Home > Consumer Reviews > Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Loudspeaker Dock System for iPod and MP3 Players
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Loudspeaker Dock System for iPod and MP3 Players
See it at Amazon.com for $599.95Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
All in one best around
(5 out of 5) by Greggar on Nov 29, 2008 (Los Angeles)If you go to the B&W website, you'll see that the Zeppelin has won several awards and rightfully so. The little details on this bad boy set it apart from the rest. Here's my take on it.
I like the chrome trim down the middle that discretely contains the power switch and volume up & down buttons. The sound quality and fit and finishes remind me of Bang & Olufson stereos in the 90's. It feels very heavy and sturdy. The packing was well done too.
Is it just me or am I the only one that doesn't like being surrounded by 4 towers speakers, a center channel, stereo components, and subwoofer? Not to mention the tons of wires going between all those things. I cleared out the surround system in the living room and bedroom and I feel a lot happier. Simple is better and Zeppelin hit it on the mark in the style and simplicity category. I also like that there isn't a huge power adapter eyesore; just one cord.
There's a line in jack on the Zeppelin, so it would be a great speaker for a flat panel tv as well. What a clean setup that would be sitting on the glass open shelf of a black BDI Vista stand. Reminds me of that Audi commercial where the camera goes around the room as furniture gets replaced with modern furniture.
I was a bit concerned that there is no subwoofer out jack but the Zeppelin turned out to be loud enough for my bedroom. If one really wants to attach a subwoofer, it would be possible to add a Y cable to splice the line in so it goes to both the Zeppelin and the subwoofer. One could link an ipod or other auxiliary source that way. However, it is not possible to add a subwoofer when an ipod is playing in the holder.
The shape of the speaker really disperses the sound well. The sound that comes out of the Zeppelin is very interesting. I'm sitting here 90 degrees to the side of it but the sound is coming at me rather directly and the highs are not muted like feeling like I'm behind the speaker.
I bought the unit for $493 new as a buy it now including shipping on that other bay. In this economy there are still great deals out there.
I like the chrome trim down the middle that discretely contains the power switch and volume up & down buttons. The sound quality and fit and finishes remind me of Bang & Olufson stereos in the 90's. It feels very heavy and sturdy. The packing was well done too.
Is it just me or am I the only one that doesn't like being surrounded by 4 towers speakers, a center channel, stereo components, and subwoofer? Not to mention the tons of wires going between all those things. I cleared out the surround system in the living room and bedroom and I feel a lot happier. Simple is better and Zeppelin hit it on the mark in the style and simplicity category. I also like that there isn't a huge power adapter eyesore; just one cord.
There's a line in jack on the Zeppelin, so it would be a great speaker for a flat panel tv as well. What a clean setup that would be sitting on the glass open shelf of a black BDI Vista stand. Reminds me of that Audi commercial where the camera goes around the room as furniture gets replaced with modern furniture.
I was a bit concerned that there is no subwoofer out jack but the Zeppelin turned out to be loud enough for my bedroom. If one really wants to attach a subwoofer, it would be possible to add a Y cable to splice the line in so it goes to both the Zeppelin and the subwoofer. One could link an ipod or other auxiliary source that way. However, it is not possible to add a subwoofer when an ipod is playing in the holder.
The shape of the speaker really disperses the sound well. The sound that comes out of the Zeppelin is very interesting. I'm sitting here 90 degrees to the side of it but the sound is coming at me rather directly and the highs are not muted like feeling like I'm behind the speaker.
I bought the unit for $493 new as a buy it now including shipping on that other bay. In this economy there are still great deals out there.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Stunning, but Check Version for iPhone Compatibility
(5 out of 5) by Robert on Jul 24, 2009The speakers are everything the other reviewers have commented on, and more. I am upgrading from an Apple iPod HiFi (not a shabby speaker itself), but this is better, both sound and design. Note that only the Z-2 version of the Zeppelin is fully iPhone compatible (the older Z-1 will pop up the annoying "Airplane mode" warning, but still have good sound quality). According to B+W support, the version on this web site is currently not a Z-2. I suggest contacting them before purchasing, since that will undoubtedly change.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Simply awesome but.....
(5 out of 5) by Rodney D. Kennedy on Jun 25, 2009 (Ypsilanti Twp., Mi)Let me say right away I would give this six stars if I could for sound quality and opinion it's a good looking piece. That being said I do have a couple of grips....1st, when you turn it on(everytime) it makes a popping noise, this is not a big deal for me but be aware. 2ndly, while it is possible to play Pandora Radio you have to use the aux port on back and plug it in the headphone jack on your ipod. All this being said this (by far) is the best sounding dock i've tried and I tried ALOT of them. As far as the price..[...] is a little steep but trust me you get what you pay for, i'm a cheap b*****d and don't regret a thing.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
WOW
(5 out of 5) by Paul Demoss on May 7, 2009 (New Orleans)Very much worth the extra coin. If you looking for a more high end player, just go straight to the top. Bose is a joke. My buddy bought one before I got this. We compared them. He said he'd wasted his money. He's right.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
great speaker you could ever have
(5 out of 5) by Jamie on Jan 2, 2009Pro:
1, There would be no electricity noise AT ALL when you pause the music, which is a common problem in most speakers in the market even in Bose Companion 5 (I should know, had it before).
2, Music sounds continuous and balanced because it has 4 speakers and one bass in the middle
3, Easy to connect to ipod iphone and computers.
4, They also have firmware upgrade.
Cons:
1, The remote is not very sensitive. It would work fine if pointed directly at the front of the Zeppelin, but would struggle from the sides or if facing away from the Zeppelin.
2, There would only be a power cord in the box. If you want to connect to computers or other thing like CD player, you need to get your own cord which is easy to get at radio-shack.
1, There would be no electricity noise AT ALL when you pause the music, which is a common problem in most speakers in the market even in Bose Companion 5 (I should know, had it before).
2, Music sounds continuous and balanced because it has 4 speakers and one bass in the middle
3, Easy to connect to ipod iphone and computers.
4, They also have firmware upgrade.
Cons:
1, The remote is not very sensitive. It would work fine if pointed directly at the front of the Zeppelin, but would struggle from the sides or if facing away from the Zeppelin.
2, There would only be a power cord in the box. If you want to connect to computers or other thing like CD player, you need to get your own cord which is easy to get at radio-shack.