In this case, the DSP can be a tad heavy-handed, but it’s typically more transparent. The kick drum hits can sometimes sound as if they lower the overall volume for a short moment, an effect that causes the background vinyl crackle and hiss to sound as if it's coming in waves. We hear a bit more of the DSP on this track at higher volumes, however. On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain its punchiness. The acoustic strums and higher-frequency percussive hits are bright, airy, and clear-this is a balanced, beautiful sound signature. The speaker dutifully presents the midrange and highs, so Callahan’s baritone vocals get both ideal low-mid richness and high-mid crispness. The drums on this track sound excellent through the Zeppelin’s drivers-the subwoofer adds some thump, but the drums never seem overly boosted or unnatural. At low volumes, the speaker conveys a solid sense of bass depth and the balance with the highs at all volumes is ideal.īill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the Zeppelin’s sound signature. At top volumes, it doesn't distort, and at slightly lower (but still quite loud) levels, the bass sounds seriously robust and the DSP does a good job of not letting things sound too dynamically squashed. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the Zeppelin delivers thunderous low-frequency response. And we hoped for a better sense of stereo separation given the speaker’s long build-although you still get all of the left and right channel content, it sounds like a mono speaker from a normal listening distance. At top volume levels, expect the digital signal processing (DSP) to kick in and dial back the low frequencies and peaks to a degree. The Zeppelin gets loud and is capable of driving an impressive amount of firepower, despite its all-in-one design. That said, for a speaker that already sounds excellent, bass and treble faders are mostly sufficient. And although the app lets you adjust bass and treble, we would prefer a 5-band EQ. The Alexa setup process is relatively seamless, and the speaker's mic had no trouble picking up voice commands, even from a distanceįor the price, we would like to see more connectivity options-there’s no aux input or any other way to physically connect a sound source because the USB-C port doesn't support audio playback. When you press the Alexa button on the Zeppelin's control panel, the LED at the speaker’s base turns blue while Alexa listens. The app can also function as a multi-room controller if you connect multiple Bower & Wilkins speakers.Īfter you link your Amazon account to the app, you can use Alexa to play music-the mic is always on by default, but as mentioned, you can mute it via the Alexa button on the speaker. The app has several useful controls, including a bass and treble fader, a dimmer for the LED that lights the speaker’s base, and Alexa-specific settings. Of course, you can also just stream audio directly to the speaker from your app or connection method of choice. Once you create an account, you can pair the Zeppelin, download any necessary software updates, and link any music streaming services you want to use within the app. One thing to note is that you have to create an account with your email to use the app, which seems like an unnecessary hoop to jump through for a product that costs $800. After that, it’s not essential to the speaker's operation, but it does have some useful adjustable features. The Bowers & Wilkins Music App for Android and iOS is well-designed and helps you properly set up the Zeppelin. The Zeppelin also works with Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect. The speaker supports up to 24-bit/96kHz audio from various streaming services including Deezer, Qobuz, Tidal, and others, assuming you pay for a subscription that lets you stream at that quality. The Zeppelin is compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 and supports the AAC, AptX Adaptive, and SBC codecs. Recessed into the back of the built-in stand, there’s a panel with a USB-C port for service, the connection for the included power supply cable, and a reset button. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.
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