Customer Reviews

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Loudspeaker Dock System for iPod (Silver/Black)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I began this comparison as a totally neutral party. My goal was to find a one piece music system that provided the very best sound. I researched different options for several months and narrowed my choices to the Bose SoundDock 10 and the B&W Zeppelin. These were both "high-end" systems, but I knew it would take a good system to serve as a suitable replacement for high quality separate components. To begin my evaluation I made a playlist including 50 songs encoded in apple lossless format from my CD collection. Then I critically listened to portions of each of those songs on my home reference system which is a pair of Dynaudio Contour 1.8MkII towers, NAD amplification, NAD preamp, and Marantz CD player with Crystal DAC. I made sure that I listened at a volume that was comparable to the volume that I would be using during evaluation of the two systems. I played pink noise through each system for 50 hours to break everything in and then I level matched the systems for volume using a pink noise track and SPL meter. Then I listened to portions of all 50 songs on both systems. Then I had my wife listen to 5 of her favorite songs through both the Sound dock 10 and the Zeppelin. I made sure that she was unable to determine which system was playing. She doesn't care about sound systems in the least and she did not know anything about either system, so I knew that she would be a relatively unbiased reviewer. After my listening tests three things were apparent, 1) The Bose system could go louder, 2) The Bose could produce more and slightly deeper bass, 3)The Bose sounded hollow, unbalanced, and anemic, compared to the refined and absolutely musical performance of the B&W. Even where the bass was less pronounced it was musical, tight, and tonally correct. The Bose was loud and "boomy", but fell flat at producing real MUSIC. I was amazed at how every single song sounded better on the B&W, Some songs more than others. Acoustic instruments, synth, classical, pop, vocals, bass guitar, big band and dance all sounded better, more accurate, and more dynamic on the B&W. Not once did the Bose sound better to my ears, but perhaps my wife, who was under the impression that B&W made cars, will like the Bose sound that so many people flock to. So...how did my wife feel about these two systems? Without the benefit of her eyes to bias her, she picked the B&W as sounding far better every single time. I finally threw in a Jack Johnson track that I thought really brought out the best in the Bose and created a little low frequency resonance in the B&W, but even then the B&W resolved his voice and guitar licks so fluidly that we preferred the Zeppelin version. Her exact words were "it is rich, and the instruments sound like they are in the room. In fact they remind me of your big speakers." Enough said!!! In some cerebral way, the B&W was likened to an $8,000 stereo. In its defense the Bose SoundDock 10 has some characteristics that may make it the right choice for you. It is quite a bit louder than the Zeppelin, and doesn't sweat a bit when the volume is up. It just doesn't sound as good at any of the volumes that the B&W can attain. The B&W is loud enough for me. Needless to say the SoundDock is going back to Bose today, and the B&W will be staying right where it is! I hope this help the folks out there that were struggling with the same decision that I was. Thanks!

If you like simplicity and want better sound than the Bose sound dock, get this. It's hard to explain how great this Zeppelin sounds...but, compared to the single speaker design of the Bose Sound Dock, there are 5 speakers and more power.

Bose has two 2.5" speakers with 1 amp...ALL sound comes out of these two small speakers. There is no dedication to frequency. You'll lose lows and highs. And at any substantial volume, your music will be distorted.

The Zeppelin is bi-amped, meaning dedicated, clean power to the sub as well as to the mid/highs. This is the same setup that studio monitors use...not the 1994 ford ranger (like the Bose).

As far as the equally priced Bose SoundDock 10, they have added a subwoofer to the package, but left the same wattage. Not sure why a subwoofer costs another $300, but Bose managed to find a way.

If you're INTO audio, get the B&W, you will not be disappointed.

First of all, I have to agree with the other reviewer who dislike the design of this speaker. Yes, very unfortunately, this speaker looks terrible in my living room. This is a good example of badly over-designed product.

Despite of its design, the sound is simply the first class. Very honest and no obvious defect in sound. I'm super picky about the sound and currently own $15000/pair speakers (not B&W) as a my main speakers, but I have absolutely no complain about the sound of Zeppelin. Bass is right (not hyped), mid is very intimate, high is super clean and quiet. I don't think you can get more balanced sound than Zeppelin less than $1000. Way better than Bose and Minipod (Scandyna) that I used to use for iPod playback.

I strongly disagree with the other reviewer who says the Scandyna sounds better than Zeppelin. I know how Scandyna sounds, it's just another over-designed consumer grade speakers which sounds very hyped, dishonest and tiresome. If you are looking for neutral sound iPod speaker, Zeppelin is the answer.

My music preference is alternative, art rock, jazz, classical, folk and electronic, old school hip hop and dub step

This piece of equipment malfunctioned within 15 months of purchase. Fortunately, it comes with a two-year warranty. Unfortunately, the company that manufactures this speaker is located in the UK and customer service is meager at best. Amazon will not help you get the equipment repaired under warranty, even though the B&W website specifically states "Should service be required,....you should contact the Bowers & Wilkins authorised dealer from whom the equipment was purchased." My advice is to give Amazon a pass and buy this from a local dealer who will help you if things go awry. This is an expensive piece of equipment and the price should include customer service.

If you are looking for a sleek and cool design with a mind blowing musical experience on top of it all, Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin I-pod dock is the ONLY way to go. This item is for the audiophile looking for the perfect combination of sound, period. With some minor adjustments on the equalizer and tone on the i-pod, the 5 speaker output makes your earbuds dance to your favorite tunes.

