Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini Docking Speaker for iPod

by B&W

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 3.9 x 7.9 inches ; 4.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7.1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002QQ7TLY
• Item model number: Zeppelin Mini
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)

Product Description

We’ve done it again. It wasn't long ago that Zeppelin revolutionized the way we listen to our iPods, sweeping away the competition and scooping just about every award going for its incredible sound and sleek looks. And now it’s back. Only this time, it’s smaller. With Zeppelin Mini, you get everything you love about Zeppelin – advanced acoustic technology, intelligent design, elegant connectivity – in a streamlined, compact sound dock package that’s perfect for desktops and bedside tables. Because even when your space is limited, it doesn’t mean your sound has to be.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing if you love the original Zeppelin, otherwise still impressive., November 17, 2009

By 

Gary C. (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini Docking Speaker for iPod (Electronics)

I've been looking forward to this product since its introduction more than a month ago. I loved the original Zeppelin, but was excited about the smaller form factor and a USB digital connection in the Zeppelin Mini. Call me naive, I was actually hoping that the sound quality would be quite comparable to that of the original Zeppelin. As the B&W's website says:

"With Zeppelin Mini, you get everything you love about Zeppelin - advanced acoustic technology, intelligent design, elegant connectivity - in a streamlined, compact sound dock package that's perfect for desktops and bedside tables. "

But I was let down; the two speakers produce completely different sound. Pop music (I tried out Rhianna and Britney Spears) sounded okay due to the typically louder treble and bass in the recording, although when played louder it sounded clearly distorted and hollow; classical symphonies (I tried out Brahms' Symphony #4 and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto #1) sounded disappointing - the entire bass section cannot be heard until the volume is cranked up really high!; classical solo and chamber music (I played Vivaldi's Four Season - Winter, 2.Largo) turned out to be surprisingly really good and in my opinion the best genre for this speaker. After turning on Bass enhancer on my iPod EQ setting (unlike the original Z, the Mini does not have an external bass/treble control), the bass can be heard more but is too obviously distorted - cracking sound can be heard at times.

The bass sounded more full when positioned closer to me. B&W claims that the introduction of a flowport (absent in the original Zeppelin) is designed to amplify the bass; I found the outcome to be nothing like that of the original Zeppelin. I also expect the bass to be thicker if the speaker is placed against a wall or a corner (instead of in the middle of a table at the Apple store)

With the addition of USB connectivity, I was originally very excited about the idea of directly syncing my iPod to iTunes, controlling iTunes using a remote, and most importantly, the capability of bypassing analog signal processing on a computer to the speaker. However, given the significantly compromised quality of sound (esp. lack of bass), the idea of producing better quality analog signal that would only be greatly sacrificed in bass production seems meaningless.

Nevertheless, I was impressed with the design of the Mini. The speaker is much smaller than I'd envisioned based on the gallery (and after checking out the sound quality was I wished it was bigger). The Mini is light but feels very solid when carried around. The design is much more classy than other iPod speakers: the chrome bowl mirror matches the back of the original iPod (if you still own one); when firmly attached to the docking arm, it can be elegantly turned 90 degrees for cover flow (isn't that the only reason to buy an iPod touch/iPhone?); controlling the iPod has never been easier with the inventive protruded docking arm design (same as the original Z). Most impressive to me, the enclosure of black cloth over the speaker (as opposed to the colder, more industrial wire mesh used in Bose and other iPod speakers) stands out among the crowd with exquisiteness.

If I were to choose a small iPod speaker based on what looks best for my apartment, I would definitely go with the Mini. As for sound quality, it sounded very impressive for classical chamber music, good enough for pop, but definitely not satisfying for classical symphonies. However, if you are certain that any larger speaker (e.g. the original Z) cannot be considered, it is quite a good choice. (And at this price I would choose it over Bose any day - there, I said it).

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 6 Months of ownership, and its still impressing me daily. iPod Touch review, Works with iPad!, April 5, 2010

By 

J. J. Marino "Geekasaurus Rex" (Rochester, New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini Docking Speaker for iPod (Electronics)

(What's this?)

