STEREO GUIDE verdict
The 4th Generation of the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin once again has what it takes to be a high-flyer. However, the result of the review of the WLAN box with Bluetooth might surprise fans.
Pros
- full audiophile sound
- very good room imaging for a onebox
- contoured, rich bass
Cons
- limited connectivity, no HDMI
- Operation without app very limited
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Sound: tonal balance / transparency9.5
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Sound: Bass / Dynamics8.8
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Ease-of-use / Connectivity8.8
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Price/Performance9.5
The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin is now as much a legend as Count Zeppelin’s eponymous and uniform airships. Back in 2007, the British speaker specialist took the step into the digital music world with a speaker system in the shape of, well, a zeppelin. The now 4th generation of the 2021 B&W Zeppelin stays true to the idea of limiting itself to the currently most sought-after wireless playback options – Bluetooth and WLAN. While the first one started out as an elite iPod dock with USB input, the latest edition doesn’t even have any audio ports. What else changed is explained in this review.
The cigar shape remained similar not without an acoustic reason: it allows a wide stereo base between the tweeters placed in the tips and the use of a bass driver with a large diameter in the middle. Thus, the British use the volume of the 6.5 kilogram WLAN and Bluetooth speaker perfectly and acoustically favorably. The resulting system appears neither unwieldy nor bulky. In any case, the 65-centimeter width does not show on the complete wireless system, which is available in light gray and almost black dark gray and covered with matte fabric. This may also be due to the fact that it visually floats on its aluminum base with lighting.
Classic HiFi technology in the cigar
While other systems are debated as to whether full-range or 2-way systems promise the best sound, the Zeppelin flaunts high-end technology. Namely, it is a full 3-way fully active system. All crossover, equalizer and dynamics control functions are performed digitally. The manufacturer states the amplifier power with a proud 240 watts, and the cigar is also supposed to get down to low bass regions of 35 hertz.
On the outside in the tapering ends of its airship shape hide the tweeters, and right next to them the 9 centimeter midrange drivers. While the former with their aluminum double dome shape are on par with the best-known speaker series 600 and 700 of the British, the beadless midrange drivers even technically follow the ultra-expensive 800 series. The tweeters should radiate in the narrow outer part as sound wall-less as possible and thus vertically wide. In contrast, B&W placed the two midrange drivers in a small sound guide for focusing. Both should help to create the widest possible spatial image with additional reflections in the treble without losing focus and clarity in voices.
Those who are concerned that the wide dispersion of the treble and the powerful bass reproduction can lead to room acoustic problems when the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin is typically positioned near the wall or on the lowboard, may rest assured. Both can be finely corrected in a dedicated sound adjustment in the Bowers & Wilkins Music app for iOS and Android. Droning or too sharp playback due to room influences can be compensated for quickly and, above all, conveniently.
Own music app and other playback options
The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin in its 4th generation has probably the three most used protocols of wireless streaming on board: Bluetooth, Airplay 2 and Spotify Connect. This also makes the focus clear: it should be as simple as possible.
Furthermore, Bowers & Wilkins’ own music app can access streaming services like Deezer, Qobuz and Tidal via WLAN. The full-fledged integration of Zeppelin into a formation environment is not possible due to new hardware chips. This should surprise B&W fans. Finally, the Formation series speakers also use the same app, but only the new Panorama 3 soundbar uses the same chip. Typical multi-room functions such as grouping in rooms with speakers from the Formation series are not possible.
Addressing Zeppelin via Roon does not work directly, but in limited data rates via Airplay 2. Whether a Roon Ready will be retrofitted later has not yet been determined (May 2022). Google Chromecast cannot be used with the B&W Zeppelin. This also applies to classic DLNA streaming or the integration of external analog sources.
Advertising blimp: Alexa, buy a beer
Thanks to its integrated microphone, the new Zeppelin turns into a smart speaker that follows voice commands from Amazon Alexa and can also control other Alexa components in the home network.
Zeppelins and the “boneless” blimps modeled after them are known to be whiz kids. After dropping ballast, they climb straight up steeply into the sky according to the “lighter than air” principle, even without engine assistance. Bowers & Wilkins has also mastered this trick: If you press the multi-function button hidden on the back until it glows blue, you can control the device directly from your smart device via Bluetooth 5.0 without an app or setup procedure.
For this, the sound-strong codecs aptX Adaptive for Android and AAC for iDevices are available. This allows the user of this classy wireless sound system to immediately take off on a journey of sonic discovery. As an aside, it also saves him from having to set up the Bowers & Wilkins user account required to use the B&W app.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2022 delivers true hi-fi quality
Sonically, the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin outgrows itself not only in room size. It also pretty much steals the show from all other one-box systems. Its sound tuning turned out extremely natural and deserves the designation audiophile, which we could only give to stereo speaker sets so far.
Three things stand out in particular: The fine resolution of its drivers, which make music sound transparent and silky while remaining neutral. This provides detailed voices and also has no problem with a full orchestra, where you can really hear an amazing amount of detail with an amazingly relaxing character.
Learning from zeppelins means learning to fly
Another strength of the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin is the full-bodied bass, which is not bone-dry, but contoured and also temporally differentiated and dynamic. This also makes pop tracks like “Budapest By Blimp” by Thomas Dolby in the live version or rock tracks like “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin fun. That is, those recordings that tend to overwhelm other onebox systems. Particularly pleasing: Zeppelin retains its relaxed character even at quite high volume levels. The rigid, ideally shaped hull that made zeppelins all-weather capable, unlike impingement blimps, allows the iconic wireless speaker to weather musical storms without droning. And that without a clunky wooden case.
But what really sets it apart among onebox systems is its stereo spatial imaging. In normally damped rooms, a decent stage width and also a good ambience are presented, in which central voices are stably integrated. Only in recordings with broad instruments one notices that a stereo speaker pair manages even more panorama and better localization. So the Zeppelin is once again a real high-flyer in the 4th generation. This predicate distinguishes it from its historical models. In the case of airships, those in the know speak of driving, not flying. From this point of view, as the author of several Zeppelin reviews, I should rather attest to the fact that I totally dig the rich, clean and high-resolution sound.
Conclusion and alternatives to the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin
You either love the design of the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin or you don’t. So, in case of doubt, you’ll gladly pay a bit more than for any stereo one-box. The modern classic is not particularly flexible when it comes to inputs and feed options. Multiroom connectivity also lags behind even its in-house competitor, the Formation Wedge.
In terms of hi-fi qualities, the Zeppelin sets itself apart from both the Wedge and its well-known competitors. At best, the Bluesound Pulse 2i delivers a similarly fine, natural and impulsive performance, but Zeppelin’s room imaging and bass are still ahead of it.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021: Technical specifications
Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: 800 euros
Dimensions (W x H x D): 65 x 21 x 19.5 cm
Weight: 6,5 kg
Features: Stereo, 3-way, Wi-Fi, Bowers Formation app compatible
More at https://www.bowerswilkins.com
