22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
The best iPod speaker system
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. I have to excuse every time the guest comes over. Terribly bad design.
Despite of its design, the sound is simply the first class. Very honest and no obvious defect in sound. I'm super picky...
meh
Honestly what sold me on this was the marketing. This thing to me looked artistically gorgeous. I'm sure it's a personal taste thing, but for me it really stood out. Now, I'm not an audio expert, and don't have a 'fine ear' for the subtleties, but be damned if this sounds like $600. My $100 altec lansing computer speakers with a sub woofer are much preferred in most...
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. I have to excuse every time the guest comes over. Terribly bad design.
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, fork and electronic, old school hip hop and dub step
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I was having trouble deciding which product I should purchase for my Iphone 3GS, either the Bose Bose® SoundDock® 10 digital music systemor the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Loudspeaker Dock System for iPod (Silver/Black). So my decision was to buy both and return the lesser quality product. I purchased the Bose last month and it sound wonderful. The Bose is a well built, solid product that sounds out of this world. In my opinion, the Bose is better suited for people who listen to mostly rock and rap. It is very bass heavy. It definatly does not have a very balanced sound signature. You really can feel the sound with the Bose. It can really fill my large front room with amazing sound.
I really like the Zeppelin too. Even the unboxing of the Z was a rich experience. It shows you step by step how to take everything out in the box. I was glad it was very secure in between the large styrofoam peices. Make sure your MP3s are either encoded lossless or at least 256 kbps to get the best sound. I had some old music at 128k that sounded horrible and very tinny. I feel that the Z produces more balanced and analytical sound. It does not have excessive boomy bass that the Bose has, which can be good or bad depending on your taste of music. The design is either you love it or hate it type. I think it's a beautiful piece of art. The remote looks nice too, but I wish it had more functions on it besides next track, volume and on/off. I am not sure if I am doing something wrong, but when I try and fast forward the music it skips to the next track. I hold the button down, sometimes it will fast forward the music, but 90% of the time it just skips through the songs in my playlist.
Both units both weigh almost the same. The SD 10 is closer to 18 pounds and the Zeppelin is about 16, not a big deal. Just know that these are not ment for true portability. If you wanted to bring it outside on the deck for a pary, it would be fine. But, it's not something you want to be constantly moving around. The Zepplin seems more fragile to me for some reason, even though it feels very solid when picking it up. I am glad B&W fixed the rubber pad situation, now it is fixed to the bottom instead of having to apply it to the bottom like the old model.
I only have had the Zeppelin for 24 hours so far, but I will add to my review in a few weeks after I get more accustomed to it. But for now, I am planning on keeping both units. The biggest problem is that I don't know which unit is going to stay in the living room, or which one goes to the bedroom. There is an option to mound the Z on the wall if you want. I am not sure how much that costs or where to find it.I am leaning to keep the Z in the front room because the design just screams, SHOW ME OFF!! I would make sure you listen to both units before purchasing, just so you do not have to mess with the shipping it back. If anyone has any questions, let me know in the comments section and I will do my best to answer unbiasedly.
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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.
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The moment i got it, the cost did not matter. Real nice, impressive looks. Put it anywhere and it delivers. The remote is OK , i did not like the pod like thing in my hand. Other than that , a safe landing.
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Honestly what sold me on this was the marketing. This thing to me looked artistically gorgeous. I'm sure it's a personal taste thing, but for me it really stood out. Now, I'm not an audio expert, and don't have a 'fine ear' for the subtleties, but be damned if this sounds like $600. My $100 altec lansing computer speakers with a sub woofer are much preferred in most situations, especially if I need volume and bass for a small party.
Bottom line, it looks good, but thank god I have friends at apple who got me a 50% discount:
[...].
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Yes, the Zeppelin sounds good. $600 good? No way. Especially when you consider how poorly serviced the B&W Zeppelin is, if you should happen to have a problem.
In short, my Zeppelin was bricked within hours of coming out of the box. What happened? I upgraded the software. Yes, that's all. As it turns out, that upgrade was probably unnecessary. But as it's difficult to tell what version of software your Zeppelin arrives with, and their online guide doesn't label upgrades as 'necessary' or 'unneccsasry', you may not know until you have a $600 cinder block on your hands. In any case, why should a minor software upgrade break a new machine?
Okay, so, the day could have still been saved by customer service as superior as they claim their sound is. Unfortunately, there is apparently only ONE MAN on the job for B&W North America and he's not up to it.
ONE man? Really? As far as I can tell, yes. You see, after I filled out the online support form (there was no phone number for support listed), I got an e-mail back a couple of hours later from an individual. This individual told me I could return the Zeppelin to the Apple Store. Why would he ASSUME it was purchased at the Apple Store? Shouldn't he have asked? Okay, not great, but not the end of the world.
I replied to his e-mail that the Zeppelin was a gift that was purchased for me from Amazon. A few more hours go by. Tired of waiting, I decide to call the 800 number that made its first appearance on the initial e-mail I received from him.
So I dial, push the appropriate button, and get a voicemail...of the same individual who sent me the e-mail. The same one guy who answers the e-mail answers the 800 number? No wonder they make the number hard to find. He must keep busy.
So I left him a message, then called back again, this time pushing another button. I get another voicemail...but it's THE SAME GUY, with a slightly different message. Yes, really.
Not long after I left the phone message, he replied to my second e-mail. He said since I bought it from Amazon, I would have to deal with him. He wanted the same information I'd already supplied when I registered the night before, plus a Proof of Purchase. Even though I'd already explained it was a gift.
Fortunately, Amazon has much better Customer Service. They made it very easy for me to return the Zeppelin and facilitated a refund to the gift giver.
So, yeah. If you got $600 burning a hole in your pocket, and you like to gamble, this may indeed be the iPod docking station for you.
But if you value your money and time, as much as you value your sound, find something else. They can design and build them, but if they can't service then, who cares?
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I am very dissapointed with this ipod speaker system. the bass is o.k. the highs and mids is where the system is decent. for $600.00 I expected much , much better sound quality, now if your looking for that unique look go for it. I am definitly going back to bose (american brand). a lot of people compare this system with the bose sounddock II, but it's not a fare comparison, the bose sounddock 10, and the b&w system is a more fare comparison.
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