When I received this product in November I was instantly taken back with the quality. It would appear that it is just another AtHome type of appliance for your iPod or iPhone. The only thing that this unit has in common with those articles is the fact that it uses an iPod,iPhone. After that it all goes out the window. As I go into this review I will cover the aspects that work and some odd ones that dont.

Quality *****

This is B&W for goodness sake so it better be 5 stars and it is. I have owned kevlar B&W speakers for years and have pushed them far above what they should have and they keep performing. Taking this unit out of the box I was impressed with the overall quality of the craftsmanship. It has a heft to it and feels rock solid; a typical B&W attribute. The stalk feels solid and not flimsy. The chrome appears thick and the fabric used is top notch.

Installing iPod Touch. *****
I used an iPod Touch 32GB 2nd Gen for this review. When I opened the box I did not see the seperate adapters for the different iPods. So, initially I put the iPod on the connector and turned on the Zep. It came on and worked fairly well but when I changed orientation for cover flow vs portrait I had some issues. Once I found the adapter and installed it the iPod felt as if it was actually part of the Zep. It hovers above like you see in the iPhone commercials where they are showing you apps. Cover flow works amazingly. Its even better than holding it in your hand, in that this turns the zep into a video jukebox.

Sound *****
The sound is tight and has beautiful low, mid and highs. One thing I noted is that while other iPod type of players allow you to turn it all the way up, this box just screams at about 75% volume, which is more accurate of high end products. I did note some slight distortion at 90% but at that point it was too loud. The bass hits hard, amazingly so, for the size of this box.

Useability ****

I am not sure what happens, if it is my iPod or the Zep, but there are times the skip or RW buttons fail to go forward or ahead to a different song. Its not that often, but it happens enough to be slighty annoying.

Overall *****

This is a high end player for your iPod, iPhone, and even iPad which I tried out from a friend last week. It wasnt built to hold that, but it does work. Get this now if you are a fan of quality audio equipment.


Bonus:
Ok here is a cool bonus for you. Having a nice collection of music on your iPod is good, but not nearly as large as say Pandora. I use this almost excusively with Pandora now. Its like having an HD radio feature built in. This works on iPhone, iPod and iPad, in that you can download the app for free and enjoy all that music on this fantastic player.

Thanks for reading my review.

Lost Review:
I reviewed this 6 months ago and the review never posted. It had video and a very long writeup. After long searches by Amazon they can not find the original review. I wrote it on a friends machine and he did not have a backup. I guess thats impermanance for ya. This new review gets the gist with less fluff. - Thanks

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome... but needs proper setup for best results, February 4, 2011

By 

Yeah, That Guy (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini Docking Speaker for iPod (Electronics)

I've had this for about a year (been a Bowers & Wilkins fan for about 12 years) and it's great for less critical listening sessions or just keeping the music pumping around the house.

A few things to note:
1. The room - as any true audio nut knows, the room is a huge part of the overall sound above very low level listening, a crappy room can sound bad with a $10,000 stereo, none the less a few hundred dollar gem like this. This works great in smaller rooms, say under 2,000 cu ft (or about 250 sq ft), ideally placed in a corner to enhance the bass or near the center of a wall to promote better stereo imaging. If the room is part of a open floor plan, expect less bass, that's just the way acoustics work.
2. Crap in = Crap out - This is an iPod dock, not a reference SACD player, proper vinyl setup, or the like. What you are feeding into is is typically very squashed, thin music, and it'll sound like that no matter where it's from. Re-rip your collection as Apple Lossless and you'll be much happier. Yes 800kbps on up takes up a lot more room, but the quality is night and day. If you can't hear the difference between your standard 128-192kbps downloads and CDs, you're probably not looking at this for anything but status or bragging rights anyway, in that case, go ahead and buy whatever looks cool. If you feed this thing decent audio and set it up in the proper way, you'll love it. I really enjoy mine even though I can go down to my sound room and listen to a proper B&W system in a room that was built from the ground up for pure audio quality.

All that said, I really do like the Zeppelin Mini and think it's a great deal for audio. However, if you've got the space, the full size Zeppelin does offer superb stereo imaging and better bass, but it's rather large for most people.