TONEAudio Magazine
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<p><strong><a rel="attachment wp-att-11062" href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/bw-zeppelin/attachment/1-35/"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-11062" title="1" src="http://www.tonepublications.com/media/146.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="575" /></a>The quandary we’ve had was to put the Zeppelin in the iPod section of our website or review it as a regular hifi component.* After spending quite a bit of time with it, we’ve all come away with the same conclusion:* this is so much more than a fancy set of iPod speakers with a dock, it’s really a high performance portable audio system.* You can add another digital component via the combined digital/optical input jack, just like the ones on an Apple Power Book.* For iPod Video users, there is an S-Video out, so you can place your Zeppelin right below a plasma screen and watch your favorite episode of Desperate Housewives with amazing sound quality!</strong></p>
<p>I don’t know how B&W is making a penny on these.* With the retail price at $599, the Zeppelin is more than an exceptional value; it might be <em>the hi-fi deal of all time</em>.* Where else can you get a pair of 2-way powered B&W speakers with a powered sub in a package like this for such a low price?* The demand for these is so high, I couldn’t even buy the review sample!* They are selling every one they can get their hands on and I know everyone who got one of these under the Christmas tree freaked out.</p>
<p>I had to do this review in stealth mode the minute I found out I couldn’t get one for my daughter in time for Christmas…</p>
<p><strong>Tech stuff</strong></p>
<p>As I said, the Zeppelin uses a pair of 3 ½” glass fiber midrange drivers along with a pair of dome tweeters that are claimed to be very similar to the ones in B&W’s legendary 800 series. Each individual midrange/tweeter combination has it’s own 25 watt amplifier *Bringing up the bottom is a 5- inch bass driver with a 50-watt amplifier, so this system has a total power of 100 watts!* You can find more information <a href="http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=2466">here</a>.</p>
<p>This will give you the complete story of the engineering behind the Zeppelin as well as some great photos.</p>
<p>The Zeppelin is definitely a case of where a picture isn’t worth a thousand words. The photos don’t tell you is what a substantial piece of hardware this is.* When I first unboxed the Zeppelin I was not prepared for how well this is built and how heavy it was!* Again, this is not an entry-level piece of gear that’s been jobbed out to meet a price point.* The Zeppelin is built to the same high level of fit and finish that B&W’s flagship products possess.</p>
<p>The Zeppelin plugs into a standard AC outlet and uses a two-prong AC cord, so it does not have an IEC jack. Just to go over the top, I used an ICE Cube adapter and plugged in a new Shunyata Helix Alpha/VX power cord. This $1600 accessory takes the Zeppelin a bit out of the “budget hifi” column but it did allow it to be all it can be.* Spectacular. For the rest of you with a more level head, rest assured, the Zeppelin sounds fantastic with the stock power cord as well.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="attachment wp-att-11063" href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/bw-zeppelin/attachment/bw_shot2_-032/"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-11063" title="b&w_shot2_ 032" src="http://www.tonepublications.com/media/241.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="315" /></a>The Sound</strong></p>
<p>The comparison to the 800 series is a great one.* I just happen to have a pair of B&W 805S speakers in my living room, powered by a stack of Classe components and there is more than a slight family resemblance going on, especially in the tonality department.* For those of you that have B&W speakers somewhere else in your home you can now take it with you.* I’d seriously consider having a lined road case built, so I could take one of these with me wherever I go!* (That is if there is ever one in the store to purchase!)</p>
<p>With the big connection between B&W and Abbey Road Studios, it just seemed right to make the first thing I played on the Zeppelin a Beatles song; Eleanor Rigby to be precise and the violins sounded fantastic, the timbre was spot on.* This is <em>serious</em> hifi.</p>
<p>B&W claims that the Zeppelin is down 6 db at 47hz and 22khz.* I imported my Stereophile test disc into my iPod and ran a low frequency sweep.* Without actually measuring it, I can’t completely verify this, but the output on the 50hz track was very strong, with some output at 40hz still, so I’d bet they are right on the money.* Listening to some of my favorite discs by Tosca, Kruder & Dorfmeister and Mickey Hart, the Zeppelin has plenty of bass that not only has good extension, but good texture and definition.</p>
<p>The biggest compliment I can give the Zeppelin is that when using uncompressed tracks, this system sounds like you are listening to at least a couple thousand dollars worth of gear.* Thanks to that long, Zeppelin shape, the tweeters are far enough apart to give you a very good stereo image.</p>
<p>Highs are extended, possessing plenty of detail, but not crunchy.* Listening to acoustic instruments was very pleasant and never fatiguing.* I felt that there was a lot of air and texture that again was way beyond what I’d expect for this price.* The only bad news is that the Zeppelin has more than enough resolution to reveal the difference between compressed and non-compressed tracks with ease.* I suspect many iPod users will have a new music experience should they re-rip some tracks in Apple Lossless format or uncompressed.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="attachment wp-att-11064" href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/bw-zeppelin/attachment/bws5_24_04_-019/"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-11064" title="b&ws5_24_04_ 019" src="http://www.tonepublications.com/media/337.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="515" /></a>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>Usually when someone asks me to suggest a hifi system under a thousand dollars I want to take a shower, because I always feel terrible about what I’ve suggested.* No more, the B&W Zeppelin is a wonderful piece of gear that I have already happily suggested to more than one friend.* I am also very happy to give the Zeppelin one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2008.</p>
