I have a b&w T7 and original Bose sound link (the little metal brick) as they are portable and battery for quick removal for gardening or hosting. For a little more oomph I’m still running a bowers Wilkins A5 and A7. They just placed better in rooms than the zeppelin did. Love the design language of the zeppelin. It’s an icon and I’m pleased they’re still producing iterations. (And KEF LS50 WII for when I want to disappear into some Floyd, steely Dan and dire straits)
I have this. I simply adore it as my Main Speaker. It does what it does and does it beautifully. It's really refined. It's astonishingly good. It's a statement. I can only state again, Its a very beautiful Main Speaker. I just wish you didn't have to have Wifi to set it up in the App and I hope thats something B&W rectify. Good Review.
But... There is a But... The Connection to Bluetooth is Batshit Crazy. It's frankly bloody disgraceful and is the reason I'd rather have kept hold of my JBL Boom Box 2s. There was none of this Connectivity or WiFi - Needed App Bullshit.
I have the 30pin iPod 1st Gen Zeppelin still to this day. My first one failed and to be fair BW replaced it. Some months later they actually wrote a letter on rather nice paper saying how sorry they were I had experienced that issue with my first Zeppelin. They offered me 30% off what would have probably been the 2nd gen AirPlay wireless. Couldn’t afford so I stuck with my 1st gen. Today, it still works brilliant. I actually removed the 30pin dock arm from the unit so it doesn’t look outta place in 2024 and earlier this year I added a WiiM Mini Ultra via Optical in with remote. I now have access to Spotify blah blah blah just like this newest model and unlike this newer unit the WiiM allows me to tweak the sound via an equaliser. Hopefully it continues to last as it fits in as a nice corner speaker. It’s not mind blowing sound but a very pleasant listen and I actually appreciate it not having Alexa or any of that nonsense. Thanks to the WiiM Mini for extending its potential use!
I had the original Zeppelin with the 16-pin iPod dock, it sounded great but on the second occasion I had to send it back to B&W for repair they couldn’t. Instead they offered me a reduced price for a new Zeppelin Air (still with the 16-pin dock) by now I had an iPhone and could still use it when I changed my phone to one with lightening connection. Unfortunately it didn’t last long before the AirPlay element of the zeppelin refused to connect. I’m sure they’re more reliable now but I’m not prepared to test that out. However, imo it always sounded way better than my Sonos, when it worked.
Same here, the original was sublime and when it died I genuinely was heart broken. I see now that the bass port in down, I remember the original having 2 bass ports at the back at each side and that made a difference. I want to buy this if for nothing more than nostalgia reasons and I can remember the wonderful sound. I have B&W 5.1 as the heart of my home movie (with Kef up firing for atmos) and it bloody awesome. Maybe I’ll check it out first or get a sale or return on it. £700 is a lot of wedge though…. Cheers
I owned the original zeppelin. Once I got it connected to Bluetooth, I enjoyed this speaker a lot. It was my main music reproduction device at the time and in a small apartment setting it worked a charm!
Great video but I wonder if B&W are missing a trick here. An HDMI arc or optical in could have had it competing with the likes of Naim Muso for that under TV sound bar space.
I had the zeppelin air. Really liked it. The only issue was placement. Ended up being a bedroom speaker. It room fills but it’s still a single unit so separation is lost at distance. Hopefully B&W have tidied up their wireless connectivity reliability. They sound lovely but have niggles and gremlins that will frustrate people who can afford it. I still think people will stretch beyond to get the Naim Mu-so. £700 is an awkward price point, you could build a capable hifi at that price.
The original was sublime and when it died I genuinely was heart broken. I see now that the bass port in down, I remember the original having 2 bass ports at the back at each side and that made a difference. I want to buy this if for nothing more than nostalgia reasons and I can remember the wonderful sound. I have B&W 5.1 as the heart of my home movie (with Kef up firing for atmos) and it bloody awesome. Maybe I’ll check it out first or get a sale or return on it. £700 is a lot of wedge though…. Cheers
Currently I still have my 20 year old Bose Acoustimass III system coupled with a Sony STR-DH790. Old school I know but it still makes the floor shake and feels like it can blow out the windows.
