Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin: Can it take back the crown?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ค. 2024
- Visit us for all things Audio Visual - www.smarthomesounds.co.uk
In this video, we review the new Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin speaker to see if it can take back the glory from its predecessor or if it will struggle to compete in a very crowded market. Comment below, what do you think of the latest version of the Zeppelin?
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:47 Zeppelin Overview
02:47 Design
06:38 Features
08:16 Sound Quality/Demo
11:31 Zeppelin vs Formation Wedge
14:15 Verdict
🛒 SHOP NOW (UK)
Shop Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin - www.smarthomesounds.co.uk/bow...
GET IN TOUCH
Got any questions or looking for more personal advice? Get in touch - we’d love to help!
✉️ Email - info@smarthomesounds.co.uk
📞 Call - 0800 677 1100
💬 Live chat - www.smarthomesounds.co.uk
FOLLOW US:
📸 Instagram - / smarthomesounds
🐦 Twitter - / smarthomesounds
📕 Facebook - / smarthomesounds
VISIT OUR BLOG
📝 - www.smarthomesounds.co.uk/blog
WHO ARE WE?
Smart Home Sounds is one of the leading UK online audio retailers. We sell a range of wireless speakers, turntables, headphones, HIFI equipment and much more.
✅ Free Next Day Delivery
✅ 6 Year Extended Sonos Warranty
✅ 30 Day Listen Better Promise
✅ VIP Loyalty Scheme
✅ Expert help & advice - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
![🔴 [TRỰC TIẾP] U20 VIỆT NAM VS U20 THÁI LAN | Cúp VTV9 - Bình Điền 2024 | JET STUDIO](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tdmZlw-XJJI/mqdefault.jpg)
You’re videos are such good quality. Thank you for the very thorough and interesting reviews! Love them.
Still have my original 2007 Zeppelin. Haven't used it in years, but this video makes me want to dig it out again.
Thank you for a well done video. You also answered my questions.
I have the previous one from 2016. I love it! Works great with my M1 MacMini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPad Pro. AirPlay on this old friend sounds great! The new one is tempting! I'm glad it is re-born.
As a wedge owner I think the best part is the sound staging you get form those upward firing tweeters compared to the zeppelin
I did not understand why b&w has not provide an aux connection both optical and analogic as in the previous models. I have 3 zeppelin air: 2 with 32 pin socket and one with lighting. It is amazing how flexible they are using the aux. I can connect 2 zeppelin by using chromecast audio and group them. I can command my zeppelin with google assistant connected with spotify or other streaming music providers. Moreober, by using in the network a little raspberry pi with home assistant and the google cast integration I can cast all my media contents to a number of player widespread in my home. The last zeppelins are lacking of the aux port and are not so flexible. It should have also an hdmi port to be used as sound bar. The old models with the aux port may be connected via the optical output of the tv and the sound is amazing using the dac integrated into the zeppelin and using a high quality external dac it is possible to increase rhe quality further. I have many B&W loudspeakers, from the most aged to the newest and they are well built and durable but I did not appreciate the reliability of the electronics of the zeppelin that are prone to have faults as far the power supply is concerned. Some caps in the power supply units are very poor and in ebay there are many faulty old zeppelins. The lack of official support and free repaiir of a so commonly faulty device is not aligned to the expectations from a B&W product. They should recall all the old units that are so prone to fail and fix free from charges.
I wish your channel to approve, you are on the right way! I have bang olufsen beolit 15 and 17, but they are not so powerful as even Harman kardon go and play. Now I am searching for something new and it seems that zeppelin is a good candidate 🤔
Fantastic reviews! Would you consider reviewing the Marshall Woburn 2?
For sure, awesome
HI can i use it as a PC speaker ? does it paring ? with wifi? or bluetooth dongle?
