Bowers & Wilkins sells an iPod speaker called the Zeppelin that is perhaps the best I’ve ever heard. Indeed, it is included on my favorite things list.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini
In November, B&W introduced a less expensive model called the Zeppelin Mini. Like its predecessor, the Zeppelin Mini looks great. Unfortunately, the sound is not as memorable.
In most respects, comparing the Zeppelin Mini to the Zeppelin is not fair. The Zeppelin sells for $600 and has three amplifiers, including one for bass, that fill a big room with terrific and precise sound. Everything about the Zeppelin is big: it weighs 16.5 pounds, it is 25-inches long and its eye-catching design (it actually looks a bit like an airship) will elicit compliments from guests.
The Zeppelin Mini sells for $400 and, as the name implies, is not so big. It has two smaller amplifiers (none for bass), weighs 5.5 pounds and is 12.6-inches long. Like the Zeppelin, the Mini’s design is eye-catching. The Mini provides bass through a technology B&W calls “flowport,” which gives the bass driver “room to breathe,” according to the description, to deliver better sound.
For a mid-size iPod dock, the Mini does sound good. I’ve used it across my house — in the living room, the kitchen and a bedroom. It sounds best in the open spaces of my kitchen, providing a nice soundtrack for routine household work.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin
But so do many other mid-sized iPod docks, and that’s the issue I have with the Zeppelin Mini. Where the Zeppelin provides profound sound, the Mini is above average. For $400, I want more — I want a big sound.
I compared the Mini to another portable iPod speaker, the iPig from Speakal. Silly name aside, the iPig sings and it costs $119. It is half the size of the Zeppelin Mini yet it performs nearly as well.
In my tests, I put the Mini and iPig side-by-side and moved an iPod touch between the units. I sat roughly 10-feet away from the speakers, using each speaker’s remote to control the volume. Consistently and across a few genres (jazz, pop, rock), the Zeppelin Mini provided a slightly crisper sound, a slightly sharper treble and a noticeably warmer bass. Overall, the sound was richer — but not by $300.
Engadget ran a similar comparison in its review of the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini.
Zeppelin Mini, horizontal view
From a style standpoint, the Mini looks great anywhere you put it. It has a black finish, a mirrored top and oval shape. I love the way the iPod holder (an iPhone mount is included) rotates to provide a horizontal view. Very cool. Still, it looks nothing like an airship.
For $400, you expect great sound and that’s where the Zeppelin Mini falls short. You would be much, much happier spending another $200 for the mother ship.
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The Zeppelin Mini sounds small, sadly. http://tinyurl.com/y8p8zgm
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