Bowers & Wilkins announces Zeppelin Mini
Bowers & Wilkins’ iconic Zeppelin redefined what could be expected from an iPod speaker system. Digital music needn’t be harsh, brash, or unpalatable - it can be delivered in glorious high-fidelity. Plus, the device that provided this amazing sound could be a thing of beauty. Two years and an unprecedented collection of glowing reviews and prestigious awards later, Zeppelin 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. 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 NautilusTM informs all Bowers & Wilkins current speakers. For example, a key Bowers & Wilkins technology such as FlowportTM 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
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Posted by SusannaGrant on Monday, 14 September 2009 Comments (58)
Hi Thomas,
Radio function can not be used on Zepppelin Mini because the radio uses headphone cable as antenna and it can not be plugged into the nano when docked.
I hope this helps,
Susanna
hi there
i was wondering about the new ipod nano with radio.
i heard that the ipod uses the earphones as antenna, and because of this the radio won’t work without them plugged in.
from the pictures it seems like there isn’t enough place to plug in the earphones. does this mean the radio will not work with the zeppeln mini? has someone tried it?
greetings thomas
do you have plans in the future of producing zeppelin mini with rechargeable batteries(portable model)? thanks.
jimmy
Hi,
I want to gift the Mini to my parents to use in their living room. Although BIG sound is not a concern, is the Mini suitable for a room of size 400 sq.ft ?
Thanks.
Hi
I am about to get the Mini. I read a review on whathifi which says that the Mini is great for small rooms : what is the maximum room size you recommend, not to lose quality sound (in M2 or M3 ?) ?
Dear Peter,
Yes, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Kind regards,
Susanna
hi peter in barcelona
i like watching movies in my computer. Can I hear the audio from those movies through the B W Mini? I like too listening to radio a lot. I bought the new ipod nano which brings radio. Can i attach the nano and the Mac to the Mini to hear radio through the B W Mini?
greetings from barcelona
spain
Using the Zeppelin Mini, if the iphone is on speaker, will the incoming audio of the phone be amplified through the Zeppelin Mini?
I am highly recommeding ZeppelinMini. It’s a great product and with great features! I will buy and ask my friends to buy once they are on the shelf in Shenzhen, China.
Thank to Bowers&Wilkins.
Regards
Raymond
OMG! $650 for the mini in Japan hahahahahahahhaha WTF? Even Apple has adjusted their pricing because of the very weak dollar and strong yen. Fools! I bet they sell less than 100 units nation wide.
Vous pouvez commander le zeppelin mini sur EranLounge à l’adresse suivante http://www.ecranlounge.com/materiel-39197-b,w,systeme,enceintes,dock,pour,ipod,iphone,zeppelin,mini.htm
Can the USB 2.0 cable be used as a normal audio connection to a pc for gaming as well?
Hi Keith,
In answer to your question, Zeppelin Mini doesn’t accept 24bit audio but it does accept 16bit audio (it supports 32k, 44.1k, and 48k native sample rates), and USB audio data is lossless.
I hope this helps,
Susanna
I waited all month for an announcement to come when exactly this would come out here in Japan and at what price. It is the 21st and the only tidbit on info to be found was on here saying it should be available the first week of November. This is a bit careless to announce it will be available in October then on the Japanese site it now just says “Coming Soon” I am officially no longer interested. I understand the tease but why even announce that it will be available in October when in fact it isn’t. I would be very surprised if the mini is seen in Japan the first week of November. The further jab will no doubt be the price the Zeppelin sells for $970 USD which is significantly more than it sells for everywhere else. No thanks.
Hello everyone,
Shaun from Bowers & Wilkins here. Thanks for all your interest in the Zeppelin Mini. The latest information I have is that it will begin rolling out to all markets in the first week of November.
Some areas of the world may receive it slightly earlier than others, due to the logistics of shipping units around the globe. But more details on your region can be obtained from your local dealer.
I’ll continue to keep you posted on developments as I receive them.
Many thanks
Shaun
I love my Zeppelin in my office, and the Mini seems to be an excellent “little sibling”. Also love my 805S btw : )
The only disappointment with the Mini is that the mini jack now is analog only (i/o the digital on Zeppelin). I rarely ever connect my iPod/iPhone to the Zeppelin, but use it as a remote speaker to Airtunes streaming ALAC files.
Also, a question, does the DAC in the Mini accept 24bit (or anything higher than redbook) via USB? If it did, that would be awesome for listening to some of the 24bit music offered by Society of Sound. (Don’t know if it’s technically possible, but adding USB connection on the Zeppelin would also be nice…)
Keep up the great work!
