Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air Review

1. CNET

The CNET reviewers declare the Zeppelin Air's AirPlay streaming to be superior to Bluetooth, and say that setup is "fairly straightforward," although it could be confusing for some. They like the unit's build and sound performance, but feel its price qualifies it as a luxury item.

Review: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air, David Carnoy and Steve Guttenberg, March 22, 2011

2. Macworld

MacWorld reviewer Dan Frakes laments the Zeppelin Air's lack of component or S-video video out options, but likes the remote's intuitive layout and the "subtle indentation" that makes it easier to tell when you're holding the remote correctly. He reports that the initial setup "wasn't as simple as I expected, but it wasn't too painful," and ultimately gives the Zeppelin Air a perfect 5-mouse score.

Review: Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) Zeppelin Air, Dan Frakes, April 29, 2011

3. PCMag.com

The Zeppelin Air receives an Editor's Choice award from PCMag.com, but reviewer Tim Gideon warns that "serious audiophiles should steer clear" because of the signal processing used to avoid distortion at high volumes. He declares the Zeppelin Air an otherwise "excellent-sounding system," but seems frustrated by the remote's simplicity and minimalist controls.

Review: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air, Tim Gideon, March 22, 2011

4. PC World (Australia)

Campbell Simpson misses a display screen to help him navigate the initial AirPlay setup process, but feels that AirPlay capability is still one of the biggest reasons to purchase the Zeppelin Air. He calls the sound quality "excellent" at all volume levels.

Review: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air, Campbell Simpson, April 15, 2011

5. Engadget.com

In this less-formal review, Engadget's Trent Wolbe notes that the Zeppelin Air's server "crashed a couple of times during setup," but that in the end it "wasn't a huge hassle." He doesn't like the brief (about two-second) lag between pressing play and hearing his music start streaming, and ends by calling the Zeppelin Air "hard to beat" for an auxiliary system, but too high-priced -- considering the sound quality -- to be a primary system.

Review: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air Review, Trent Wolbe, May 5, 2011

6. Pocket-lint.com

Pocket-Lint's Libby Plummer calls the Zeppelin Air "reassuringly hefty" but not difficult to move around, and warns that what looks like a carrying handle is actually the iPod cradle. She declares the sound "outstandingly good with a warm, rich tone" that makes it sound like the musicians are in the room with you.

Review: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air Review, Libby Plummer, April 4, 2011

7. iPod Republic

Daniel Tangen of iPodRepublic.com gives the Zeppelin Air a perfect 5 rating, praising it for an improved inner design that provides better sound dispersion (the exterior retains the distinctive blimp shape). He especially likes that the Zeppelin Air performs well at all volume settings.

Review: B&W Zeppelin Air With Airplay Streaming [Review], Daniel Tangen, Jan. 5, 2011

8. Amazon.com

More than 30 user reviews give the Zeppelin Air an average 4-star rating (out of 5). High points include the sound, distinctive design and good streaming performance; one user remarks that it's hard to tell which end is up for the remote, and a couple of others struggled with the user interface and initial setup.

Review: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air Wireless AirPlay Speaker Dock, Contributors to Amazon.com