Desktop Hi-Fi speakers for PC or Mac. Full range sound from two-way speakers. No subwoofer required. USB streaming for top quality sound. Stylish design to complement latest computer hardware.

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin gave iPod® users the ability to listen to music from a portable device in hi-fi quality for the first time. The MM-1 desktop speaker similarly breaks new ground, but for computers. Desk-bound entertainment fans will finally get the audio performance their collection deserves. Whether it’s music, video or games, the MM-1’s performance will revolutionise the experience.

Designed by the same acoustic engineering team that developed Zeppelin and the high-end 800 Series speakers used in Abbey Road Studios, the MM-1 draws on close to five decades of experience in audio excellence. Unlike many desktop solutions, the MM-1 is a serious hi-fi speaker: a full range, active, near field monitor, with two separate drive units including an aluminium dome tweeter for a refined treble performance.

Key proprietary Bowers & Wilkins technologies such as Nautilus^TM Tube Loaded tweeters find their way into a speaker of this type for the first time. And new DSP technologies such as Bowers & Wilkins’ own Dynamic EQ, maximises bass output, and allows the MM-1 to provide full range sound without the need to resort to a subwoofer.

The MM-1 also has advantages for private listening, thanks to its high-quality headphone output. Audio from a computer passes through the MM-1’s DSP and into its headphone socket to produce a sound that’s a dramatic improvement over a standard PC or Mac headphone output.

Design, build and materials are very much up to the premium quality Bowers & Wilkins’ demanding customers are accustomed to. The MM-1 itself is an incredibly attractive, yet discreet piece of engineering, while the choice of materials and build quality are of class-leading quality. User-friendly features such as the integral cable management system make for a remarkable package, and the MM-1 comes supplied with a pebble remote control that provides intuitive control over the speaker, and also works within iTunes® and Windows Media Player on a Mac or PC.

At work, at play or simply taking a break, the MM-1 provides you with the kind of sound that your digital media collection deserves.

The review is online and will be in their January issue which is on sale 9th December.

Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphone

Bowers & Wilkins is proud to announce its first ever headphone. Designed for use on the move, the P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphone allows people to have Bowers & Wilkins sound quality wherever they are.

Some 45 years of audio experience has gone into the P5; close to five-decades of research into what true sound is. The ultimate aim of all Bowers & Wilkins products is to bring the listener as close as possible to the sound intended by the recording engineers. That is as true of the world-renowned 800 Series speakers used in the likes of Abbey Road Studio, as it is for the best sounding premium iPod speaker available, Zeppelin. And now it’s true for Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones.

Recognising that many mobile headphones can be tiring when listened to over extended periods, Bowers & Wilkins’ engineers at the world-famous Stenying Research Establishment have worked tirelessly to produce a headphone with a natural, unfatiguing performance. The use of specially developed ultra-linear neodymium magnets and highly optimised mylar diaphragms provide the best possible sound quality. As always, countless hours of critical listening and tuning have played a major part in the P5’s natural and engaging performance.

This pristine sound performance is married to design and construction techniques aimed at isolating as much noise as possible, for consumers that do not require full electronic noise cancellation. This isolation is achieved through a combination of the closed-back design featuring a rigid metal faceplate, and the sealed-leather ear pads.

These materials not only remove a lot of external noise, providing an enveloping listening experience without completely removing the user’s sense of place, they also offer an extremely comfortable user experience. The leather-clad headband has been designed for extreme comfort where it interfaces with the side of the head, while the softest available sheep’s leather from New Zealand has been used for the ear pads.

Recognising the dominance of Apple’s iPod and iPhone in the portable media market, the P5 comes supplied with a Made For iPod approved cable, which allows for speech and device control. It also comes supplied with a high-quality, standard audio cable with gold-plated plugs. Switching between the two is facilitated by the magnetically attached ear pads, which simply pop off allowing access to the cable.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin and Zeppelin Mini provide the best possible sound from an iPod at home, and now the P5 lets you take that great performance with you wherever you go.

For regular updates on new Bowers & Wilkins products sign up for newsletters and information here.

Zeppelin Mini

Amazon.com and John Lewis.com both have stock as do many Apple stores.

France, Denmark, Spain and Italy should all be be receiving stock this week and many other European countries will be following.

