This stunning smart speaker looks like it’s from the future and sounds even better

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro joins a long and illustrious line of ‘center stage’ speakers — although a lot has changed since its premium iPod dock great-grandfather first graced the shelves of your local HiFi outlet.

Physical connections are a thing of the past, replaced by Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. As a result, the Zeppelin Pro shares only a shape with the Zeppelin of old. It’s filled with some top-notch wireless audio gadgetry, while still bringing that all-important B&W sound that so many of us have come to love.

It’s a spectacular option if you’re looking for a new way to listen to music in your living room, although there are a couple of little gripes that are worth bearing in mind before you add it to your favorite sideboard. Let’s find out more about the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro, and find out if it's one of the best smart speakers.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro: Specs

Price: $799/£699
Colors: Space Grey/ Solar Gold
Size: H x 8.3” D x 7.6" W x 25.6"
Weight: 14.6 pounds
Connectivity: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth range: up to 30 feet (9 m)
Custom EQ: Yes
Voice assistant: No
Multi-speaker connectivity: No

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A design icon updated for 2025
• What does it cost? $799/£699
• Who is it for? Those looking for a stylish audio center for their living space
• What do we like? The way that it looks, it’s big, powerful sound, and the multitude of connection options.
• What don’t we like? There aren’t many wired connection options, and some might not appreciate its bassier tone

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro review: Price and availability

Compared to some of the competition, like the Cambridge Audio Evo One and the Meridian Ellipse, the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro could be considered a living room-based audio bargain. While the other two breach the $1,000 mark and shoot towards “luxuries few can afford,” the Zeppelin Pro tips the scale the other way at $799.

That undercuts the competition by at least $700, and makes the Bowers & Wilkins option look like a very solid addition to the space. Still, you could never call the Zeppelin Pro cheap.

That $800 price point still makes it a darn sight more expensive than a Bluetooth speaker, which could, physically, do a very similar job. The Wi-Fi-enabled Sonos Era 300 does a similar job for $250 less, for example.

Of course, you’d miss out on the very clever audio technology, excellent sound quality, and stand-out design, but you don’t have to spend this much for a living room speaker.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro review: Design

• Attractive without being too over the top
• Subtle lighting
• Compact for the category

The non-portable audio-center category is filled to the brim with speakers, although they all tend to be much the same as the last before you start to break the $1,000 luxury ceiling. The most different-looking is the aforementioned Sonos Era 300, and even that looks like a black or white… shape.

The Zeppelin Pro isn’t a new design, as such. Its elliptical shape has been around since the first Zeppelin arrived, although it now lacks the front-mounted iPod dock. As a result, the airship-shaped speaker is now cleaner-looking than ever, with its uncluttered fabric grille, simple stand, and plastic back panel.

I think the Zeppelin Pro looks great, and everyone I’ve shown it to has agreed. It’s a focal point of a living room, but doesn’t stick out and shout “I’m a piece of audio equipment, look at me!” It’ll look at home in most living rooms, with its two understated color options (black and a kind of bronzy gold) working well with most wall colors and interior decor choices.

It’s fairly compact as well when compared to some units like the Cambridge Audio Evo One, although it’s much larger than the Sonos Era 300 and other cheaper speaker systems. That opens up the sound, but it’s worth bearing in mind that you’ll need slightly more space than less expensive competitors.

The build is very good. The floating stand is made out of metal, and it makes sure that the speaker unit stays in place no matter where you put it. The fabric grill on the front feels premium, and the plastic back of the unit looks great. It doesn’t quite have the same premium feel as the $1,500 Evo One, but it feels a whole lot more sumptuous than the Sonos options.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro review: Connectivity and control

• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi
• More physical connections would be nice

Let’s get something out of the way first — there is no way to connect to the Zeppelin Pro with a wire. The sole USB-C port on the back of the speaker is just for service at a B&W center, and there are no more ports beyond the power connector.

That is a shame. Despite the proliferation of wireless connectivity and its ever-improving bitrates and sound quality, some way of hooking up, say, a turntable, would have been most welcome. Even the cheaper Sonos options have a dongle you can buy for physical connections, so it would have been nice to see here.