Great review. I have not tried any B&W speaker yet, but love the headphones and loving the PI8 earbuds (first B&W earbuds I have ever tried). May give this a consideration for sometime after the new year. Thank you! =) On a completely different note; I would truly enjoy a video talking in depth about whether or not protective cases for earbuds, for people who usually are careful with their stuff and mostly use them at home for leisure, are actually worth spending money on and/or truly extend the lifespan of the cases. ,
It's a very hard sell for me without some sort of wired input at that price, it's not as though it's designed to be carried about, it's more of a permanent fixture
I honestly love my Beats Pill as i have every model of Beats Speakers and can hear the difference between them. I remember hearing the old Zeppeilin back in the day but could never afford one. I was considering maybe a Devialet Mania. have you reviewed one of those?
We are so spoiled with all the different Bluetooth speakers we can buy. And with most of them we can adjust the settings to make it sound how we want it to.
I appreciate high-quality all-in-one systems like this, but I’d really prefer the option for a wired input of some kind! Whether it’s aux, Toslink, or USB, just give me a way to send Hi-Res audio from my existing setup. I run a multi-room setup with Volumio, and it would be fantastic to integrate this as part of the network rather than having it function as an isolated unit.
Very good review and to the point,i do appreciate you try to keep it simple and use layman terms and don't get too technical,im looking at this or the marshall woburn 3
I have the previous version in my bedroom and love it so much. It mostly is enjoyed when my wife is off at work, and I am joining some solitude. What I don’t understand is the removal of Alexa, and seemingly also Amazon Music lossless. I have a subscription to Amazon Music lossless just for my Zepplin. Period. (I also have Apple Music for all my Apple device devices and family devices.) it’s not good. It sounds that lovely. I pay $99 a year just to feed it. And yes, the previous version does do AirPlay 2, but it will not allow Alexa to queue up Apple Music. So really, my big question is, did B&W and Amazon break up?
Nice one Mark but what does "filling a big room" with music actually mean? How big is a "big room"? Similar to the HK SoundSticks the B&W Zeppelin makes design a priority over sound quality. Which is fine, if that's what one wants; I too quite like the appearance but £699 is steep for a tech ornament. And no, I'm not an audio snob; I use Kanto TUK powered speakers wired via an iFi Zen DAC to my iMac in a near-field (
These single all in one speaker s are convenient but you can get some good stereo speakers for a little bit more money that you get a much better separation and sound stage then this ,I heard this B W zeppelin speaker in a hi fi store I wasn’t impressed the different stereo speakers I heard were much better .
This is living room indoor speaker nothin more..even with all the compression it's sounds awesome on my ue megaboom 3 speaker ..so I can imagine how refined it will sound in person especially using a 24bit 96khz flac files
This makes no sense. Why would they make a speaker of this quality that, at least, wants to play lossless audio and not provide a wired option? Almost all Bluetooth is lossy. And why would you recommend it?
I thought that. He says in the review he played a lossless audio source on it but Bluetooth is lossy so he wasn't hearing lossless audio on it. I looked these speakers up online and they don't seem to have wi-fi connectivity (is Airplay lossless? Reports seem to differ). I'm sure it sounds nice, at £699 I would hope it does, but it would make more sense to compare it to a mains powered wi-fi speaker like a Sonos, or even a HomePod, rather that a £100 battery powered Beats Pill.
Because there is probably a market where people want a high quality speaker that use Bluetooth? For those same people buying the PX8 and other Bluetooth headphones. 🤷♀️
@@elliekim6666I do understand why someone would want a high quality BT speaker. Just not why the company would not have a wired audio in connection on a $700 speaker. Like pretty much every other high end speaker.
Smart watches are criticized for their expensive prices. BT speaker that has low end at 35Hz pays the same. Which to buy? Not the speaker, that's for sure.
The value just dropped to half of its price without AUX/line in. Like Smartphones and tablets without Headphone jack. Bluetooth is awesome but for a stationary device its just a handicapped speaker.
