker system your iPod has been waiting for. Zeppelin sounds fantastic--and it looks great, too. It uses drive unit technologies and design principles refined and perfected for Bowers & Wilkins' most advanced reference-standard speakers. Compact, stylish, and beautifully simple to set up and use, Zeppelin releases all of the detail and atmosphere that standard iPod speaker systems miss, whether you're listening to standard MP3s or high-quality formats. It's time to set your digital music free.

Zeppelin allows you to have real hi-fi stereo sound wherever you need it--upstairs, downstairs; in your office or in a second home. Click to enlarge.

Unlike most iPod speaker docks, Zeppelin has increased capabilities that allow additional sound sources to play through Zeppelin, view videos on a screen using your iPod or iPhone, and/or stream sound using Sonos, Apple AirPort Express, or any other networking system. This makes for easy incorporation into your home theater, office, and/or bedroom setting.

Zeppelin is much more than a standard iPod speaker, and with its aesthetically pleasing design and amazing sound quality, it will reinvent the way you listen to music.

B&W Zeppelin (Click image to view larger.)

The body of Zeppelin follows the form of its components. (Click image to view larger.)

Accompanying Zeppelin is a pebble-like remote, which allows you to change tracks and volume. (Click image to view larger.)

Product Description

Overview
Zeppelin is an integrated speaker system from Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), makers of the speakers used to monitor the recording of much of the music on your iPod. B&W developed its iPod speakers with the same exacting standards as the speakers that are used in Abbey Road Studios and Skywalker Ranch.

Zeppelin is the embodiment of more than 40 years of experience and know-how in speaker design, all in a single package. Zeppelin uses the same technologies developed for dedicated high-end speakers, applying them to an iPod speaker for the first time. In addition to great sound, you're also awarded with a product design stemming from clever ergonomic thought and a beautiful 360-degree visual appeal.

Zeppelin allows you to have real hi-fi stereo sound wherever you need it--upstairs, downstairs; in your office or in a second home.

Design
Form follows function; the body of Zeppelin follows the form of its components, with two tweeters at each end, two mid-range drivers next, with a subwoofer/bass driver in the center.

B&W has complimented the iPod user interface by designing a docking port that allows the user to grasp the iPod as if it were in the hand as normal. It also cleverly accommodates iPod/iPhone of differing depth through a spring-loaded docking arm that flexes to accommodate each model without adapters or other manual adjustment.

Zeppelin allows you to have real hi-fi stereo sound wherever you need it. (Click image to view larger.)

The docking port allows you to grasp your iPod as if it were in your hand. (Click image to view larger.)

The connections at the back let you play other sources through Zeppelin, or channel images from your iPod to a television. (Click image to view larger.)

Heritage
At B&W, the quest to develop the perfect speaker has lasted more than 40 years. The quest is to create a speaker that portrays a musical performance exactly as it was recorded, with zero coloration, as the artist intended it to be heard. Founder John Bowers instilled this passion in the company to pursue his dream of the ultimate speaker.

Zeppelin is a direct descendent of B&W's legendary reference speaker range, the 800 Series, which is sought-after by world-leading recording studios from Skywalker Ranch to Abbey Road. In fact, B&W speakers have been used in Abbey Road since the early 1980s.

Technology
Not only is the shape of Zeppelin pleasing to the eye, but it also is based on sound acoustic principles. The less physical material there is around tweeters and midranges, the better they sound. Zeppelin's rounded tapering ends aren't there just for show. By minimizing the baffle area around the drive units, the cabinet reduces diffraction effects, making for ultra-wide sound dispersion and a much smoother response. In other words, it sounds as good as it looks.

The twin midrange drive units that supply the bulk of Zeppelin's amazing sound rely on glass fiber cones optimized using laser interferometry. Strategically placed resin-filled slots in the cones dramatically reduce the unwanted effects of standing waves, leaving music sounding cleaner, clearer, and true to life.

Drive units are the "engine room" of any speaker, and Zeppelin's midrange and tweeter derived directly from those in B&W's award-winning M-1, regarded by the world's specialist audio press as class-leading compact speakers. Added to these is an internal subwoofer driver, centrally located in the deepest part of Zeppelin's sleek enclosure, where it handles deep bass with power and authority.

Powering these drive units are three high-quality amplifiers (one for left, one for right, and one for bass). Most iPod speakers make do without the third one, but Zeppelin was conceived to offer the sort of sound you'd expect from a component stereo system rather than normal iPod speakers and will deliver all the detail and atmosphere that standard iPod docking stations miss.

