Measuring 640 x 173 x 208mm and weighing 7.5kg the Zeppelin has the dimensions on an 80's beat box, however that's where the similarities end as this is a master piece in industrial design where as the former was only suitable for Roland rats shoulder. The first time you see the B&W Zeppelin you immediately feel that the photos have not done it justice, it has a presence and style like nothing we have tested in recent months. Shaped like a Zeppelin as its name suggests the front is a minimalist mixture of a simple iPod dock and two large speaker grills under which lurks 2 x 3.5inch mid range driver and 2 x 1 inch metal dome tweeters. Turn the Zeppelin around and the chrome exterior shows 2 large ports behind which sits the 5 inch 50 watt bass unit.

To test the Zeppelin we used a 5G iPod in black which looked amazing sitting in the 30 pin iPod dock on the front of the Zeppelin, we do wonder what a white iPod would look like here perhaps not as good as the black?  The dock will take 4th generation iPods and above and also iPod Nanos and the iPod touch, the smaller shuffles and older pods can't sit in the dock and need to use the 3.5mm jack input on the rear. Its also worth noting that the lower than 4th generation iPods will njot be charged or powered by the Zeppelin.

Fire up your pod and hit play an the knowledge of Bowers and Wilkins comes flooding through, the difference a true HiFi manufacturer can make to an iPod speaker set has to be heard to be believed. Of course Bowers and Wilkins are not the first with the Zeppelin both JBL and Bose make iPod docks and they are both worth competitors here but the Zeppelin does something more.

Sonically the bass is a massive and very weighty yet without being sloppy or over powering, the over riding feeling is that the Zeppelin has lots in reserve, its like a menacing gangster he may be sipping a drink quietly at the bar but you know he could snap your neck if he wanted to. We tested with a range of musical styles from current pop to LP's favourite Hammond B3 music and also a sprinkling of classical and the B&W likes bassy tracks and really show punches hard. Compared to the market leaders in the Altec IM7 the Zeppelin wins only by an inch on bassy tracks and we'd have to say it loses on tracks that do not benefit from the 5" Woofer.

So given that higher price of the Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin does the extra style and other attributes make up the difference. Weirdly the answer is not quite, yes the design is stunning and we love the way it looks but the unit ships with a rubber bass that it sits on as opposed having the feet built into the design, so you get the equivalent of a rubber car matt stuffed under a piece of art work. Its a very strange decision and one that just drags the Zeppelin down a notch. Then you have to reconcile that there aren't that many features for your cash, a simple line of sight remote with the basic playback controls and that's about it, yes you have a USB port so you can sync with the iPod in the Zeppelin while connected to a Mac or PC but that's pretty much it.

Priced at $600 or £399 in the UK this is not a cheap option and we have to say that choosing the IM7 would be a good option for you if you can live with a little less ground breaking style.

Published - 17/08/2008

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