I have owned all types of bose, bongiovi, grado, sennheiser, etc... audio equipment through the years, this by far has well exceeded all of them. It may be a bit pricey, but worth every penny. From a quality and integrity standpoint, it gets 5 stars. Same for the design and sound output. It transforms your house into a recording studio. If properly adjusted for the music you are playing, turn it all the way up and enjoy the show. I have not heard any distortion of any sort at all. ONLY product to never distort at 100% volume that I have owned.

There is not one bad thing to say about the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin dock. If you can afford to spoil yourself a bit, this is THE one to get. It blows the competition away. I would love to set my house up with bowers & wilkins speakers now. One of the best purchases I made off of Amazon!

First let me state that I own many bose systems. All have preformed very well indeed. Based on the reviews of the bose sounddock 10 and the zeppelin ipod docking stations I could not decide on the better. There is no better way to determine this than a side by side comparison. So I ordered both. After hours of playing various styles of music in the room that it will be used I must say that to my suprise the zeppelin is the clear winner. The sound quality was my only basis of comparison. Zeppelin has better base and a richer more warm sound. Both units play quite loud and bose is in no way a poor choice, however, the bose sound seemed clinical and not as rich. All in all either is a very good unit, but price being the same I would say that the zeppelin edges out the sounddock in quality sound production.

I purchased a Zeppelin about 6 months ago to replace an aging Bose system and there is no comparison between the two. The Bose output became distorted at higher volumes while the Zeppelin is clear at any volume. I am admittedly no audiophile but could not be happier with the purchase.

As for the styling - that is definitely a matter of personal taste. I love it, but my wife, not so much. She did agree the sound was fantastic though.

I bought my Zeppelin about two weeks ago and absolutely love it. The sound is fantastic, especially given the inherent limitations of a one-piece speaker system. I have a Bose SoundDock Portable, and the Zeppelin not surprisingly blows it away.

I should mention, though, that the Zeppelin is most definitely not a portable player. It's too heavy, at 16.5 pounds, to be carried easily and doesn't run on batteries. If you're looking for a portable device, check out the SDP. It's far lighter, a little over 5 pounds, and comes with a rechargable battery. The Zeppelin is meant to stay put.

The early Zeppelin models came with a two-piece rubber mat for its base. B&W caught a fair amount of flak for this as the pieces were difficult to line up and didn't work very well to stabilize the unit. B&W must have paid attention to the critics because the base is now a single piece permanently attached to the bottom of the Zeppelin and is very stable. Problem solved.

B&W has updated the Zeppelin's software so that it's now "Works with iPhone" certified, meaning the "airport mode" window no longer pops up when you dock your iPhone. If someone calls while the iPhone is docked, the music simply fades away and your ringtone will sound. You can then answer the phone as you normally would without removing it from the dock and talk by pressing the speaker button on the iPhone screen.

My understanding is that you can confirm the Zeppelin's iPhone compatibility by checking the serial number for a Z2XXXX. Even easier, just check the box for the "Works with iPhone" logo and you'll know you're good to go.

Although the Zeppelin's form factor is not for everyone, it has won numerous design and acoustic awards as you can see on the B&W website.

My only knock on the Zeppelin is not with the unit itself but with the included remote. It's shaped like a flattened egg so it's not readily apparent which end is to be pointed at the unit. Worse, the remote's so small that the buttons on it are tiny. B&W really should go back to the drawing board and come up with something more user friendly. The Zeppelin is so well-designed and engineered that it makes the remote seem like an afterthought by comparison. I certainly treat it that way as I rarely use it.

Before I bought the Zeppelin, I spent a fair amount of time comparing the sound to that of the Bose SoundDock 10 by driving back and forth between my two local dealers and listening closely to both units. In the end, although I thought it was close the Zeppelin won out. I would have preferred to have been able to do a side by side comparison with both units at home. Hopefully someone some day will do that review.

If you're looking for a high-end relatively compact speaker system for your iPod/iPhone, the Zeppelin will serve you well.

I have had this unit for over 6months and i have used it every day bar none. The sound quality is amazing for an iPod dock. I use it with pandora radio from my G3 iPhone and its the best thing thats ever happened to music. Occasionally i plug it into my macbook and it works beautifully... (when you hit the mystery button at the bottom of the remote). The remote fits perfectly in your hand as you drift off to sleep listening to your fav music. All in all, this is the best thing I've purchased in years. Scrap the TV in the bedroom, this is way better!

I have the exact opposite to report about service from another reader. I have owned the Zeppelin for slightly over two years. About 2 weeks ago it would not start and only blinked a red light. The warranty is 5 years on speakers, but 2 years on anything amplified. I assumed there would be a long "discussion" about repair rates, shipping cost and length of time from when the warranty ended. I was really dreading the call. I made the call and what follows is the letter I wrote to them; I spoke with one person so maybe this is the same "guy." He immediately told me it was a known issue, asked me to send him some basic information and told me he would send me back a RMA# and shipping label. The label arrived, I put it on the box and called UPS; they came and got it on a Friday and the next Friday it was back good as new. I sent him the letter that follows.

I just wanted to express what a pleasure it was to speak with you this morning. I have worked in the IT field for the past 15 years and have worked on computers for close to twice that. I can't recall the last time I spoke with a hardware vendor about a problem and immediately being told that it was a known issue and assigned an RMA. I have owned B&W products for the past 10 years or so; I owned a surround sound/stereo system with 801 speakers, the smaller 601 speakers, an ASW2500 sub-woofer and center channel I can't recall off hand. When I moved from Florida to Virginia I left all of my A/V equipment with relatives and downsized to new equipment. The Zeppelin not only has provided excellent iPod audio, but through the ingenious mini-TOS link/3.5 mm jack I am able to send all of my audio sources through my television through HDMI and into the Zeppelin via TOS link. All of the B&W equipment I have owned and used has been of the highest quality.