No Answers anymore to the questions?
I expected more from B&W……..
Hi Karen,
i still got the info from my dealer that the mini will not be available in Germany before mid of november. Why is B&W making an announcement for an availability date (october) that is not realistic? Furthermore i would like to konow if the problems regarding the volume control of the zeppelin with certain iPOD touch models (moving to the opposite direction when using the IR Volume control - also described on your website)is solved within the mini. If so - when will the problem be finally fixed with the original zeppelin??
Regards
Michael
When will the mini be available in Australia?
Hi Everyone
Thanks for all your comments on and interest in Zeppelin Mini. It is going to be widely available by the end of October and you can already pre-order it in some countries on sites such as Amazon.
Karen Watts
UK Marketing Manager
Me gustaría saber cuando se pone a la venta en España el Zeppelin mini . Estoy dudando entre comprar el cásico o esperar. Aparte del precio me podríais decir que diferencias existen, en particular en el sonido
Gracias
Any news yet when and at what price this will be available in Japan? The announcement was “October” but when? it is the 7th and no released date yet.
When will the zeppelin mini be available in Belgium? I phoned my distributer but he could not put a date on it.
Hi am really interested in the Zepplin now with the USB syncing/playback. Is this feature likely to come to the original Zepplin in an update as I would rather have that than the mini. Please.
Hi Downing,
That’s excellent news and really pleased you’re happy with your Zeppelin,
Susanna
Hi Susanna,
That’s ok. I went ahead and purchased a Zeppelin this afternoon. On the box was stamped “Works with iPhone” as well as “Made for iPod,” so I assumed there wouldn’t be any issues.
And there aren’t, I’m pleased to report.
Fantastic sound–especially when I play my Society of Sound music!
Thanks,
Downing
When will the mini be available in Germany?! My dealer told me it will not be available in Germany bevor mid of november (earliest)??? Why then making an announcement on the German website that it will be available in October? Furthermore there is still a technical issue with the original zeppelin (volume control with the IR remote goes to opposite direction with ipod touch 1st gen and SW 3.0 and certain zeppelins). German support is not able to give an indication when this bug will be fixed by b&w……….
Regards
Michael
Dear Downing,
Shaun is off to the What Hi-Fi Awards tonight and won’t be able to answer this but I shall get him to answer it tomorrow.
Thanks,
Susanna
Shaun,
What about my questions?
Hello Jason, sorry about the delay responding. I’ve sent the question out to our far eastern arm to get a firm price from them. Obviously with the time difference they may not get back to me until tomorrow, but I’ll post the answer up here as soon as they do.
Many thanks
Shaun
Hello Daminaz, sorry about the late reply. The Zeppelin Mini will hopefully be available in Italy by the end of October, very early November at the outside.
And yes, it is fully compatible with the iPhone 3G.
Many thanks
Shaun
Does anybody check the question on this blog? It is October 1st and we know this is coming this month but when? I will post my original question again:
Hello I am very interested in purchasing the Zeppelin Mini. Any word on pricing in Japan yet? On the Japanese B&W page it reads 299 pounds which is very reasonable considering products usually get marked up much higher for example the Zeppelin in Japan runs more than $800 USD.
what DAC use zeppelin mini
hello
2 quick questions:
when is Mini Zep it available in the italian mkt ? Will it will be fully compatible with Iphone 3G ?
“There isn’t a newer Zeppelin coming. We’ve made some incremental changes to the product around full iPhone compatibility though.”
I’m hoping you can answer this question. If I purchase a Zeppelin, how can I be certain that it has the “incremental changes” referenced above? I’m concerned that it could be a unit manufactured before the changes. If that were to be the case, is this a software issue that could be addressed via an upgrade?
Any info you could provide will be much appreciated by both myself and my iPhone 3G.
And sorry to stray off the topic of the new Mini, which I find very exciting. I’m planning on doing a side by side comparison of the two models before deciding which one to purchase.
Can’t wait!
Hello I am very interested in purchasing the Zeppelin Mini. Any word on pricing in Japan yet? On the Japanese B&W page it reads 299 pounds which is very reasonable considering products usually get marked up much higher for example the Zeppelin in Japan runs more than $800 USD.
Regarding sound quality, how does it compare to the original? I would think that the original Zeppelin would be far superior but it says above that there are no compromises made in sound even though the price is considerably lower. Can anyone clarify this? Thank you.
Hi Michel,
In answer to your questions:
The cone material is glass fibre.
The Zeppelin Mini goes lower due to the Dynamic EQ, that dependent of the sound level always EQ the Zep mini to go as low as possible.
