Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless Review

Easter bank holiday rolled around, and I got a lovely email saying that one of my lust items went was discounted. This wasn’t just a discount like £10-50, this was a hefty discount. One of the main reasons I haven’t pulled the trigger and bought a Zeppelin was because of the eyewatering price (£700). This thing is in the same price category as the Naim MuSo QB, and with rave reviews for that as well, it was very hard to justify it. Bank holiday discounts happened, and here we are - pulled the trigger and bought it for £530 brand new off Amazon. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a lot of money for a speaker - especially one without any physical inputs.

The reason I’ve lusted after the Zeppelin for so long is because I absolutely love the design. Aside from being a B&W fanboy, it’s always been an iconic design that is semi like a bragging right. It’s also one of my first grown up hifi speakers. Let’s be honest, a home of HomePod minis will only take you so far. I’d also love to say that the HomePod minis I have round the house are good enough to match the sound of the zeppelin, but NO. NOT EVEN FUCKING close… This thing is a freaking beast…

I don’t claim to be an audiophile by any standards. I do love my audio stuff, and I am a fanboy of B&W, but that doesn’t mean that I can hear 20 kHz to 20hz and know when something has exceptional Hi low mids etc. I’m not that analytical, I’m just a guy who enjoys EDM and some other forms of music, but enjoys them with something quite loud and proud. Something elegant and sophisticated. Something that makes me sing and dance.

At this point you might be thinking, SOPHISTICATED? What kind of dickhead calls HomePod mini sophisticated? Trust me, I’m not calling that sophisticated: the Zeppelin is the first truly sophisticated speaker I’ve ever bought.

Having for years rented accommodation and never had a place to really call my own, when I bought my first home, I thought it was time to actually make it a home by christening it with a Hifi system. Something that plays music elegantly, looks elegant, and also has the guts to reproduce music that makes you want to dance. The first time I listened to B&W P5 in an Apple Shop, I was immediately in love. These headphones were amazing, and had everything I wanted. Ever since; I’ve been a big fan. The only time I’ve had a bit of disappointment was with the B&W PX. They weren’t bad headphones, I just wanted a lot more bass because of the style of music that I listen to. Was the Zeppelin going to be the same? Let’s find out…

For the last while, I’ve always had go to songs to test any loudspeaker/headphones with, and this time the songs are a bit more modern. Recently futurebass has made a great impact in my life, so I had this mix from Ophelia’s Odyssey of AU5. The last 2 songs are the songs that drive raw emotion and give you a picture of how well timed this speaker is.

When I say well timed, everything instrument and sound can be separated and well defined, and nothing sounds out of place, it all combines to make a great listening experience.

Let’s sample some tunes

The songs I used from Ophelia’s Odyssey EP 16:

• Mitis - Homesick (AU5 remix)
• AU5 - Divine

The songs I played apart from the above:

• Three 6 Mafia - Late night tip (of course)
• JW - 矛盾一生
• Slander & AU5 - Anywhere (feat shYbeast, PLYA)
• Gryffin - Body Back (Mitis Remix)
• Hyde - Fake Divine

It’s not the most diverse range of music, however I can gather how great the sound quality will be based on these songs.

Let’s start with the most out of place: JW - 矛盾一生, this song has some seriously smooth ballads and hauntingly beautiful vocals. It’s quite light on instruments but vocal forward. It’s absolutely beautiful. To this day, I’ve not heard a song this beautfiul sound so uplifting, despite the fact it’s a song about breaking up (spoiler alert, I don’t speak Cantonese, that’s why I don’t know what the lyrics mean).

Not only are the vocals so beautiful, I can hear every breath in, every time JW’s lips part, every single depth and detail in her voice… the Zeppelin NAILS IT. Hyde’s deep, dark vocals have a haunting effect, along with the guitars and drums, all paint this glorious rebellious picture. One where metal has thrived, and paints a celebration of success and take over. The drums in this song are very busy, the guitar is a lovely low (de)tune, and Hyde’s vocals are purring away. This Zeppelin helps handle it all, and with such poise and grace.

Late night tip - this is just a standard bass test track, along with the AU5 tracks, and Mitis. Let’s start with AU5 - if you’ve ever listened to any of his songs, you’ll immediately get this feeling of overwhelmed but in a very nice way. For example - AU5’s Paper Owl has some of the most stunning riffs that make it so magical, but couple that with the intense melodic chorus, very well timed drums, and intense electronic effects: it makes for some incredibly overwhelming but stunning futurebass songs. A lot of his tracks overwhelm me but in a very happy way - and that overwhelming can help separate the weak from the strong. In this case, the Zeppelin kept up with all AU5’s songs and more. It handled them with grace and superb accuracy.

Music can be an emotional thing for me, so some songs - when played very well - can make me well up. The last 90 seconds of AU5 - Divine made me tear up, because it is that fucking beautiful. I’ve not had a loudspeaker do that ever. I’ve had a pair of headphones make me tingle before, but not to the extent that this speaker does it. The drop kick along with the terrific melodies just bring a sense of emotional power. It’s a beautifully written song, and seriously enchanting. It’s a song that takes your breath away.

Mitis has a similar approach except from a more classical background. I’d say his songs are a bit more predicatable and structured, which is never a bad thing. Mitis’ remix of Gryffin’s Body Back is one of the most killer drops/basslines I’ve ever heard. It’s not only electrifying, it’s downright filthy in bass. It’s an amazing remix, and only Mitis could make something that amazing. The Zeppelin didn’t break a sweat with any of these songs.

That Bass though…

To answer the question in the room, is this thing a boom box? Will it produce some serious bass. The answer is YES… and more

This speaker is capable of doing serious damage, but in the most pleasant and captivating way.

The Bass on this thing - at quarter volume on my iPhone, with the bass tweaked +3db - is enough to vibrate all my walls. My house is concrete, and that just adds to the depth of the bass. Anything punchy has this satisfying thumping bass and kick that you can feel, and it’s just amazing.

This is a speaker that really doesn’t fuck around. It is a heavy hitting, glorious sounding speaker.

Take Home

At the price I bought it for (£530), you’d be seriously hard pressed to find anything this fucking brilliant. The Zeppelin has serious competition with other systems like Naim MuSo QB 2, Sonos Play 5, Kef LS50… This thing isn’t like those systems. The Zeppelin for one is much more handsome. The iconic design is lovely, and fits in a bookshelf so well.

The sounds isn’t truly “stereo”, however I don’t mind. The sound this thing makes is absolutely beautiful. Warm mids/highs, gorgeous thumping bass. It really is a masterpiece in both design and sound. I can’t recommend it more, it has been one of the best investments made. It’s a thing that brings a smile to my face everytime I listen to it.