If these speakers represent the enduring legacy of the old guard, I'd argue that the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin has earned its place as perhaps a modern classic of the digital age. It wasn't the first iPod dock when it appeared in 2007, but it was the right speaker at the right time. Its launch conveniently coincided with Apple's sixth-gen iPod, offering a then-whopping 160 gigabytes of memory-more than enough to forgo low-res MP3s in favor of high-quality rips that begged for a premium, self-powered speaker. The first Zepp was blessed with high-end drivers, class-D amps bolstered by cutting-edge digital-signal processing (DSP), museum-worthy cosmetics from industrial designer Morten Warren, and a breathtaking price of $600. It was the first “audiophile lifestyle speaker-a genre that acknowledged there were other ways to get great sound than hulking towers and a rack of gear.
Here we are 15 years later, and the unmistakable Zeppelin has been reborn for its fourth generation. I reviewed the second-gen Zeppelin Air for Sound & Vision back in 2011. The audition proved memorable in ways I'll describe, but outwardly, today's Zeppelin is unchanged but for its higher $799 price and the welcome lack of a gangly iPod docking arm. The dimensions of the blimp-like cabinet are about the same at 24.6 X 8.3 x 7.6 inches (WxHxD), and it remains hefty at 14.3 pounds.
This story is from the April - May 2022 edition of Sound & Vision.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April - May 2022 edition of Sound & Vision.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Big Clean
Chances are you probably do not think about the state of your electronic devices too often. Oh, you might think about all the upgrades you would like to make; where you would put those new tower speakers, or how a second or third subwoofer would really tame those bass modes in your room, or how much more cinematic a larger screen would be. Sure, you think about that part of your system. But how often do you think about the well-being of your system?
Planar-Magnetic Attraction
THE DIPTYQUE DP 115 speakers are a new model 2-way, ribbon, and planar magnetic driver dipole \"isodynamic\" speaker system designed and built in France.
Full-Featured 4K
THE QN95D is one of two televisions we went hands-on with on a recent trip to Samsung's New Jersey QA Lab, the other being the S95D quantum-dot OLED.
Party Animal
FOR ANY party, the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Bass Bluetooth Speaker is an essential invite.
It's the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?
Attention all preppers! Today's column is right up your alley-or, more precisely-your tunnel to your underground bunker.
Bridging the Analog-Digital Gap on a Recliner
When I shopped for a motorized recliner, I rejected models with their own Internet Protocol address and built-in speakers. No need. I had already placed a smart speaker on an étagère beside the space where I had planned to put the chair. I'd have a smartphone in my hand and the room would be bathed in Wi-Fi.
BACK TO THE GARDEN
AN AQUARIAN EXPOSITION in WHITE LAKE, N.Y.
Big Sound, Small Price
DOLBY ATMOS, once a costly premium, is enjoying a surge of popularity across a range of new audio gear.
Classic Sound with Streaming Smarts
THE TWENTIETH century had its Roaring Twenties; welcome to the twenty-first's Streaming Twenties.
Stand and Deliver
IT DOESN'T seem all that long ago that SVS first entered the audio scene.