<p>The Zeppelin does it all. It’s well built from a company you know and trust.* Its design is stunning, fits anywhere and only requires one power cord to make it work.* Best of all, the sound quality is phenomenal and should put a smile on the face of even the fussiest audiophile. There is no better accessory for the iPod than the Zeppelin if you want an all inclusive system.</p>
<p><strong>B&W Zeppelin</strong></p>
<p>MSRP: $599</p>
<p>B & W* Group North America</p>
<p>http://www.bowers-wilkins.com</p>
[Source: http://www.tonepublications.com/review/bw-zeppelin/]
<p>I don’t know how B&W is making a penny on these.* With the retail price at $599, the Zeppelin is more than an exceptional value; it might be <em>the hi-fi deal of all time</em>.* Where else can you get a pair of 2-way powered B&W speakers with a powered sub in a package like this for such a low price?* The demand for these is so high, I couldn’t even buy the review sample!* They are selling every one they can get their hands on and I know everyone who got one of these under the Christmas tree freaked out.</p>
<p>I had to do this review in stealth mode the minute I found out I couldn’t get one for my daughter in time for Christmas…</p>
<p><strong>Tech stuff</strong></p>
<p>As I said, the Zeppelin uses a pair of 3 ½” glass fiber midrange drivers along with a pair of dome tweeters that are claimed to be very similar to the ones in B&W’s legendary 800 series. Each individual midrange/tweeter combination has it’s own 25 watt amplifier *Bringing up the bottom is a 5- inch bass driver with a 50-watt amplifier, so this system has a total power of 100 watts!* You can find more information <a href="http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=2466">here</a>.</p>
<p>This will give you the complete story of the engineering behind the Zeppelin as well as some great photos.</p>
<p>The Zeppelin is definitely a case of where a picture isn’t worth a thousand words. The photos don’t tell you is what a substantial piece of hardware this is.* When I first unboxed the Zeppelin I was not prepared for how well this is built and how heavy it was!* Again, this is not an entry-level piece of gear that’s been jobbed out to meet a price point.* The Zeppelin is built to the same high level of fit and finish that B&W’s flagship products possess.</p>
<p>The Zeppelin plugs into a standard AC outlet and uses a two-prong AC cord, so it does not have an IEC jack. Just to go over the top, I used an ICE Cube adapter and plugged in a new Shunyata Helix Alpha/VX power cord. This $1600 accessory takes the Zeppelin a bit out of the “budget hifi” column but it did allow it to be all it can be.* Spectacular. For the rest of you with a more level head, rest assured, the Zeppelin sounds fantastic with the stock power cord as well.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="attachment wp-att-11063" href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/bw-zeppelin/attachment/bw_shot2_-032/"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-11063" title="b&w_shot2_ 032" src="http://www.tonepublications.com/media/241.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="315" /></a>The Sound</strong></p>
<p>The comparison to the 800 series is a great one.* I just happen to have a pair of B&W 805S speakers in my living room, powered by a stack of Classe components and there is more than a slight family resemblance going on, especially in the tonality department.* For those of you that have B&W speakers somewhere else in your home you can now take it with you.* I’d seriously consider having a lined road case built, so I could take one of these with me wherever I go!* (That is if there is ever one in the store to purchase!)</p>
<p>With the big connection between B&W and Abbey Road Studios, it just seemed right to make the first thing I played on the Zeppelin a Beatles song; Eleanor Rigby to be precise and the violins sounded fantastic, the timbre was spot on.* This is <em>serious</em> hifi.</p>
<p>B&W claims that the Zeppelin is down 6 db at 47hz and 22khz.* I imported my Stereophile test disc into my iPod and ran a low frequency sweep.* Without actually measuring it, I can’t completely verify this, but the output on the 50hz track was very strong, with some output at 40hz still, so I’d bet they are right on the money.* Listening to some of my favorite discs by Tosca, Kruder & Dorfmeister and Mickey Hart, the Zeppelin has plenty of bass that not only has good extension, but good texture and definition.</p>
<p>The biggest compliment I can give the Zeppelin is that when using uncompressed tracks, this system sounds like you are listening to at least a couple thousand dollars worth of gear.* Thanks to that long, Zeppelin shape, the tweeters are far enough apart to give you a very good stereo image.</p>
<p>Highs are extended, possessing plenty of detail, but not crunchy.* Listening to acoustic instruments was very pleasant and never fatiguing.* I felt that there was a lot of air and texture that again was way beyond what I’d expect for this price.* The only bad news is that the Zeppelin has more than enough resolution to reveal the difference between compressed and non-compressed tracks with ease.* I suspect many iPod users will have a new music experience should they re-rip some tracks in Apple Lossless format or uncompressed.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="attachment wp-att-11064" href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/bw-zeppelin/attachment/bws5_24_04_-019/"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-11064" title="b&ws5_24_04_ 019" src="http://www.tonepublications.com/media/337.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="515" /></a>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>Usually when someone asks me to suggest a hifi system under a thousand dollars I want to take a shower, because I always feel terrible about what I’ve suggested.* No more, the B&W Zeppelin is a wonderful piece of gear that I have already happily suggested to more than one friend.* I am also very happy to give the Zeppelin one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2008.</p>
<p>The Zeppelin does it all. It’s well built from a company you know and trust.* Its design is stunning, fits anywhere and only requires one power cord to make it work.* Best of all, the sound quality is phenomenal and should put a smile on the face of even the fussiest audiophile. There is no better accessory for the iPod than the Zeppelin if you want an all inclusive system.</p>
<p><strong>B&W Zeppelin</strong></p>
<p>MSRP: $599</p>
<p>B & W* Group North America</p>
<p>http://www.bowers-wilkins.com</p>
[Source: http://www.tonepublications.com/review/bw-zeppelin/]