About The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin McLaren Edition Streaming System
Bowers & Wilkins has reimagined the Zeppelin for the Streaming Age. The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin is now both smarter and more flexible, while its high-resolution sound is more detailed and dynamic than ever. Access the music you love, instantly. Stream in up to hi-res quality from a wide range of streaming services with the Bowers & Wilkins Music App.
First introduced in 2007 as the ultimate iPod dock, the Zeppelin has returned - better sounding, better-looking and smarter than ever.
Engineered For Performance: The Zeppelin is a complete stereo system in one component, drawing on Bowers & Wilkins unrivalled expertise in premium loudspeaker design for both studios and the home. It features reference quality drive unit technologies arranged in dedicated left and right speaker assemblies around a central, large subwoofer, all powered by 240 Watts of amplification. The result is room-filling stereo sound no single box rival can match.
Every generation of Zeppelin has been the best-sounding system of its era. The new Zeppelin, by combining proven drive unit technology with its new high-resolution streaming platform, is simply the best yet. The overall result is an exceptional musical performance whether from a wirelessly connected source or via a streaming service.
Distinctive, Innovative Design: For over 15 years, each new generation of Zeppelin has been a leader in beautiful and unique design in its class – and, like every Bowers & Wilkins design, its shape is defined by acoustics.
Available in two finishes, one dark (midnight grey) and one light (pearl grey), the all-new and completely redesigned Zeppelin also includes switchable, dimmable ambient lighting to create a 'halo' effect on to its metal pedestal stand.
The Music You Love, Instantly: If you want to stream music from your mobile device, tablet or computer, the new Zeppelin includes both AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth, making it suitable for both iOS and Android users.
Spotify fans can also enjoy the convenience of Spotify Connect, ensuring both high-quality sound and convenient, easy operation. And best of all, the new Zeppelin can also be controlled via the Bowers & Wilkins Music App, which gives instant access to a host of streaming services including Deezer, Qobuz, Soundcloud, TIDAL and TuneIn Radio.
Connected, Smart, Intuitive: The new Zeppelin offers Alexa built-in: no need for any external components. Simply ask for the song you want to hear, and your Zeppelin will oblige. If you prefer, your Zeppelin can be operated by physical buttons on the top rear of its elegant enclosure.
Zeppelin has also been engineered to last. Its powerful digital 'brain' can be upgraded over time, with multi-room capability planned for introduction at a later date. That will make it compatible with both other new Zeppelins in a multi-room environment or, if you prefer, a multi-room system based on Bowers & Wilkins own Formation range of high-resolution wireless speakers.
The Beauty Of Sound: So, the Zeppelin is reborn, better than ever in every regard. With the new Zeppelin, you no longer have to choose between a fully featured wireless speaker with the streaming services you need and a sleek, sophisticated design with the room-filling sound you want. Now, you can have both.
Giles Pocock, Vice-President of Brand Marketing, Bowers & Wilkins, said, "We are so proud to be able to introduce the all-new Zeppelin. It's the best-sounding, best-looking and smartest Zeppelin we've ever created. It really does mean that you can have the audio performance our fans have come to expect from Bowers & Wilkins, plus all the intuitive features and ease of use they demand, in one beautifully designed package."
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Reviews
"Elegant Design Meets Impressive Sound. Much like its predecessors, the 2021 edition of the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin stands out for its bold visual design and top-notch audio performance. The addition of Amazon Alexa makes this the most impressive smart speaker we've tested, and multiple connectivity options allow for high-fidelity streaming no matter what service or playback method you use. If you're looking for a purer sound, consider a 2.1 soundbar system or some bookshelf speakers with less noticeable DSP, like the similarly priced Sonos Arc. But for the ultimate all-in-one sound system, the Zeppelin is once again the speaker to beat, and our Editors' Choice." PC Mag
"It's taken its sweet time, but the Zeppelin is finally back… and it's better than ever. As long as you can find the space for a speaker of significant proportions, there's very little downside to owning the Bowers & Wilkins. Don't go expecting it to present a sound as separated and three-dimensional as a pair of stereo speakers, and as long as you don't need any physical inputs, it represents money well spent for a modern streaming speaker." T3
"Mind you, it's important to explain that everything the Zeppelin does beautifully, it does entirely on its own terms. There's some minor EQ adjustment available in the app—Bowers & Wilkins has demonstrably spent a lot of time and effort in getting the Zeppelin to sound the way it sounds, and the company isn't about to let you fundamentally skew all that hard work. And there's no gesture towards spatial audio or any other current audio faddishness. With Zeppelin, you pretty much get what you're given.