Thanks for this video in first dude! I have two B&W headphones, Px8 in Tan colour and Pi8 in green, Ang I can jus say, it is perfect, do you catch I am prefer a colour of those gadgets! This kind of audio equipment, meaning gadget, maybe considered only if it is produce stereo sound, what I am never heard you mentioned in this YT video! Please, can do it a video, try show sound betwen two random speakers and this B&W ”pearl”!
Received this speaker today and it is HORRIBLE. I have heard from many others that the first edition is leagues ahead of this one and it doesn't surprise me. I have 3 other bluetooth speaker systems, all costing less than half the price of this one and this one sounds the worst. To have a 2 channel EQ on an $800 speaker is criminal. It sounds like listening to music in a mud puddle. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
What's your home speaker of choice?
Homepods - Big ones paired to Apple TV little ones every where else for siri, the radio and U2
Onyx HK
Sonos
B&W Zeppelin Air… long in the tooth but still great sound
I have a b&w T7 and original Bose sound link (the little metal brick) as they are portable and battery for quick removal for gardening or hosting. For a little more oomph I’m still running a bowers Wilkins A5 and A7. They just placed better in rooms than the zeppelin did. Love the design language of the zeppelin. It’s an icon and I’m pleased they’re still producing iterations. (And KEF LS50 WII for when I want to disappear into some Floyd, steely Dan and dire straits)
I have this. I simply adore it as my Main Speaker. It does what it does and does it beautifully. It's really refined. It's astonishingly good. It's a statement. I can only state again, Its a very beautiful Main Speaker. I just wish you didn't have to have Wifi to set it up in the App and I hope thats something B&W rectify. Good Review.
But... There is a But... The Connection to Bluetooth is Batshit Crazy. It's frankly bloody disgraceful and is the reason I'd rather have kept hold of my JBL Boom Box 2s. There was none of this Connectivity or WiFi - Needed App Bullshit.
Just to say that i watch basically al lyour videos and i am subscribed. Cheers!
Awesome, thank you!
I have the 30pin iPod 1st Gen Zeppelin still to this day. My first one failed and to be fair BW replaced it. Some months later they actually wrote a letter on rather nice paper saying how sorry they were I had experienced that issue with my first Zeppelin. They offered me 30% off what would have probably been the 2nd gen AirPlay wireless. Couldn’t afford so I stuck with my 1st gen.
Today, it still works brilliant. I actually removed the 30pin dock arm from the unit so it doesn’t look outta place in 2024 and earlier this year I added a WiiM Mini Ultra via Optical in with remote. I now have access to Spotify blah blah blah just like this newest model and unlike this newer unit the WiiM allows me to tweak the sound via an equaliser. Hopefully it continues to last as it fits in as a nice corner speaker. It’s not mind blowing sound but a very pleasant listen and I actually appreciate it not having Alexa or any of that nonsense. Thanks to the WiiM Mini for extending its potential use!
I like your reviews and also your characteristic which makes your videos very interesting.
I appreciate that!
I had the original Zeppelin with the 16-pin iPod dock, it sounded great but on the second occasion I had to send it back to B&W for repair they couldn’t. Instead they offered me a reduced price for a new Zeppelin Air (still with the 16-pin dock) by now I had an iPhone and could still use it when I changed my phone to one with lightening connection. Unfortunately it didn’t last long before the AirPlay element of the zeppelin refused to connect. I’m sure they’re more reliable now but I’m not prepared to test that out. However, imo it always sounded way better than my Sonos, when it worked.
Same here, the original was sublime and when it died I genuinely was heart broken. I see now that the bass port in down, I remember the original having 2 bass ports at the back at each side and that made a difference. I want to buy this if for nothing more than nostalgia reasons and I can remember the wonderful sound.
I have B&W 5.1 as the heart of my home movie (with Kef up firing for atmos) and it bloody awesome.
Maybe I’ll check it out first or get a sale or return on it. £700 is a lot of wedge though…. Cheers
I owned the original zeppelin. Once I got it connected to Bluetooth, I enjoyed this speaker a lot. It was my main music reproduction device at the time and in a small apartment setting it worked a charm!