Simple Operation
Zeppelin is simple to set up and use: plug it in, place your iPod on the docking port and hit the play button. The connections at the back let you play other sources through Zeppelin or channel images from your iPod or iPhone to a television. In addition, there's a USB input for internal updates available through B&W's website for download.

Remote
Accompanying Zeppelin is a pebble-like remote, which allows you to change tracks, volume, and mode.

Compatibility
Other than the iPods listed in the "Technical Details" section of this page, several other devices can play sound through Zeppelin. Both analog and optical digital connectivity is supported by a common (AUX) socket on the back.

Examples are:

• Computer either direct or wirelessly using Apple Airport Express
• Television
• MP3 Players, including early iPods without click wheel
• Home theater
• CD Players--portable or static
• Portable radios with headphone or digital outputs

The video iPod classics and nanos, iPod touch, and iPhone can take advantage of Zeppelin's video output capability to connect to a television's composite video and S-Video.

Zeppelin's power supply operates on all mains voltages from 100V to 240V--if you take it to a different country, it automatically will sense the incoming voltages and adjust itself accordingly.

Zeppelin will not burn electricity unnecessarily; it automatically goes into standby mode after 5 minutes of non-use.

What's in the Box
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin, quick start guide, product manual, product brochure, 1-year warranty and registration documents, remote control with CR2032 battery, power cord, and rubber tilt pad.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All in one best around, November 28, 2008

By 

Greggar (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Loudspeaker Dock System for iPod and MP3 Players (Electronics)

If you go to the B&W website, you'll see that the Zeppelin has won several awards and rightfully so. The little details on this bad boy set it apart from the rest. Here's my take on it.

I like the chrome trim down the middle that discretely contains the power switch and volume up & down buttons. The sound quality and fit and finishes remind me of Bang & Olufson stereos in the 90's. It feels very heavy and sturdy. The packing was well done too.

Is it just me or am I the only one that doesn't like being surrounded by 4 towers speakers, a center channel, stereo components, and subwoofer? Not to mention the tons of wires going between all those things. I cleared out the surround system in the living room and bedroom and I feel a lot happier. Simple is better and Zeppelin hit it on the mark in the style and simplicity category. I also like that there isn't a huge power adapter eyesore; just one cord.

There's a line in jack on the Zeppelin, so it would be a great speaker for a flat panel tv as well. What a clean setup that would be sitting on the glass open shelf of a black BDI Vista stand. Reminds me of that Audi commercial where the camera goes around the room as furniture gets replaced with modern furniture.

I was a bit concerned that there is no subwoofer out jack but the Zeppelin turned out to be loud enough for my bedroom. If one really wants to attach a subwoofer, it would be possible to add a Y cable to splice the line in so it goes to both the Zeppelin and the subwoofer. One could link an ipod or other auxiliary source that way. However, it is not possible to add a subwoofer when an ipod is playing in the holder.

The shape of the speaker really disperses the sound well. The sound that comes out of the Zeppelin is very interesting. I'm sitting here 90 degrees to the side of it but the sound is coming at me rather directly and the highs are not muted like feeling like I'm behind the speaker.

I bought the unit for $493 new as a buy it now including shipping on that other bay. In this economy there are still great deals out there.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, but Check Version for iPhone Compatibility, July 24, 2009

By 

Robert - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Loudspeaker Dock System for iPod and MP3 Players (Electronics)

The speakers are everything the other reviewers have commented on, and more. I am upgrading from an Apple iPod HiFi (not a shabby speaker itself), but this is better, both sound and design. Note that only the Z-2 version of the Zeppelin is fully iPhone compatible (the older Z-1 will pop up the annoying "Airplane mode" warning, but still have good sound quality). According to B+W support, the version on this web site is currently not a Z-2. I suggest contacting them before purchasing, since that will undoubtedly change.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply awesome but....., June 25, 2009

By 

Rodney D. Kennedy "RDK2" (Ypsilanti Twp., Mi) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Loudspeaker Dock System for iPod and MP3 Players (Electronics)

Let me say right away I would give this six stars if I could for sound quality and opinion it's a good looking piece. That being said I do have a couple of grips....1st, when you turn it on(everytime) it makes a popping noise, this is not a big deal for me but be aware. 2ndly, while it is possible to play Pandora Radio you have to use the aux port on back and plug it in the headphone jack on your ipod. All this being said this (by far) is the best sounding dock i've tried and I tried ALOT of them. As far as the price..[...] is a little steep but trust me you get what you pay for, i'm a cheap b*****d and don't regret a thing.