British speaker-makers, Bowers & Wilkins, have just launched the Zeppelin, a system dedicated to the iPod.
B&W make some of the finest reference-quality speakers in the market, which might have some of you asking why they’d go anywhere near compressed audio. I don’t know but look how pretty…
The system will retail for about £320 in the UK and $600 States-side. While that’s pricey for an iPod accessory, it’s the cheapest product B&W have ever made.
Their speakers are used in Abbey Road, Skywalker Sound and Sony’s New York recording studios. From Classical tracks to Timbaland’s next project, their woofers and tweeters are the business.
According to B&W much of the design philosophy behind the Zeppelin came from its flagship product, the Nautilus. Well that’s a PR line if I ever heard one!
Fact remains, the Nautilus is one of the best speakers ever designed, with a cabinet that manages to cut coloration down to an all time low – something that would be wasted on an iPod that produces its own system and hard-drive noise.
The Zeppelin’s cabinet is an exquisite piece of design in its own right though – sculptural, functional and pleasing to the eye. It was a collaborative effort between B&W and a London based company called Native. It is this of the Zep’s unique features that could make the hard sell.
The majority of the Zeppelin’s competitors bear the same plastic and metal-mesh look. More than just a question of beauty, these products don’t hold up well, often giving out before the Pod. It’s something I’ve put up with over the years but taking one look at B&W’s work…
I think I may, wish I might, have a Zep by Christmas night!