Great video but I wonder if B&W are missing a trick here. An HDMI arc or optical in could have had it competing with the likes of Naim Muso for that under TV sound bar space.
picked up the original iPod version of this at a boot sale for a tenner. value for money and has a line in
Great review thank you!
I have the first one that works with the ipod and still love it, it sounds amazing, I bet that this new one sounds even better.
Good review, sensible. I've had 3 Zeppelins (since the very first). They are all excellent
I had the zeppelin air. Really liked it. The only issue was placement. Ended up being a bedroom speaker. It room fills but it’s still a single unit so separation is lost at distance. Hopefully B&W have tidied up their wireless connectivity reliability. They sound lovely but have niggles and gremlins that will frustrate people who can afford it. I still think people will stretch beyond to get the Naim Mu-so. £700 is an awkward price point, you could build a capable hifi at that price.
The original was sublime and when it died I genuinely was heart broken. I see now that the bass port in down, I remember the original having 2 bass ports at the back at each side and that made a difference. I want to buy this if for nothing more than nostalgia reasons and I can remember the wonderful sound.
I have B&W 5.1 as the heart of my home movie (with Kef up firing for atmos) and it bloody awesome.
Maybe I’ll check it out first or get a sale or return on it. £700 is a lot of wedge though…. Cheers
Currently I still have my 20 year old Bose Acoustimass III system coupled with a Sony STR-DH790. Old school I know but it still makes the floor shake and feels like it can blow out the windows.
Great review. I have not tried any B&W speaker yet, but love the headphones and loving the PI8 earbuds (first B&W earbuds I have ever tried). May give this a consideration for sometime after the new year. Thank you! =) On a completely different note; I would truly enjoy a video talking in depth about whether or not protective cases for earbuds, for people who usually are careful with their stuff and mostly use them at home for leisure, are actually worth spending money on and/or truly extend the lifespan of the cases. ,
Currently using my B&w PX8 XD one of the best brands for british quality sound thats portable and not bound to audiophile wired gear 💪
It's a very hard sell for me without some sort of wired input at that price, it's not as though it's designed to be carried about, it's more of a permanent fixture
I honestly love my Beats Pill as i have every model of Beats Speakers and can hear the difference between them. I remember hearing the old Zeppeilin back in the day but could never afford one. I was considering maybe a Devialet Mania. have you reviewed one of those?
We are so spoiled with all the different Bluetooth speakers we can buy. And with most of them we can adjust the settings to make it sound how we want it to.
I appreciate high-quality all-in-one systems like this, but I’d really prefer the option for a wired input of some kind! Whether it’s aux, Toslink, or USB, just give me a way to send Hi-Res audio from my existing setup. I run a multi-room setup with Volumio, and it would be fantastic to integrate this as part of the network rather than having it function as an isolated unit.
When I show off my Hi-Fi system, I don't need to tell my guests that they have to get used to it. It just sounds amazing right off the bat.
Very good review and to the point,i do appreciate you try to keep it simple and use layman terms and don't get too technical,im looking at this or the marshall woburn 3
This means a lot - thank you!
Did you try Apple Lossless audio? I’m assuming that’s also high resolution audio?
Can you maybe compare this to a Naim Mu-so Qb instead of a Beats Pill?
Does this speaker sound better than the Bowers and Wilkins Formation speaker released a few years ago by any chance 🔈 🔊 ?
I have the previous version in my bedroom and love it so much. It mostly is enjoyed when my wife is off at work, and I am joining some solitude. What I don’t understand is the removal of Alexa, and seemingly also Amazon Music lossless. I have a subscription to Amazon Music lossless just for my Zepplin. Period. (I also have Apple Music for all my Apple device devices and family devices.) it’s not good. It sounds that lovely. I pay $99 a year just to feed it. And yes, the previous version does do AirPlay 2, but it will not allow Alexa to queue up Apple Music. So really, my big question is, did B&W and Amazon break up?
Does it fly?
