As manufacturers scramble to accommodate Apple’s iPhone 5 with the next generation of Lightening connector-equipped docks, Bowers & Wilkins offers an elegant alternative: forgo the dock entirely. The new Bowers & Wilkins A5 and A7 wireless music systems are designed to deliver high-quality audio, simply and discretely.
Brought to you by the folks who created the formidable Zeppelin Air, the A5 and A7 look to be worthy additions to the lineup. The high-end A7 features an integrated 6″ subwoofer surrounded by two 3” mids and two 1” tweeters, all powered by five dedicated audiophile Class D amplifiers for 100 watts total power. The smaller (but still mighty) A5 swaps the sub for larger 4” full-range drivers, complemented with a pair of 1” tweeters to accommodate smaller spaces (and tighter budgets). Both units share driver technology with Bower & Wilkins celebrated M-1 speaker lineup, along with high quality digital-to-analogue convertor and processor technology capable of up-scaling audio to 24bit/96kHz.
Unlike their “zeppelinesque” predecessor, both the A5 and A7 are designed to blend in rather than stand out. The clean simple lines and elegant black and aluminum exterior appear relatively free of lights and controls (with the exception of a nicely integrated volume switch concealed along the center accent strip). To ensure a smooth integration within your Wi-Fi network, Bowers and Wilkins offers a free AirPlay setup app.
Priced at $500 and $800 respectively, the Bowers & Wilkins A5 and A7 wireless music systems are not for the faint of heart (or light of wallet). They’ll be available in October, but for now you can check them out at www.bowers-wilkins.com.
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