Bowers & Wilkins debuts new Zeppelin Wireless speaker with support for Apple's AirPlay
Bowers & Wilkins on Thursday launched the Zeppelin Wireless, marking the now comparatively rare addition of another AirPlay device to the speaker market.
Unlike its predecessor, the Air, the Wireless lacks a Lightning dock, making it completely reliant on wireless input beyond a 3.5-millimeter jack and an Ethernet port. Aside from AirPlay however, the speaker also supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and Spotify Connect.
Bass is provided by a 50-watt, 6-inch subwoofer. This is flanked by two 1-inch tweeters and two 3.5-inch midrange drivers, all four of which are rated at 25 watts each. An upgraded digital signal processor automatically converts to 24-bit, 192-kilohertz sound.
In keeping with the wireless philosophy, setup and firmware updates are handled via the Bowers & Wilkins Control app, which can also be used to handle volume levels and playback. Basic volume and play/pause buttons are present on the speaker itself.
The Zeppelin Wireless is already on sale in the U.K. for ?499. The U.S. version will cost $699, but is not yet ready to order online. The product should reach retail stores on Oct. 15.
Unlike its predecessor, the Air, the Wireless lacks a Lightning dock, making it completely reliant on wireless input beyond a 3.5-millimeter jack and an Ethernet port. Aside from AirPlay however, the speaker also supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and Spotify Connect.
Bass is provided by a 50-watt, 6-inch subwoofer. This is flanked by two 1-inch tweeters and two 3.5-inch midrange drivers, all four of which are rated at 25 watts each. An upgraded digital signal processor automatically converts to 24-bit, 192-kilohertz sound.
In keeping with the wireless philosophy, setup and firmware updates are handled via the Bowers & Wilkins Control app, which can also be used to handle volume levels and playback. Basic volume and play/pause buttons are present on the speaker itself.
The Zeppelin Wireless is already on sale in the U.K. for ?499. The U.S. version will cost $699, but is not yet ready to order online. The product should reach retail stores on Oct. 15.
Comments
Ouch - for that price why don't you just get a Sonos and forgo the Airplay angle? They're supposed to have Apple Music support soon anyway.
1. Sound Quality. The Sonus stuff just doesn't sound very good.
2. Personally, I don't need a complicated multi-room system, just good sound in a single remote location where I can get the music from iTunes on my computer. I rarely use my phone or iPad for music in the house, so BT doesn't do much good.
I hope they support 5 Ghz. I have a B&W A7 and it constantly drops the signal. It's is pathetic and embarrassing.
I have the same issue with my A5. The only way I could get airplay to play continuously is from iTunes on my mac and set the mode to "Multiple". It is meant for multi-room synchronized playing, but I think somewhere in that setup, Apple made the streaming more fault tolerant.
Ouch - for that price why don't you just get a Sonos and forgo the Airplay angle? They're supposed to have Apple Music support soon anyway.
Bowers & Wilkins sound quality blows away Sonos. They are expensive but totally worth it.
I have a LibraTone Zipp which looks nicer than this but it's wifi range lets it down.
I have an A7 with an Airport Extreme and no problems at all. What router are you using?
Bowers & Wilkins sound quality blows away Sonos. They are expensive but totally worth it.
I have never heard any B&W product that did not impress. One of my more fond audio memories was listening to a pair of B&W 801s hooked up to 500 watt per channel amps and sourced to a Thorens TD-124 turntable. Just breathtaking.
Bowers & Wilkins sound quality blows away Sonos. They are expensive but totally worth it.
That's what I wanted to ask, are they selling brand name or sound quality that you can kick back close your eyes and enjoy?
I use wireless extensively and have to say that when you have a house full of wireless airplay and bluetooth are very inconsistent. It really surprises me that Apple would allow this. Now it is not to say maybe I am doing something wrong but I am fairly proficient with tech.
Considering how much bandwidth can go with latest WIFI tech, why on earth sound be inconsistent, even if 90% of the frames were dropped and resent, the packet should still come on time to not make a difference. There would be no latency, you'd hear nothing different than a direct connection. People stream 4K movies wirelessly (even several from the same server) without a hitch.
Considering how much bandwidth can go with latest WIFI tech, why on earth sound be inconsistent, even if 90% of the frames were dropped and resent, the packet should still come on time to not make a difference. There would be no latency, you'd hear nothing different than a direct connection. People stream 4K movies wirelessly (even several from the same server) without a hitch.
Not sure if I worded it properly. When the connection is good no issues with sound. It seems to cut in and out a lot on my system. Some times it is flawless, other times it cuts in and out constantly. Not sure if I am stating it right but I don't believe it is about capacity or throughput...