Bower And Wilkins Zeppelin Mini: Smaller, Still Potent
For some of us, an iPod or iPhone dock isn’t simply a way to charge our device and maybe listen to a bit of music alone. Most docks we’ve seen and used tend to sound pretty weak next to a real speaker system, and couldn’t serve duty at a party. They may be portable, offering rechargeable batteries, but most are underpowered. Certainly there are exceptions to the rule, systems that offer decent sound quality and power, but about the only one we’d stack up against a true set of audiophile speakers came from Bowers and Wilkins and was the original Zeppelin. However striking the original was, it did have the downside of being quite large, hence their recent release of the more petite version- the Zeppelin Mini.
The first thing that we noticed was the radically different design. The original offers a frame true to the name, and immediately catches the eye of anyone who notices it. The sequel departs quite a bit from the theme, and though still classy, is very understated. Another worry was that the space constraints would result in a significantly reduced sound- speaker design follows physical constraints and big booming bass and natural organic sound require space and mass. Would the elegant Mini, a quarter of the size, be able to compete against the big brother?
The short answer: almost, but not quite. We compared it with both the sibling (no contest, the compromise was clearly audible), as well as other docks in the same class/size. Of course, sound is subjective; nonetheless the Zeppelin Mini outshone all competitors in blind hearing contests among our writers for most music types. Electronic, hip-hop, and dance music were the only categories where other docks managed better general acclaim, for lo-fi, rock, folk, and especially classical music our writers agreed that the Mini offered a natural, balanced sound and more than adequate volume. Bass was fairly weak though, and some low-quality recordings actually sounded worse on the Mini than some other docks (where the flaws in the files themselves were disguised).
The unit does feel quite solid and stable, and is perfect for use on a nightstand or small table. We loved the ability to turn the iPod or iPhone ninety degrees, allowing you to use your device in landscape mode, perfect for browsing your albums in Cover Flow and fairly unique among docks. This way, you can actually interact with your device while it’s resting on the dock, making the setup feel more functional. For this reason alone, the dock is definitely worth considering for those who actually aim to play a fair bit of music through their dock. And since this model is digital, unlike the analog original, you gain the extra ability to plug the unit directly into your computer via USB, and actually sync. The vast majority of speaker docks don’t offer this, and again, we were thrilled to see it- even if you don’t end up using the feature as much as you might expect, since it would then be tethered to an area around your PC. We also liked the remote, a unique rounded design, though the buttons were all the same unfortunately. We didn’t get a chance to test out how it works through wireless USB, but we’re definitely approaching our dream- add wireless, like the Sonos S5 or the Squeezebox, and you can finally achieve dock/speaker/music library/remote access nirvana.
At $400, the Zeppelin Mini is two-thirds the price of the original, and about double the price of most docks. It’s a bit pricey, in our opinion- the feature set and sound are exceptional, but we’d consider it a great value as well if it were about $100 cheaper. If you’re in the market for one of the best docks on the market- one that can sync to your computer, serve as computer speakers thanks to the auxiliary input, allow you to use your device while docked- the Zeppelin Mini is as good as it gets.
