Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini Delivers a Sensual Feast [Review]

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zepp mini cover  1

When a company with as fabled a name as Bowers & Wilkins proffers up an iPod dock, one expects nothing less than enough oomph to satisfy even the most discerning audiophile, and enough svelteness to elicit a smile from even the most ardent aesthete. B&W’s first shot at a dock, the Zeppelin, certainly turned heads when it debuted in 2007 (at least, once word got out about it). But its sprawling, bulbous shape — and sprawling, bulbous, $600 pricetag — limited its appeal. Two years later the company followed with the Zeppelin Mini, a much smaller, less expensive dock that nevertheless tried to maintain the aesthetic and sonic reputation the company was known for.

But at $400, the Mini was still significantly pricier than almost any other dock sitting on, say, an Apple Store’s dock table. Then earlier this year B&W brought the price down to $300, placing it on a level field with other upper-mid-end docks — a league that seems to be gaining players at an almost alarming rate — and allowing it to stand out among its peers as the compact, high-performance star it is.

Similar to the principle behind a golf ball's dimples, those depressions around the rear-firing bass port are supposed to decrease the friction of exiting air. Do they work? No idea. But the Mini does a good job of pumping out deep bass.

The Zepp Mini is a strikingly graceful dock. From an aesthetic standpoint, it’s really a superbly designed little thing: simple and sleek, with very little to interrupt the fluidity of its lines, save for the volume controls and a power button semi-hidden just behind the unit’s right apex; it’s almost more display piece than dock, and I’d go as far as to say that it’s even more attractive than its larger sibling. One note: the polished upper surface attracts fingerprints like San Francisco attracts tech nerds. It’s really tiny too, and its oval shape helps it fit into a wider variety of spaces — perfect for cluttered or small desks.

Continuing the simple-oval theme, the unit’s remote is little more than a smooth black pebble with seven raised buttons that control power, volume play/pause track skipping and switching between iPhone or USB input (more on the later).

As one would expect, sound quality is very good; at least a match — and very possibly outshining — other big-name docks at around this price. The Zeppelin Mini absolutely excels at reproducing crystal-clear highs, and for such a small unit, does a good job of filling a room with deep (enough) bass through its rear-firing bass reflex port; though perhaps because of its comparatively tiny size, the Mini seems comparatively sensitive (even more so than other port-equipped units) to correct placement, and really needs to be placed closely against a wall for the port to perform its magic.

The Mini also seems to have been designed to run with its pedal pressed to the floor. Compared with other docks, it lacks vibrancy at low volume; crank it way up though, and the unit’s clarity and oomph are impressive, almost all the way to the top. The only other negative is a somewhat lean midrange, especially when compared with the little dock’s superb qualities at the extreme ends.

In keeping with the Mini’s theme of elegant simplicity, there isn’t much in the way of added feature frippery. No clock, Bluetooth, battery, display or Star Trek-style transporter has been added. However, its designers did include one nod to convenience: the ability to sync the iPhone through a USB cable; since I keep losing those damn Apple dock cables, I found the feature pretty handy. With the USB cable connected, sound input can also be easily switched back and forth between the iPhone and a Mac. Finally, The dock itself can also be swiveled to make the iPhone sit in portrait or landscape position.

Its lack of extra tech means the Zepp Mini won’t appeal to everyone, but its sonic clarity, sharp looks and compact size keep it on the short list.

[xrr rating=80%]

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