We recommend contacting your local dealer who’ll be able to let you know more exact delivery details.

Heading up the awards is a Product of the Year in the Style Speaker Packages category for the new MT-25 system. This compact home theatre package combines five M-1 mini monitors with the compact ASW 608 subwoofer. This proved to be a winning combination, offering dynamic and well-integrated sound in a highly desirable package.

The MT-30 system, which features the M-1 satellites, this time with the legendary PV1 subwoofer, won Best Style Speaker Package above £1500 once again.

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin was a repeat winner, taking the award for best iPod speaker system over £300 for the second year running. A testament to the long-lasting quality of this extremely desirable speaker system, in what is a very fast moving category.

The repeat winners continued in the Best Speaker Package category, where the 685 Theatre was named as best system above £1000 for the second year running.

Finally, Bowers & Wilkins dominated the subwoofer category, winning both awards available for the ASW 610 and the PV1. The latter winning a What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision award for an incredible sixth year running.

You can watch What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision’s video review of the MT-25 here.

B&W Zeppelin Mini

US customers can now pre-order  Zeppelin Mini from www.amazon.com

Two years and an unprecedented collection of glowing reviews and prestigious awards later, the classic B&W Zeppelin iPod speaker is joined by Zeppelin Mini. Zeppelin Mini attains the same high standards in sound quality and design set by Zeppelin, but in a more compact form.

There are major design advances, too, including an updated version of the docking arm. On Zeppelin Mini it rotates 90 degrees, allowing you even easier access to your music through the Cover Flow menu system. You can also watch videos and enhanced podcasts in this manner.

Zeppelin Mini attains the same high standards in sound quality and design set by Zeppelin, but in a more compact form. It is reduced in size, not in sound, and has amazing volume levels for such a diminutive package.  It’s ideal for lounges just like its larger sibling, but it can easily be slotted into a bedroom, kitchen, or student digs.

Key differentiating features include an updated docking arm. On the original this innovative solution worked incredibly well, allowing hassle-free mounting of any iPod, and easy access to Apple’s user-friendly interface. These qualities remain, but the addition of USB connectivity allows Zeppelin Mini to bypass the analogue output stage of any iPod, providing access to the very best digital sound an iPod has to offer.

From this beneficial acoustic starting point Bowers & Wilkins’ decades of experience producing the very best speakers for demanding customers such as Abbey Road Studios, and advanced Digital Signal Processing combine to create a sonic experience that belies the compact stature of Zeppelin Mini.

The recent work Bowers & Wilkins has undertaken in the area of DSP-intensive projects such as the in-car system for the new Jaguar XJ have provided knowledge and advances found in Zeppelin Mini, in the same way the legendary Nautilus^TM informs all Bowers & Wilkins current speakers. For example, a key Bowers & Wilkins technology such as Flowport^TM combines with digital advances such as Digital EQ to provide a clean, room filling sound, with base levels that have to be heard to be believed.

But Zeppelin is about more than amazing sound - it has been hailed by many as a design classic - and the iconic design of the original is reflected in the Zeppelin Mini’s subtle curves. Add to this the attention to detail in terms of materials and construction that Bowers & Wilkins is justifiably famous for and it’s a worthy addition to the Zeppelin family.

There are major design advances, too, including an updated version of the docking arm. On Zeppelin Mini it rotates 90 degrees, allowing you even easier access to your music through the Cover Flow menu system. You can also watch videos and enhanced podcasts in this manner.

The Zeppelin Mini also adds the ability to stream music direct from your PC or Mac via a dedicated USB socket. This allows you even more flexibility in terms of how you play your music, and any computer system will benefit from the improved sound quality and digital processing that Zeppelin Mini’s advanced Digital Signal Processing and drive unit technology offer. This USB connection also has the advantage of letting you synchronise your iPod or iPhone with your computer.

As Bowers & Wilkins has proved with Zeppelin, constant attention to iPod developments and customer demands through the medium of freely available firmware upgrades allows Zeppelin users to keep pace with new technology. This level of support will again be key to the continued success of Zeppelin Mini.

Zeppelin Mini boasts all the quality of the original Zeppelin, but in a more compact package perfect for smaller spaces.