The New Ferguson Hill FH007 & FH008 MK2 Acrylic Horn Mini stereo system is the new King of mini stereo systems. They have Dealers in the USA now
So if not B&W for home, premium, hi fi, then what brand & speaker? Looking to set up a home system, surround sound for music & watching sports. Would like to be wireless and maybe have ability to add a couple speakers in different rooms but having them separate is an option. Price not a deal breaker. Looking forward to your recommendation. Thanks.
Great review. Very well done. I did not consider the Wedge prior to watching this review but that speaker will fit better into the desired location in my kitchen. Thank you.
I want to see it compared to Sonos 5.
It looks really beautiful but I’m not convinced about sound quality and connectivity (compared to Sonos 5)
im about to improve the sound quality in my living room, but undecided between Sonos 5 and Zeppelin? Im an audiophile but also want a speaker that enable alexa and to TV pairing
I listened I. With my Apple ear pods pro and the wedge is more akin to a Sonos arc soundstage. I’ve been watching as I’m looking for a speaker that’s portable to take to parties etc and fill large rooms(daughters birthday in a hall at leisure centre) I did purchase the zeppelin last year from JL but returned it after the party as wasn’t overall impressed with sound compared to the arc? Q. Should I go for a pair of 5’s? But then that would work as a portable option would it?
Strange it was all go for the zeppelin until the wedge was included. Felt bit like it was a wedge review in the end. How does the zeppelin sound compared to something like the echo studio with its 3D sound capability? Having had the original Zeppelin I’m wondering how the new one compares to these upstarts.
I’ve listened to one of these and still prefer the sound of the silver back/first generation Zeppelin.
Can you use it as a sound bar for the lg cx55 tv?
Wonder how it compares to the Naim Muso Qb 2? (I would imagine it has a better soundstage for one) I have a small kitchen and think I might struggle to find a place for the Zeppelin, so looking at the Qb 2 as well.
That would be an interesting comparison and yes the Naim Muso Qb 2 does fit a lot more places.
I have the B&W Formation Wedge. I do miss an aux socket though.
Totally agree. At this price point one should be included.
@@smarthomesounds if your phone have a minijack, then its probetly also old..
So it is not something everybody needs (lm not missing it or other wires)
And we are living in a wireless time..
I think it makes sense to buy those things sepperat, i dont want to pay for speaker cables i dont use either
And if i did have a wired streaming device in the rooms i have wireless speakers i would hide it..
I would not like it to have to be next to the speaker..
A straming device does not cost that much, if you are bying b&w speakers..
A couple of hundred dollers for a b&w speaker is peanuts
@@smarthomesounds and you can put all the wires on you want
The sound will never come close to a couple of speakers that are wired to the amp also when streaming
Get a pair of second hand real b&w speakers and wire them to a amp and use a dongle and you have better sound formation duo ever will give you... (or 100 times better sound then a zepelin)
For under half the money
how is it vs sonos five?
Thanks for review, I really like design, but if rock sucks, then...
I’ve had the first and second zeppelin and although they sound amazing I had constant connection problems on both units. Music would be playing usually through Bluetooth and would suddenly cut out. .
I took the speaker back to where I bought it and they couldn’t fix the problem.
In the end I gave the zeppelin away.
The new one has AptX adaptive which is a qualcomm platform technology, meaning the platform has changed, which could improve or even erase the problems you saw.
I could not even connect the new Zeppelin, the tech support is terrible, returned for a refund very disappointed with B&W won't be bothering with their flawed tech again.
Hola.
¿Cuál elegirías entre el Zeppelin y el Wedge?
¿Cuál es mejor? ¿Cuál tiene mejor calidad de sonido?
He said Wedge sounds better @12:52
How does this compare to Sony's 360 sound system? Can I say I am comparing bw amazing mid range and treble to 360 sound ? Or still the Sony is a better choice overall?
Hello.
Which would you choose between the Zeppelin and the Wedge?
Which is better? Which one has better sound quality?
We would say the Wedge offers better performance but we do prefer the styling of the Zeppelin.
@@smarthomesounds do you think it's much better than the Sonos Five? Would it be worth changing the Sonos for the Wedge?
