Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition

Your stairway to heaven or just a lead balloon?

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There's something about a massive, blimp-shaped unit called the 'Zeppelin' which commands your attention. Like the Sony Walkman, the Routemaster Bus or Mario's blue dungarees, the B&W Zeppelin is a true design classic.

The original model made its debut way back in 2006, and was designed as a dock for the iPod Classic. This Zeppelin Pro Edition uses upgraded drivers and improved streaming support to deliver, B&W hopes, a better-sounding spin on its four-star 2021 Zeppelin iteration. These aren't mere tweaks and tinkerings; the tweeters used have trickled down from the brand's current 600 S3 Series of loudspeakers, while enhanced cone-damping for the midrange units teases a more open, revealing midrange.

The B&W Zeppelin from 2021 launched at around the same price as this Pro Edition. Offering the new Pro model at the same launch price as its older stablemate isn't to be sniffed at, as B&W could easily have whacked up the cost for its upgrade.

Striking aesthetic

A couple of swanky finishes aside, this Pro Edition looks practically identical to its 2021 stablemate in terms of its overall shape. That's no bad thing, as we imagine that a massive part of the appeal is its striking aesthetic. Like the standard edition, the Zeppelin Pro is unashamedly elliptical when observed face-on, though if you view the speaker from the top or take a long walk to see it from the back, you will notice that the rear has more of a wedge-shaped configuration thanks to its sloping plastic casework and horizontal base mounted on a sleek metal pedestal.