You can watch the introductory video below

Our first range of custom installation speakers using integral enclosures, CI 700 Series, will be on show along with a brand new CI 600 Series which offers value, style and ease of installation. Both ranges have been developed after listening to feedback from installers all over the world and incorporate latest technologies to enhance installation time and performance.  The CI 600 Series can be installed in super fast time without the need for tools and offers considerable sound quality with a host of performance enhancements introduced throughout the range. Based on the acclaimed CT 700 range, the CI 700 Series boasts exceptional sonic performance as well as a unique retro-fitable baffle and enclosure system that prevents any potential loss in audio quality. Equally at home in a home theatre or hi-fi set up, CI 700 Series speakers can be mixed and matched with CT 700 components in order to make the best use of available space.

Our Custom Theatre range will also be enhanced by the introduction of CT SW15, an awesome new subwoofer that provides the last word in deep and powerful bass.  The CT SW15 handles the most explosive sound tracks with ease yet, as you would expect from Bowers & Wilkins, it remains musically tuneful and exceptionally low in colouration.

We have chosen CEDIA Expo to preview some new special-edition models from Rotel, the RCD-06SE CD Player and RA-05SE integrated amplifier. The RCD-06SE replaces the very popular RCD-06. Externally the components maintain the same sleek styling and remarkable build quality of the original. However, internally the RCD-06SE has undergone major changes, many of which are a direct result of the developments made during the creation of the flagship Rotel 15 Series.  The outgoing RA-05 has similarly benefitted from developments to the 15 Series. Extensive time spent tuning, upgrading and switching components in this model has resulted in the RA-05SE, a product that shares the original slim-line good looks and build quality but takes its audio performance to the next level.

Classé has also got new products on show at the CEDIA Expo, namely the new CT Series. Designed with the equipment rack in mind the CT Series of power amps provides the perfect partnership to Bowers & Wilkins’ CT 800 Theatre System. Including new circuits, new power supplies and a high-tech cooling system these amps provide the optimum in performance for any high end theatre set up.

These products are due for release over the coming months so look out for more information on our website.

MT-25

The video can be watched on the What Hi-Fi? Sound and Video web site. The MT-25 is currently only available in the UK, but will be available elsewhere soon.

Bowers & Wilikins FST drive unit

Loudspeaker engineers have long cursed the drive unit’s roll surround’s behaviour. To allow enough compliance to work at low frequencies it needs to be floppy but this means that it doesn’t support its own mass at high frequencies, so you get a resonance. So it would be great to somehow remove it.
Gary Geaves, now head of research at Bowers & Wilkins, was playing around with some Finite Element models, which hinted that it might be possible to remove the surround, and instead just curve the edge of the cone and attach it directly to the chassis. We prototyped this ’surroundless’ cone and, in all honesty, it was hopeless. There was a massive mechanical reflection - a standing wave - at the edge of the cone. But it got us thinking.

In organ pipes you get a different but related set of standing wave reflections formed if the end of the tube is open or closed. In the surroundless driver we noticed that the reflection at the fixed edge of the cone bore a similar relation to the reflection at the free edge of a normal cone, so we postulated that there would be an edge stiffness condition somewhere between fixed and free that would give us minimal reflection. The hunt was on for the perfect compliance.

We experimented with all sorts of things. This started with tiny rubber half-rolls but these always had there own resonance so perhaps the next big leap forward was that we tried ’solid’ materials under the edge of the cone instead. This began with O-rings of different hardness, then silicon rubber, foamed rubber, getting softer and softer. Next up was foamed gasket material; we started to see some interesting behaviour but there was still too much stiffness and a lack of damping, so we tried draught excluder.

The very first grade we tried was promising so it was off to the home insulation section of Steyning’s hardware store to get every brand and type we could lay our hands on. Luckily, we found something that worked really, really well, the frequency response was almost totally devoid of ripples, sensitivity was up and the distortion had dropped to hitherto unknown levels.

It turned out our favourite grade of draught excluder was from a rogue batch, getting a similar grade in production quantities was a rather more painful challenge but if you own a pair of our speakers with an FSP driver, you’re fortunate to hear that we got there in the end!
To read more about FST and other Bowers & Wilkins’ technologies click here.