O Wedge é melhor e mais caro.@@smarthomesounds
Sadly the previous gen was not good enough to fill a large living room. The sound isn’t warm, the bass feels week, it doesn’t fill the space nicely. I’ve only enjoyed it in smaller rooms.
With a 'Zeppelin Sound Demo' caption I expected to hear Robert Plant singing...
I have the A7 , and for the TV, a pair of MM1 ..
I have several Formation products (Wedge, Bar, Sub x2, Flex x2) my wedge has been nothing but problems, at 1.5 yrs I had to send it in for repair, and its had nothing but conection probles since. I refuse to spend anymore money on my wedge at this point, if it continues to fail it'll be going to the trash. All that being said the B&W app is very quirky, and the speakers often fall off of the wifi connection. If I knew all of this ahead of time I'd have spent my money elsewhere. I have purchased a couple of B&O products and I am very happy with them, none of the quirkyness, and the sound is as good or better than the B&W products. I give the Formation line a 2 out of 5 stars and will never purchase B&W again.
I bought mine in 2010, and then a Sony wireless BT speaker, and recently Sony XM 1000 mk3 NC headphones. I think Sony handles wireless audio far better than B&W, and most other European brands. B&W should stick to conventional, large, wired, home speakers.
I have the Zeppelin Air and love the design but even with all settings reducing the bass it is still completely overshadowing the music no matter what sort of music you like. I really cannot understand the positive reviews. :(
I wont add this to my formation collection.
After all people do get the formation products to get the best sound (and the wedge is in the cheap end of the formation lineup)
But is looks cool
A Cunha de formação não é a mais barata.
Cunha não é mais barato e sim o Zeppelin.
I had the previous zeppelin wireless, but i had to sell it again and go back to a zeppelin air, because the wireless no longer had support for optical audio in where i do connect my Google chrome audio to integrate into a google assistant group, i tried to integrate it via bluetooth, but that was not working, because of a inconsistent delay. So my question is, did the bluetooth functionality improve so i can integrate it into a google assisatnt group? anybody knows?
Yeah it does. Now it has Bluetooth 5.1 which has like no latency.
My zeppelin one won’t turn green to play my music, HELP
What, if anything, makes the Sonus Faber Omni worth $1300 more?
Formation Wedge better sound quality than zeppelin?
the wedge sounds so much better
I can get this for £490, working for a major B&W parts supplier in the UK, and at that price it seems like a no-brainer.
They are selling these off much cheaper now because basically they don't work as they should. Could not connect a NEW Zeppelin to the app making it useless on Android mobile. Tech support was less than useless just telling me to return the item. So disappointed with B and W and I won't be touching their overpriced technically flawed stuff again.
@@robsimpson7619 Mine works perfectly
@@stevebarnes2 lucky you mine (brand new) does not. Why wouldn't B&W update the firmware to solve the connection issues before releasing this item? Beyond terrible to be honest because they have basically released an item that does not work for possibly 50% of potential customers ☹️
I bought the last model for £550 in John Lewis and it developed a fault and John Lewis were closed due a bank holiday and when I got to the shop after it opened bowers and Wilkins informed me that my warranty had ended the day before , I have literally a brand new zeppelin door stop , I will never ever give them my money again
Have you thought about sending it to someone who can repair electronics ?
I know someone
There was no remote in the zeppelin wireless either.
What bluetooth speakers sound best as a stereo pair?
Hi there, if you were looking at Bowers & Wilkins, the Formation Flex's sound great as a stereo pair which would total the same cost as the Zeppelin. Alternatively, we love the sound of the Sonos One SLs as a stereo pair too which are half the price, but admittedly not quite as powerful as the Flex's. Hope that helps!
HomePod mini
The formation duo are the best and a sub with them ofcourse
I would not get the flex without the subwoffer if you like bass
The wedge have better sound then a pair of flex, specially if you can place the flex correct.