Nice one Mark but what does "filling a big room" with music actually mean? How big is a "big room"? Similar to the HK SoundSticks the B&W Zeppelin makes design a priority over sound quality. Which is fine, if that's what one wants; I too quite like the appearance but £699 is steep for a tech ornament. And no, I'm not an audio snob; I use Kanto TUK powered speakers wired via an iFi Zen DAC to my iMac in a near-field (
These single all in one speaker s are convenient but you can get some good stereo speakers for a little bit more money that you get a much better separation and sound stage then this ,I heard this B W zeppelin speaker in a hi fi store I wasn’t impressed the different stereo speakers I heard were much better .
This is living room indoor speaker nothin more..even with all the compression it's sounds awesome on my ue megaboom 3 speaker ..so I can imagine how refined it will sound in person especially using a 24bit 96khz flac files
Just buy a pair of 607s and a cheap amp. It will blow this away
Woburn 3 or the zeppelin which sounds better
I watch your VDO on my MacBook Pro. It's sound like my MacBook Pro speakers. 😆
This makes no sense. Why would they make a speaker of this quality that, at least, wants to play lossless audio and not provide a wired option? Almost all Bluetooth is lossy. And why would you recommend it?
Wifi is lossless
I have the previous version, and it plays Amazon Music and it’s lossless state perfectly.
I thought that. He says in the review he played a lossless audio source on it but Bluetooth is lossy so he wasn't hearing lossless audio on it. I looked these speakers up online and they don't seem to have wi-fi connectivity (is Airplay lossless? Reports seem to differ). I'm sure it sounds nice, at £699 I would hope it does, but it would make more sense to compare it to a mains powered wi-fi speaker like a Sonos, or even a HomePod, rather that a £100 battery powered Beats Pill.
Because there is probably a market where people want a high quality speaker that use Bluetooth? For those same people buying the PX8 and other Bluetooth headphones. 🤷♀️
@@elliekim6666I do understand why someone would want a high quality BT speaker. Just not why the company would not have a wired audio in connection on a $700 speaker. Like pretty much every other high end speaker.
Mark, I really wanted to tell you off and RANT, but it's the Christmas Season, so I shall refrain! HaHaHa! Merry Christmas and Have a Happy New Year!!
Same to you!
I haven’t watched yet. Prediction: B&W very good.
Conclusion: Spend an extra 300 for a receiver and B&W bookshelf speakers.
nice video
Smart watches are criticized for their expensive prices. BT speaker that has low end at 35Hz pays the same. Which to buy? Not the speaker, that's for sure.
👍😊
👍🏻
The value just dropped to half of its price without AUX/line in. Like Smartphones and tablets without Headphone jack.
Bluetooth is awesome but for a stationary device its just a handicapped speaker.
UFO with sound.👽
No wired option - is a big No for me
Thanks for this video in first dude!
I have two B&W headphones, Px8 in Tan colour and Pi8 in green, Ang I can jus say, it is perfect, do you catch I am prefer a colour of those gadgets!
This kind of audio equipment, meaning gadget, maybe considered only if it is produce stereo sound, what I am never heard you mentioned in this YT video!
Please, can do it a video, try show sound betwen two random speakers and this B&W ”pearl”!
Your Buying a piece of Hi-Fi why anyone would want to use Bluetooth is crazy , wi-fi all the way with a Hi-Res service
Wow..😂😂
It’s a conversation piece for a gadget freak.
David Gilmore, is he also using autotune now?
Eh?
anything is better than a sonos
Nope. Wrong
Audio surfboard
Received this speaker today and it is HORRIBLE. I have heard from many others that the first edition is leagues ahead of this one and it doesn't surprise me. I have 3 other bluetooth speaker systems, all costing less than half the price of this one and this one sounds the worst. To have a 2 channel EQ on an $800 speaker is criminal. It sounds like listening to music in a mud puddle. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Lol.i dont believe you :)
Reason 3, you’re an audiophile geek, so right with the sound test its pointless !!
I quit watching when you say completely wireless
...and then decided that the world needed to know about your decision 🤔
to answer the question,
no.