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When placed on a desktop, the curvy Bowers and Wilkins (B&W) Zeppelin speakers for iPod (S$1,200) appear to float, just like the famous German airships it’s named after. In a sea of banal-looking iPod speakers, it’s one of the best-looking around.
Aesthetically, it’s a nice complement to the iPod. You dock the iPod on a metallic arm that sticks out from the middle. It looks a little quirky at first but the arm has a functional purpose — you can cradle the docked iPod in your hands when you need to change its settings.
Unfortunately, in the name of minimalism, the speaker’s pebble-shaped remote controls playback and volume but can’t navigate the iPod menus.
The Zeppelin has an excellent build quality. It is, after all, made by B&W, which is known by audiophiles for its quality speakers and audio-visual products.
The Zeppelin houses a 2.1 channel sound system, and its performance doesn’t disappoint.
We tested it with a wide range of music genres, from classical and rock to electronic and acoustic. Sounds were natural and realistic, especially for acoustic tunes, and even at low volumes.
Stereo separation was excellent coming from such a compact unit. But the real kicker is its bass — punchy and booming at times, without losing detail as the volume gets cranked higher. Music fades automatically, so you won’t be startled by abrupt sounds.
Sure, the Zeppelin’s a one-trick pony. There are no extra features like an FM radio or an alarm clock and the controls are minimal. But what a wonderful trick it does. The sounds emanating from it hardly crack and fill a living room effortlessly. There’s nary a distortion.
The audio only suffers from muddiness in the higher frequencies if you play music that has been encoded at lower bitrates. We recommend playing songs encoded at bitrates of at least 160kbps or higher.
The Zeppelin is compatible with all iPods that come with a dock-connector. It even works with the iPhone.
On its rear end is a 3.5mm auxiliary stereo input that can handle analogue and digital connections. There’s also a USB port for firmware upgrades, as well as composite and S-video outputs.
Verdict
Fancy getting an altar for your iPod? With its attention-grabbing design and room-filling sound, you might be kowtowing to the Zeppelin in no time.
Pity its exorbitant price is out of reach for some. But you do get what you pay for. — TODAY/fa
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