The wedge have alot more bass, and it does fill the room better then the flex
I like my flex speakers, but i only run them alone when i only want low sound.
Or else i use them along with others just to give a little sound in the corners and fill out the room.
@@smarthomesounds i just put my flex speakers in my bedroom for tv use
And placed my wedge in my living room for real sound.. (along with other formation products)
Speacially compared to the duo, flex does not make much notice of them self.
They just give a little extra trebble
The wedge adds both bass and trebble
Always listen to the speakers in the shop if you buy expensive speakers, and never cheat yourself for listening to a real pair of b&w speakers when you are at the shop
Its worth the time 😉
It only posible to judge them when they are compared to other products
I listened with headphones and couldn't really tell. B&W is capitalizing on the Zeppelin name. The Wedge, unfortunately, doesn't have the name caché. I do think the Zeppelin looks better though.
Ouvi os dois, posso dizer que o cunha é melhor, também é mais caro.
A lot of money for what comes across as clear but still a boxy sound. What separates the great from the good in the world of HiFi for me, is detail, clarity, soundstage… but can the system do it sweetly/richly and realistically without ear fatigue. Even when spending $$$$/££££’s on traditional HiFi it’s the same game to me. I think these products are just another generation of good but not amazing products.
I prefer Sonos for lifestyle audio products. I come from a silly money HiFi background and I feel closer to HiFi with Sonos. What really surprised me about Sonos and why I invested in them, is that for a fun, rich, party sound you can mix up between music and movies around the house through such a simple interface. A convenient well rounded package. Sonos also don’t replace speakers or make things obsolete anywhere near as frequently as competitors in the lifestyle/convenience market. I think this one stop speaker concept at such a high price tag has it’s days numbered given how much fun you can get for half the price or less these days. Thanks for all the great objective reviews SHS! 👍
That desk that you have put the zeppelin on looks good... any special brand? (Pray to God it is IKEA (I'm a Swede))
I'm using a similar sized BangOlufsen at home for years and I really wanted to believe this zeppelin would be a good replacement (on paper). Max disappointment when I went to listen the zeppelin. I would describe it as: non-airy at all, no soundstage whatsoever, dynamics are mushy (some kind of compressor is applied) and subtle details are missing (the fancy tweeters is just marketing). If you're looking for good sound, I believe there better similar priced items on the market right now, like Naim Muso QB or even Sonos 5. Disappointed😕
I bought a Naim QB2, its a lovely sounding speaker but the bass is thin at low volumes. In the end I setup the QB2 as my "centre" speaker and with two homepods in stereo config to provide the missing bass. It's a pity the Zeppelin is disappointing, just wondering if you listened over bluetooth at the store or did you use Airplay as it might make quite a difference? I was going to buy one to try it out but might get the Sonos Five instead now.
Veja o preço do naim, não tem comparação, pelo preço do Naim, compre caixas formação Duo.
wedge vs zeppelin... zeppelin wins all the time imo... in terms of sound and look
Discordo, ouvi os dois, mas respeito a audição de cada um.
Seems like it's hitting 40hz not bad
49 hz não e sim 35 hz
😲
TuneIn, listening to BBC internet radio, are announce that this service will be disabled in 2023. BBC sounds dropping support and attempting to restrict listening to UK users via a browser or app on a mobile phone. TuneIn on PCs and Pure Radios are affected. B&O Beosound Emerge, Level and Balance have no similar announcement. Pure will not update their older internet radio speakers as they include FM and DABs. Perhaps B&W will provide an updated service.
i think zeppelin is more clearer. wedge is just loud and . . blured midrange.
yes, and most ppl are deaf and they buy overpriced crap and be happy with this. only my opinion
@@ReVersDC I bought the Wedge when it first came out. I was super excited… It sounded terrible. No mids and all highs and lows. Bass was quite good and that’s it. I was basically attacked online for stating that I didn’t care for the sound quality on the Wedge and actually preferred my old Bose SoundDock
@@jimkamenidis I don't think either has the power to justify its price tag though I think the Zeppelin would have a wider sound stage buy I've never heard it. Seems like they sacrificed power and loudness for sound quality and they managed to get it wrong altogether
@@jimkamenidis I actually preferred my Bose Sound Dock Series 2 sound. It's far from perfect but it doesn't sound bad at all
@@jimkamenidis Yeah, I bought it from Best Buy years ago when it first came out. I returned it within the first week. Sound was mediocre and I didn't like the formation app either.
