Be Smart

When we first saw the Zeppelin iPod speaker system from Bowers & Wilkins at CES, we weren't sure if it was a piece of art or functional technology. We were happy to report it sounds as good as it looks, as you'd expect from the British company which started out by making studio-quality speakers. (Abbey Road still features their 800 series speakers.)

There's a sound reason (pun intended) for the shape - one of the reasons the tweeters are so small is that they disperse the tiny high-frequency waves over a wider area than larger drivers, so the size of the enclosure housing the tweeter also affects this dispersion, and that's why Zeppelin's body narrows as the drivers get smaller.

While still out of most people's price range ($599), you can now buy the Zep at Apple stores worldwide.