Audiophile or not, if you are the kind of guys who really are into high-class audio technology, then you certainly are familiar with Bowers & Wilkins. Now, you might not know too much about Native, but that's what this piece of news is supposed to do: put you in the know, because great things happen. And I'm speaking about Native's ultimate audio design exercise, the B&W Zeppelin: an iPod/iPhone dock that's so strikingly simple and amazing it's almost surreal.

 

It's been quite a long time since I've last seen shapes so full of personality and yet so simply defined and boasting a smooth, almost fluid, vibrant look.

 

Remembering the awesome and worldwide-acclaimed Nautilus high-end loudspeakers from Bowers&Wilkins, it's no wonder that Native's Zeppelin looks so perfectly balanced. This stunning dock sports a football shape, destined to eliminate right from the start the potential unwanted acoustic reflections that could hinder the sonic bliss; far from being an eerie presence, the Native B&W Zeppelin looks like it will effortlessly integrate in any setting, whether we're thinking about a conservatory or a modern one.

 

Big, yet not uncomfortably bulky, this dock measures 6.8 x 25.2 x 8.2'' (17.3 x 64.0 x 20.8 cm) and weighs in at a rather hefty 16.5 lb (7.5 kg), which makes it look rock-solid and adds to the overall powerful impression of indestructibility. On the tech side, the Native B&W Zeppelin is loaded with the award-winning B&W M-1 drivers aided by a central-position high-class subwoofer in a rear-ported enclosure delivering a thick and smooth bass response to fill any medium-sized room.

 

Boasting a 47 Hz – 22kHz frequency range, the Native B&W Zeppelin sets a standard iPods must strive to live up to; and with a 50W bass/2x25W midrange/tweeter power deployment coming from 3 separate amplifiers, this dock can really rock your living room. The 30-pin dock connector needs no adapter for the modern iPods/iPhones and ensures charging during playback, while connectivity is also enforced by a USB port, a 3.5mm TOSlink (analog/optical digital) and S-video mini DIN and a composite video output as well.

 

Add a tilting baseplate system for orienting the Native B&W Zeppelin in the best possible way for a high-class listening, a very intuitive remote control and adaptable docking system and there you have it, possibly one of the most alluring iPod docking stations to date. Now, such a blend between the Native style and the Bowers&Wilkins audiophile standards comes with its price: if you feel the Zeppelin is the tool for you, you should prepare some $600 and only then go get it.

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