Zeppelin does not have flow port as the “golf ball dimples” required are not possible to press in the stainless steel back.
I hope this helps,
Susanna
Hi Diego,
The Zeppelin Mini is mains operated and doesn’t use batteries. We don’t have a confirmed price for Mexico yet. Try contacting AmpliAudio: mizrahi@ampliaudio.com.mx as they may well be able to help you.
Kind regards,
Susanna
Hi, I don’t see in the specs of the Zeppelin Mini of what material are the drive units made. How can it be that the mini goes lower to 38hz vs 47hz in the orginal Zeppelin. Why the zeppelin doesn’t have the flow port???
Is this a portable sound dock? with rechargeable battery?
Also what is the price of this sound dock and when is it going to be in Mexico for sale?
As poster rick asked:
Does the orIginal ‘Zeppelin’ has any sonic disadvantages over the new Mini interms of bypassing the ipod
DAC, with its USP connectivity?
jsw
The Zeppelin Mini should be available mid October in almost all markets, though it’s worth checking with your local dealer or reseller for more details. Or simply come back soon for more news about it on our blog.
thanks
B&W Team
If my understanding is correct, the Mini uses the digital output from the i-Pod, then does the D/A conversion internally, while the Zeppelin uses the i-Pod’s D/A conversion and runs off of the i-Pod’s analogue output. Is that correct? If so, I would think the Mini would have a decided advantage in sound quality - true?
Hiya just wondering if there is any date for the release in the uk???
Hi Elwyn,
I’m sorry you have had trouble changing your email address. I’ve emailed you directly and we’ll sort this out for you.
Kind regards,
Susanna
Hi Jaime,
The Zeppelin Mini only runs off the mains.
Susanna
does the zeppelin mini have a rechargeable battery?
JSW
There isn’t a newer Zeppelin coming. We’ve made some incremental changes to the product around full iPhone compatibility though. From a performance perspective, the Zeppelin is much better sounding for the reasons you’ve noted.
We’ve yet to hear a better dock!
Dan
Jeff
That is the case, the iPod / iPhone’s DAC’s are by-passed and the data is “streamed” from the device.
There’s a slight ambiguity in the wording of our post, as older iPods are not supported (but iPod Classic onwards, Nano (from Gen 2) and Touch and iPhone are.
Despite its small size, it really does sound very clear and musical and our engineers have done a stirling job at using DSP subtly so bass is gently lifted at lower volumes and sound remains warm and balanced. Best, Dan
I’m just hoping that somebody from B&W is reading these. I have tried all sorts of ways of changing my email etc. Although I get the odd thing and they have accepted my NEW email address I am still NOT informed on my new email address of the latest releases etc. THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING AS I WANT TO GET RID OF MY OLD EMAIL BUT CAN’T UNTIL B&W SORT THEMSELVES OUT!
Avis aux amateurs de docks iPod en France ! Le Mini Zeppelin sera disponible en exclusivité début octobre 2009 sur EcranLounge.com ! Inscrivez-vous à notre newsletter ou bien rendez-vous ici : http://www.ecranlounge.com/materiel-39197-b,w,systeme,enceintes,pour,ipod,zeppelin,mini.htm
La team EcranLounge
Hi Jeff,
in answer to your question, yes, the iPod’s internal DAC does get bypassed.
I hope this helps,
Susanna
I am been waiting for this new stuff from B&W almost everday !
My question is, will they be reivsing the
Zeppelin (seems they have a new one)?
With less power, no sub or sep. twetters on the mini… Either way I am certain to buy this one, but B&W please announce
the new ‘Zeppelin’ if their is one!
Question about this excerpt from the blog post:
“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.”
It would be expected that the USB connection allows for a digital connection between the Zeppelin Mini and a computer. In this way, the Zeppelin Mini’s internal DAC would do the conversion work for music file playback. However, the statement above suggests that a digital connection between an iPod and the Zeppelin Mini is possible. If an iPod is docked directly onto the Zeppelin Mini’s docking arm, does the iPod’s internal DAC get bypassed? In other words, do users get the benefit of using the Zeppelin Mini’s internal DAC instead of the iPod’s DAC in this usage sceanrio? Thank you.
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Del fratello maggiore conserva l’”ispirazione ellittica” ma chi vuole il suono B&W abbinato al proprio iPhone investendo una cifra inferiore e occupando uno spazio più piccolo avrà alcuni interessanti vantaggi come l’orientabilità del supporto e il collegamento USB al Mac. Ecco tutte le novità del sistema audio Zeppelini mini.
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