Such a shame that when I connect this speaker to PC and play games it disconects every 20minutes because of power saving mode. It doesn't recognize that it keeps playing sounds ... It doesn't occur when listening to music from youtube etc. Its like having start-stop system in the car that turns off the motor while driving 🤦😒
And guess what ... You can't disable it in any way!
Good job Bowers and Wilkins, next time when working on product try to hire someone that has any knowledge about functionality
BW sound pretty good. But bass to me is lacking bass. For the price it cost it should have more bass.
looks like Stewie"s head
Went to a B&W store to try the demo unit of Zeppelin 2021. Connected it to my Samsung Note10+ via Bluetooth to play some sound clips. Just about 5 seconds in with my sound clip playing, the sound cut off suddenly without any hint or reminder by the speaker and my phone kept playing as if nothing happened. Change of sound clips and change of players would NOT work it out. Had to disconnect and reconnect to make it sound again, during which no indication sound was audible unexpectedly. Terrible Bluetooth experience! Such never happened with even the cheapest Bluetooth speakers I ever used. Basically useless or at least very frustrating Bluetooth functionality.
Besides, during Bluetooth playback, the play and pause buttons on the speaker simply would NOT work no matter how many times I pressed them even though an indication sound was audible each time I pressed them.
The good: Nice Bluetooth latency. Didn't see lip sync issue while using it to watch videos. And seems no background noise sound when you listen very closely to the speaker, which quite some regular Bluetooth speakers do present such as UE MegaBoom 3 and some JBL speakers.
Well, I can't say about the sound quality cos the store is in a fairly noisy spot in a mall with some people walking by. I think it's decent for the least.
A personal note: It does not look as good in person as it looks on picture and video.
The wage sound much more better then the zapline.
nope.
@@ReVersDC Hi. which is better?
which one has better bass? which one sounds louder? Thank you 🙏🏼
Wedge melhor, mais alto? os dois tem a mesma potencia. @@tonyaudiotest
Listening to Led Zeppelin and suddenly thought, Hey - Led Zeppelin on my Zeppelin....Needs more Bass
...ALWAYS needs more BASS
compra o sub da formação, para mim o grave está ótimo.
Thanks for the video.
I would not consider this for a couple of reasons. Size and shape design.
It’s waaaay to big.
And it stands out with a retro design, which I’m not a fan of… and now it reminds me of a alien pod. 🤨
Pass
Fair enough!
Beosound 2 much much better
U shouldn’t only give measurements in metric system. U lost a subscriber because I didn’t want to translate to inches.
It's not their fault that you're lazy.
@@stevebarnes2your attitude will get you a kiss on your head of your shaft
The Wedge is ugly as h*ll... It looks like something from the 1970's...
of course and not sound as big like zeppelin
@@ReVersDC hi. Zeppelin better than Wedge? Why? More bass? Better sound quality?
Hi I have both and prefer the wedge, more detailed sound and no overwhelming bass…. The zeppelin more powerful
Do not like its design
This is a VERY flawed product. When new if you can't connect via the app it is basically an ornament and USELESS. I have spoken to B&W support and they told me to try with an apple device as it will need a firmware update to connect properly. Why would they do this? So disappointed with B&W, I have an older Zeppelin which is good this new one is nothing but USELESS. It has to be returned for a refund.
personaly for me bowers and wilkins,bang and olufson,technics and yamaha are the highest quality speakers you can buy and yes svs and others are still amazing