The first thing I noticed about the Zeppelin iPod speakers from Bowers & Wilkins were that they were really heavy and seemed a little cumbersome. My attitude towards this work of art changed dramatically once I managed to get the unit out of the box.... I was so excited by the sound that emanated from the speakers that I immediately called Alex to play the sound to her and stuck my phone up to it so that she could also experience it. Wow! What a moment.

But before I go into the virtues of the sound quality, I feel compelled to make a note of the difficulty one has with trying to set up the speakers themselves. I recommend getting a friend to help, especially if you are little light on muscle (which I'm normally not). The base unit it comes with, whilst stylish and functional is like a jigsaw puzzle and not overly easy to piece together solo. The AC plug also comes in at an angle that seems contradictory to the design but may have been because I had the cord running in front of the speakers in order to access the powerpoint.

All that aside, the absolute pleasure I got from listening to all genres of music on these IPod speakers is incomparable. Being the I-Tart that I am, having 4 IPods of varying age and trying all of them, I am a Zeppelin convert. The speakers have an amazing sound quality at the louder volume levels that I have yet to experience elsewhere. I love my portable Bose speakers but they now play second fiddle to the Zeppelin.

Unfortunately I can't comment on the funky looking remote control they come with because it didn't seem to come with a battery and I failed to get the back off with the flimsy plastic tag. Suffice to say, with more time and a little more determination, I'm sure that it would work just as well as the speakers.

The Zeppelin would make a great feature in any room with the added bonus of the sheer listening pleasure you would receive, hours of entertainment. If you have the money, because let's face it they're not cheap, then do yourself a favour and get one. I certainly will.

The B&W Zeppelin retails for £399 and is available now throughout the UK. Further information on Zeppelin, including a comprehensive list of stockists, can be found at:
www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk/ipodspeakers