Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021 Pearl Grey Wireless Speaker

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pearl Grey Wireless Speaker – The 2021 Streaming Zeppelin

The Zeppelin that returned in 2021 kept the airship silhouette that made the original famous and rebuilt everything inside it for streaming rather than docking. This is that 2021 generation in the Pearl Grey finish, not the later Pro Edition. Behind the fabric sits a genuine stereo system: dedicated left and right driver assemblies at each end of the enclosure and a large central subwoofer, driven by 240 W of amplification in total. Few single-box speakers attempt real stereo separation; the Zeppelin’s width, 650 mm from end to end, is what makes it possible.

Playback is entirely wireless and app-led. The Bowers & Wilkins Music app brings streaming services including Deezer, Qobuz and TIDAL into one place, while AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect let listeners send audio straight from their own apps. Bluetooth 5.0 covers everything else, and Amazon Alexa is built in for voice control. There is no battery and no wired audio input to fall back on: this is a mains-powered speaker designed to live in one room and be ready at all times.

Key features

• Five drivers: two 25 mm tweeters, two 90 mm midrange units, one 150 mm subwoofer
• 240 W total amplification for the stereo system and subwoofer
• Frequency response 35 Hz to 24 kHz
• AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX Adaptive
• Bowers & Wilkins Music app with Deezer, Qobuz and TIDAL
• Built-in Amazon Alexa voice control

Driver technology from the loudspeaker ranges

Each channel pairs a 25 mm decoupled double dome tweeter, derived from the 600 Series, with a 90 mm midrange driver using Fixed Suspension Transducer technology from the flagship 800 Series Diamond models. FST replaces a conventional surround with a fixed suspension ring, which improves how the cone behaves through the midrange where voices and most instruments sit. The 150 mm subwoofer in the centre handles the low end for all channels, giving the system extension down to 35 Hz that the smaller side drivers could not reach on their own. The enclosure itself is a rigid, computer-optimised structure shaped to keep the drivers’ output clean rather than to follow the outline for its own sake.

Streaming without a remote in your hand

Day to day, most control happens in the Music app or through Alexa, with a small set of physical buttons on the rear top surface for volume and playback when a phone is not nearby. Dynamic EQ adjusts the tonal balance with volume, so bass stays present at low listening levels instead of disappearing. The platform receives software updates, and the Zeppelin can form part of a Bowers & Wilkins multiroom arrangement with compatible products. The only rear connection besides mains power is a USB-C socket reserved for service use, which underlines the design intent: set it up once on the home network, then simply play.

Placement and power

At 6.5 kg and 210 mm high on its sculpted stand, the Zeppelin needs a solid shelf or sideboard rather than a crowded bookcase, and it rewards a little space around it so the wide stereo image can develop. A dimmable light in the stand adds a subtle glow beneath the speaker that can be switched off. Power consumption in sleep is below 2 W, so leaving it connected and ready is the normal way to live with it.

In Pearl Grey, the 2021 Zeppelin suits listeners who want one substantial speaker for a main living space: proper stereo drive units, deep bass from a dedicated subwoofer, and the main streaming routes built in, presented in one of the most recognisable shapes in audio.