Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Not as smart, but this iconic speaker sounds better than ever
The enhanced edition of B&W’s celebrated all-in-one benefits from upgraded titanium tweeters, FST mid-range drivers and lush new colourways
Pros
- Exceptional sound quality
- Premium design
- Streaming service support
Cons
- No HDMI or auxiliary local connections
- No remote control
- Relatively pricey
At first glance, the new Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition looks much like the last iteration of the brand’s celebrated wireless speaker. But while essentially a mid-cycle upgrade, there’s still much to differentiate it from its predecessor.
Components have been upgraded in pursuit of acoustic improvement, and the feature set has been tweaked. Amazon’s Alexa has been given the heave-ho, but all-new titanium dome tweeters and sophisticated mid-range drivers have ushered in greater smoothness and tonal accuracy. The Zeppelin has had a refinement bump.
It also comes in a couple of fancy new colourways. If you’ve never owned a Zeppelin before, now might well be the time to ditch your dusty hi-fi stack and bring one home.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: What you need to know
Originally launched in 2006 as an iPod speaker, the Zeppelin has been through multiple incremental revisions, including the Zeppelin Air and Zeppelin Wireless. The Pro Edition model is the most polished yet and a direct replacement for the 2021 Zeppelin.
As was the case with its antecedents, this is a complete streaming music system in one elegant enclosure. Imagine a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker with prodigious talent and delusions of grandeur.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Price and competition
The Zeppelin Pro costs £699, which is the price at which its predecessor launched. It’s hardly cheap, but maintaining parity with the previous generation, despite the inclusion of upgraded components, is a nifty accomplishment.
Speakers as uniquely styled as this are relatively rare but there are plenty of options for those wanting something with similar streaming capabilities.
The JBL Authentics 500 streams audio over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections and will set you back £580. Unlike the Zeppelin Pro Edition, it offers voice control options courtesy of Alexa and Google Assistant and supports Dolby Atmos; we weren’t particularly impressed by its handling of the object-based format, though.
The Sonos Era 300, meanwhile, is one of our favourite wireless speakers and can be picked up for £449. It too supports Dolby Atmos and delivers an excellent audio experience for the money. It can also be integrated into a multi-room or home entertainment setup alongside other Sonos products such as the Era 100 and the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Design and setup
The famous elliptical shape remains unchanged, but the Pro introduces thoughtful updates that enhance both aesthetics and performance.
Most obviously, the speaker is now available in two striking new finishes: Solar Gold and Midnight Sky, both of which add some unapologetic glam to its distinctive silhouette. On my listening bench is the former, and I think it looks rather fetching; the fabric which swathes the cabinet is stylish but not ostentatious. If it were a shirt, I’d wear it.
What hasn’t changed is the basic philosophy behind the Zeppelin concept. This all-in-one is still very much a streaming gizmo. Physical connectivity remains non-existent. I can’t help but be saddened by the lack of an HDMI input, as this would allow the Zeppelin to finally double as a soundbar replacement.
The Pro Edition features the same central pedestal foot (with a rubberised non-slip sole) as its predecessor, but now its LED ambient down-light is customisable, with 15 selectable colours available from the Bowers & Wilkins Music app. I favour red. Brightness is also adjustable.
As I’d expect from Bowers & Wilkins, the build quality is superb. The enclosure, which measures 650 x 194 x 210mm (WDH) and weighs 6.6kg, is meticulously crafted to minimise vibrations and unwanted resonances.
Setting the Zeppelin Pro Edition up is quick and intuitive. It can be placed on a tabletop or wall-mounted using optional brackets. There’s no remote control supplied, but you can interact the old-fashioned way, with physical buttons arranged on the rear of the speaker.
While I’d like to have seen a zapper bundled in the box, most users will be happy to stream from their smartphone and use the Bowers & Wilkins Music app, which serves as the central control hub. The app offers access to a variety of streaming services, including Amazon Music, Tidal and Deezer, should you want to link them to your Bowers account. Spotify Connect is built-in, and there’s integration with AirPlay 2, ensuring easy interaction with Apple devices.
There’s also the promise of support for Spotify Hi-Fi (if and when it launches, not least because Bowers & Wilkins is a launch partner for the technology). High-resolution audio, up to 24-bit/96kHz, is within its remit.
If you want to buy more than one Zeppelin Pro Edition or already own the Panorama 3 soundbar or entries in B&W’s Formation wireless speaker range, you can connect them using the app to take advantage of seamless multi-room functionality.
You can’t, however, connect two Zeppelin Pro Editions as a stereo pair. That’s because the Zeppelin Pro Edition is fundamentally a stereo product anyway, with two 25mm tweeters, two 90mm mid-range drive units and a 150mm subwoofer. The total power output is quoted at 240W. Does it use this wisely? Oh indeedy. Which brings us to…
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Audio performance
Long story short: this Zeppelin has the sonic edge on its forebears. This can largely be attributed to the introduction of titanium dome tweeters, which can also be found in the latest generation of B&W’s lauded 600 Series loudspeakers (the 607, 606 and 603, to be precise).
Mounted at the edge of the Zeppelin enclosure, their two-part construction, which combines a lightweight primary diaphragm and a rigid periphery, delivers a treble performance that’s not only detailed and precise but tonally refined.
The jingle jangle patter of R.E.M.’s It’s the End of the World as We Know It, is a joyous endorsement, sounding smooth and crisp, but sibilant free. The soundstage is wide and stereophonic.
Midrange frequencies are handled by two upgraded Fixed Suspension Transducer (FST) drivers, another proprietary trickle-down from the company’s hi-fi speakers. I did find that these drivers tend to fatten up solo speech, most notably on talk radio and podcasts, but I soon acclimatised.
One aspect of the Pro that’s not new is the subwoofer; it’s been tried and tested on previous Zeppelins. Mounted centrally, this is a deep, agile performer that complements the clarity of the mids and highs – and it can drop really deep.
It’s not at all phased by the sledgehammer beats of Swedish electro-metal band Solence. Just when you think the remix of the band’s 2021 Expletive Deleted will bottom out and distort, the woofer manages to negotiate some extra excursion, for extra crunch.
Similarly, Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy – not an easy track to do justice to on a one-piece wireless system – goes rewardingly low, keeping the bulbous musicality of the cut intact.
The entire revised driver ensemble comes together with spectacular effect on the 2011 remaster of Queen’s classic Killer Queen. We get peerless piano tonality, some lovely toppy triangle, Freddie‘s fluid falsetto vocals and effortlessly smooth, overdubbed Brian May guitars. Quite how a single relatively compact active speaker can sound so large and gloriously expansive, only Bowers & Wilkins knows.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Verdict
The Zeppelin Pro Edition is an excellent all-in-one streaming music system for larger rooms. It’s still expensive, and it’s still brilliant. Bowers & Wilkins has given its iconic Zeppelin speaker a new lease of life with this Pro Edition upgrade. The refreshed driver array is ridiculously refined, delivering smooth, detailed audio from beneath more colourful fabric, while the removal of Alexa functionality will be mourned by few.
The Zeppelin may no longer be a member of the smart speaker set and the absence of a remote control and HDMI port irks a little but its sonic prowess and fancy looks still warrant VIP (Very Important Player) status.