Despite the lack of physical connections, getting music playing out of the Zeppelin Pro is extremely easy. There’s a simple Bluetooth connection for one, initiated with the pairing control on the top of the device. It’s good! It might ‘only’ be Bluetooth 5.0, but it still supports AptX Adaptive for stellar sound quality.

Wi-Fi is here as well, and it supports plenty of different streaming options. There’s AirPlay 2 for Apple users, Spotify Connect, along with the Bowers & Wilkins Music App. The latter is a surprisingly powerful option for streaming, with a spate of extra features.

You can sign in to your favorite Hi-res streamer, including Qobuz, Deezer, or Tidal, and then select music in the app to stream over the speaker. If you’ve got some B&W headphones or earbuds, like the PX7 S3, you can pick up from where you leave off if you want to take your music elsewhere, and vice versa. A nice touch that works very well from within the app.

There are also some extra sound options in the app, including a two-band EQ for the bass and treble. It’s not quite as muscular as I might normally hope, but it does allow for some customization of the sound profile.

Finally, there are a series of buttons across the top edge of the speaker to initiate different pairing modes, control the volume, and play/pause the music. They’re nice and clicky, and serve as a useful way to control the speaker should you not want to pull out your phone or tablet.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro review: Sound quality

• Big, muscular
• Some bass weighting
• Clever dynamic EQ

There’s a certain sound that the Brits have become known for — big and warm. The Zeppelin Pro delivers that signature British sound in spades, with some pleasingly massive and weighty sound quality. It might leave some reaching for the bass slider in the B&W Music App, however.

It’s my preferred sound profile when listening to speakers, so I appreciated the strength and focus of the Zeppelin Pro. Thanks to a dedicated subwoofer, there’s some proper ‘thump’ on offer, lending excellent weight to kick drums. Sub-bass is a particular strength.

That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of detail. Resolution is good, and there’s a slight mid range hump that makes sure that vocals and guitar parts are very well represented. It’s a great, well-rounded sound signature despite the weight of the bass, making for a very pleasing listen indeed.

Obscura’s blistering tech-death is a challenge for any audio system, but the Zeppelin Pro Edition manages it extremely well. The pummeling bass drum has plenty of impact, yet it doesn’t completely obliterate the distorted guitar. Blast-beats a plenty. The bass guitar is thick and meaty, as the fretless notes dart between the syncopated guitar parts.

Vocals are excellent, and there’s plenty to enjoy in the higher ranges. Cymbals crash, guitar solos soar, and hi-hats chirp. There’s perhaps a little too much rumble at times, but it gets you headbanging with ease.

Spin up Previn’s 1973 recording of Holst’s Venus, the Bringer of Peace, and find a very spacious experience. This is a stereo speaker, so you get both the right and left channels well separated out of the unit. That allows for some extra width out of classical recordings, easily filling a room.

There is some sound localization — you can hear where the sound is coming from when you close your ears, as opposed to the nebulous “wow, it’s like I’m in the music!” that you’ll find with stereo pairs — but it sounds huge all the same.

The timpani get plenty of love thanks to the low-end focus, and the dynamic range of the speaker allows the loudest parts to wow and the quietest to calm things down. Classical listeners will find a lot to like with the Zeppelin Pro.

Tame Impala’s The Less I Know the Better really shows off what the sub in the speaker is capable of. The groove is palpable, the bass line strong and muscular. The kick drum can shake a room, and the rest of the kit brings the rhythm. It’s a great time, and makes it very obvious where your $800 is going — the sound quality.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro review: Verdict

Despite a slight bass weighting and a lack of physical connections, the Zeppelin Pro is an excellent speaker at a price that undercuts its similarly premium rivals. Sure, you could save money and get good sound and solid features from the less expensive Sonos Era 300, but you’d be missing out on so much excellent stuff.

The sound is fantastic, bringing some impressive weight to the table to go with its massive soundstage. There are good wireless connectivity options too. It looks unlike anything else under $1,000, with its airship-like frame bringing more than just good sound to any room.

If you want physical connections and voice control, buy a Sonos. If you want excellent sound and sculpture-like design, this is the speaker for you.