Bowers & Wilkins Intro A5 And A7 AirPlay Speakers

There are just under half a billion iOS devices in the world, all of which use the "old" 30-pin Dock Connector. Starting with the iPhone 5, that connector is out, and Lightning is in. As the world must go on, eventually we'll see accessories shipped to support the new adapter, despite the overwhelmingly huge market share advantage of supporting the older one. Bowers & Wilkins is leading that charge into the future, with the introduction of the A7 and A5 AirPlay speakers. These join the pricey Zeppelin Air, enabling users of any iPhone or iPad that supports AirPlay to stream without a cord.

The A7 is expected to ship next month for $800, while the A5 will go for $500. Not surprisingly, this gear is pricey and beautiful, aimed at higher-end clients who aren't afraid to spend a lot for excellent audio. After all, what's another $800 once you've splurged on a new iPhone?

Bowers & Wilkins Wireless Music Systems comprises two new products that combine effortless wireless streaming with Bowers & Wilkins sound quality. The A7 and A5 Wireless Music Systems marry the experience gained from close to five-decades of Bowers & Wilkins audio expertise with Apple's AirPlay technology to deliver the convenience and freedom of wireless music, without compromising on sound quality.

The two new products join the highly-regarded Zeppelin Air in featuring the simple to set-up and use AirPlay technology, which allows you to stream music wirelessly from your iPhone® or iPad®. It's quick and easy, very high quality, retains the rich app experience, and works from the palm of your hand. Plus, many customers already own nearly everything they need to enjoy its benefits: a wi-fi network and an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch® or a computer running iTunes®. This intuitive technology is made even more straightforward with the free Bowers & Wilkins Setup App, downloadable from the App Store. Adding further Wireless Music Systems is easy, too, allowing music to be taken from room-to-room.

A7 is the ultimate Wireless Music System: the beneficiary of nearly 50 years of Bowers & Wilkins experience in advanced acoustics, unwavering attention to detail by some of the finest engineers in the industry, and smart implementation of audiophile-grade electronics including Digital to Analog Converters capable of up-scaling audio to 24bit/96kHz.

A7's generous dimensions provide room for a 6-inch dedicated bass driver and allow it to deliver impressively full and controlled bass, even in large living rooms. We believe it's the best-sounding AirPlay speaker available. And with no dock or control panel to break its clean lines, A7 is a model of discretion.

For people looking for great wireless audio combined with minimal visual impact that fits anywhere in your home, from living room to bedroom or kitchen, the versatile A5 is the ideal choice. As you would expect from Bowers & Wilkins, it delivers a remarkably rich and detailed acoustic performance, with the kind of spacious, room-filling sound you'd expect from a much larger speaker.

Completing the trio of Wireless Music Systems is Zeppelin Air. This iconic AirPlay speaker offers the best of both worlds: wireless streaming via AirPlay, and a digital iPod and iPhone dock that delivers the very best sound available from an iPod speaker dock.