Happily, that means convincing tonal balance, an absolute stack of detail both broad and fine, and frankly unlikely dynamic potency. The Zeppelin summons real bass depth and weight, but in a very straight-edged and controlled manner—so even when it's punching hard, it's right on top of the attack and decay of individual sounds. Bass has substance and momentum, it never overstays its welcome and it keeps well out of the way of the midrange. Which is just as it should be but quite often isn't with products of this type.
The midrange itself is distinct, detailed to the point of fanaticism and entirely believable. It's at its most communicative when dealing with a vocalist, of course, and it freights a singer's delivery with all the nuance and character required to bring a performance to life. Despite the lack of true stereo separation, voices exist in a discernible little pocket of space even as they're integrated smoothly into the performance as a whole. The Zeppelin does particularly good work with vocal transients, no detail is too fine or too fleeting to escape its notice.
The top of the frequency range is nicely assertive without getting in any way bolshy—so there's proper, rattling attack when it's required but also a degree of refinement. Some similarly priced wireless speakers will roll off the highest frequencies (all in the name of good taste, you understand), but that's not how Bowers & Wilkins rolls. If treble sounds in a recording are bright and shiny, that's exactly how the Zeppelin delivers them.
There's great dynamic ability here too, both where the basic "from dead quiet to bloody loud" transitions are concerned and in the harmonic variances in, say, a solo piano. Fundamentally, the Zeppelin is an attentive and insightful device, and is able to pay attention to the secondary aspects of a recording without sounding remotely analytical or dispassionate.
Overall tonality is naturalistic, integration between all those drivers is smooth, and there's decent spaciousness to the Zeppelin's presentation even if its soundstage isn't especially extensive. And just as importantly, there's authentic animation to the speaker's sound, an energy and engagement that's never a given in audio equipment of any type or price.
So as far as comebacks go, Zeppelin's is pretty comprehensive. As long as you have a shelf big and sturdy enough to accommodate its size and support its weight (and are fastidious enough to have no fear the inexplicable spotlight is going to glow on something it shouldn't), it's exactly what a wireless speaker at this sort of money should be." Wired
Our Take
Ever since the original, The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin has had a unique form factor that has set it apart from all others. It has come a long way from the original Zeppelin released in 2007 with its iPod dock. These days, it's all about streaming, whether from your mobile device or the internet and that's exactly what the newly evolved Zeppelin is here to do. And, as intended, it will happily make a bold statement as a sculptural piece in your home that just happens to play beautiful music. If you want your sound system to disappear, the B&W Zeppelin is not the system for you. But if you want family and friends to ooh & aah over your new piece of audio gear, then step right up and take a Zeppelin home with you today.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: All-In-One Streaming System
- Bowers & Wilkins Music App (with Deezer, Qobuz and TIDAL support)
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Spotify Connect
- Amazon Alexa Voice Control
- Bluetooth In
- Digital Signal Processing
- Dynamic EQ
- Drive Units
- High Frequencies: 2 x 25mm (1") Double dome tweeters
- Midrange: 2 x 90mm (3.5") FST Midrange
- Low Frequencies: 1 x 150mm (6") Subwoofer
- Amplifier Power Output: 240 Watts
- Frequency Response: 35Hz to 24kHz
- Bluetooth: 5.0
- Bluetooth Codecs
- aptX™ Adaptive
- AAC
- SBC
- AirPlay 2 Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with iOS 11.4 or later, Apple TV 4K or Apple TV (4th Generation) with tv OS 11.4 or later, Mac or PC with iTunes 12.8 or later
- Connections: USB–C – Service Only
- Input Voltage: 100V - 240V, 50/60Hz
- Power Consumption: Below 2 Watts (Sleep)
- Finish: Galvanic Grey / Papaya Orange
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 650 x 210 x 194mm
- Weight: 6.5 kg
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 1 Year
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE