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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Bose Home Speaker 500 vs Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Bose Home Speaker 500
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021
Tested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Nov 28, 2024 07:50 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Oct 17, 2023 04:17 PM
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Amazon.com
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiYes
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantYes
Battery PoweredNo
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiYes
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantYes
Battery PoweredNo
Variants
- Home Speaker 500 (Luxe Silver)
- Home Speaker 500 (Triple Black)
- Zeppelin 2021 (Midnight Grey)
- Zeppelin 2021 (Pearl Grey)
Our Verdict
Bose Home Speaker 500
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021
The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021 is a better speaker for music than the Bose Home Speaker 500 overall. The Bowers & Wilkins can get louder with less compression at max volume, so audio quality doesn't degrade as much as you bump up the volume. Its sound profile is also slightly more balanced. However, the Bose offers a wider and more open-sounding soundstage. It's smaller and takes up less space than the Bowers & Wilkins. While both speakers have Alexa built-in, the Bose also comes with Google Assistant built-in.
Check Price
Luxe Silver
Home Speaker 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMidnight Grey
Zeppelin 2021
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comTriple Black
Home Speaker 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comPearl Grey
Zeppelin 2021
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMain Differences for
Threshold
Music
7.3
7.5
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.9
7.3
Soundstage
8.7
7.9
Dynamics
7.2
8.1
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
RGB Lights
No
No
Portability
4.3
3.0
Dimensions Photo
Volume
226 in³ (3,702 cm³)
1,602 in³ (26,251 cm³)
Weight
4.9 lbs (2.2 kg)
16.1 lbs (7.3 kg)
Power Source
AC Only
AC Only
One-Hand Carry
No
No
Build Quality
6.7
6.7
Build Quality Photo
Material Quality
Great
Great
Water Resistance
No
No
Dust Resistance
Unspecified
No
Impact Resistance
Unspecified
Unspecified
Floats In Water
No
No
Controls
8.0
6.9
Controls Photo
Controls Photo 2
Ease Of Use
Great
Great
Feedback
Great
Good
Music Play/Pause
Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)
Call Answer/End
No
No
Volume Up/Down
Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)
Track Next/Previous
Yes
Yes (Physical)
Microphone On/Off
Yes (Tactile)
No
Additional Controls
Yes
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Sound
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.9
7.3
Frequency Response Graph
Slope
-0.62
0.23
Std. Err.
3.50 dB
2.76 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
55.0 Hz
51.9 Hz
High-Frequency Extension
17.0 kHz
19.1 kHz
Raw Frequency Response
Raw Frequency Response Graph
Binaural Recording @ 1m
Binaural Recording @ 2m
Soundstage
8.7
7.9
Directivity Graph
Directivity Index
2.41 dB
3.98 dB
Stereo
Yes
Yes
Dynamics
7.2
8.1
Dynamic Range Compression
SPL @ Max Volume
90.5 dB SPL
96.2 dB SPL
DRC @ Max Volume
2.19 dB
1.61 dB
Active Features
Battery
0.0
0.0
Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
N/A
Power Saving
No
No
Charging Port
No Battery
No Battery
Battery Powered
No
No
Voice Assistant
10
9.4
Alexa
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
Google Assistant
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
No
Speakerphone
No
No
Siri
No
No
Voice Assistant
Yes
Yes
Voice Activation
Yes
Yes
Microphone Mute
Yes
Yes
Far-Field Performance
Excellent
Excellent
Ambient Noise Performance
Excellent
Great
App
7.7
4.4
App Picture
App Name
Bose Music
Bowers & Wilkins Music
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
EQ
Bass/Treble
Bass/Treble
Stereo Pair Mode
No
No
Party Mode
Yes
No
Multi-Room
Yes
No
Connectivity
Wired
Aux Input
Yes
No
USB Audio
No
No
Other Ports
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth
8.2
8.1
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth Version
4.2
5.0
Bluetooth iOS Latency
57 ms
149 ms
Bluetooth Android Latency
88 ms
21 ms
Bluetooth Range
195.2 ft (59.5 m)
321.5 ft (98.0 m)
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
Wi-Fi
8.1
8.3
Wi-Fi Version
Unspecified
Unspecified
Wi-Fi Frequency Band
2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz
Wi-Fi
Yes
Yes
Apple AirPlay
Yes
Yes
AirPlay Latency
45 ms
-7 ms
Google Chromecast
Yes
No
Chromecast Latency
N/A
N/A
Check Price
Luxe Silver
Home Speaker 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMidnight Grey
Zeppelin 2021
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comTriple Black
Home Speaker 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comPearl Grey
Zeppelin 2021
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Bose Home Speaker 500
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021
Comments
Bose Home Speaker 500 vs Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021: Main Discussion
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