Customer Reviews and Ratings

3.5 out of 5 stars

Based on 27 reviews

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Beautiful Clarity and Apple Like Quality

    • Written by from Collingwood

    40 of 49 people found this useful

    Like other B & W products this speaker has beautiful clarity. Strings are fantastic. You hardly remember that this is only a $500 speaker. The build is quality and matches up nicely with apple products detailed finishes. It took me all of 2 minutes to set-up with the handy airplay set-up app. After set-up, my speaker initially cut out a few times but I simply recycled (pulled the plug and restarted) my time capsule (Wifi). Problem solved and after 6 hours of playing; no issues. It also works great with my Zeppelin on multiple speakers airplay mode. If you want a home full of beautiful sound, you can do it very inexpensively with a few of these units.

    I highly recommend this speaker. I can't wait to get my B & W A7 as well.

    Was this useful? Beautiful Clarity and Apple Like Quality

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Very good for the size

    • Written by from Smyrna

    26 of 33 people found this useful

    Bought this to use in a small room. The sound quality and available volume are very good for such a small device. It does, however, start distorting near full volume, but we would never use that volume for anything other than testing the speaker.

    B&W are noted for producing realistic sound. If you are looking for silly bass levels, look elsewhere. If you want true to life sound quality, B&W is your brand.

    The A5 is perfect for a small to medium sized room. For a bigger room the A7 may be more suitable, depending on how loud you play your music.

    Setup was very easy and worked first time. I downloaded the setup app before the speaker arrived, and had it playing within a couple of minutes of plugging it in. Have your WiFi password handy for installation.

    Price: It is B&W, so it will have a premium price. I believe the value is worth it.

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent so far

    • Written by from Hilliard

    24 of 30 people found this useful

    On the technical side, everything just worked. Very simple set up procedure—best AirPlay setup I've used so far, in fact. (I've set up 4 different AirPlay speakers.)

    On the audio side, I can't imagine much better sound coming out of a similar size package. I am especially glad there isn't an artificially inflated bass or other gimmicks that make it sound big on the showroom but not so good at home. Instead, this simply delivers crisp audio without distortion.

    As long as you aren't expecting a wide open stereo sound stage or to experience the kind of sound you'd get out of a larger system with dedicated speaker, receiver, and amp, you will be very pleased with this product.

    It's so good I'm thinking about getting the MM-1 computer speakers, which this is apparently similar too.

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Setup failed

    • Written by from Zürich

    22 of 31 people found this useful

    Setting up with with Mountain Lion on my MacBook Pro 13'' Retina failed. Easy setup turned out to be anything else than easy. The B&W setup App did not discover the device and any possible solutions provided by the step-by-step problem solving did not work either. There is no help line to call. Leaves me in a frustrated state, having spent a lot of money.

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    The Best AIrplay Compact System..Period!

    • Written by from Boston

    20 of 27 people found this useful

    I've tried several systems (10+) that are sold in the apple store and I can tell you from my experience this is the best sounding airplay speaker you can buy. I wish I could afford the A7, but still very happy with the A5 and quality sound.
    Setup was a breeze, just download the APP and follow the instructions. There is also a MAC DMG version you can use to configure. Only a few times have I lost signal from an iOS device. I've never lost using my macbook pro. I've listened for hours and cannot express how great the sound is, clear and great bass. I plan on saving up to buy for another room in my house.
    If you buy it you will not be disappointed.

    Was this useful? The Best AIrplay Compact System..Period!

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  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    i'm still gonna give it chance

    • Written by from North York

    21 of 30 people found this useful

    Before I begin, i will explain my technology setup:

    i have a BRAND NEW wireless network (Netgear3800) that handles 300mbs sec, dual band, I've got a NAS 323 setup, and i live in a condo. The router is in the living room, as is the B&W A5 speaker, and my macbook air 13 inch 2012, all in the same room. I also have a brand new airport express in bedroom 2 to use airplay on the speaker there.

    So the speaker sounds AWESOME, and even without the sub, it's got a nice amount of lows and bass sound that doesn't take away from the clarity of the highs and mids sounds. I'm using lossless Apple Songs when playing and for some reason, any time i'm shopping or purchasing new songs online, while playing, it totally CUTS OUT. My wife can also be playing songs of her iPhone and even if we aren't doing anything at all on the network except playing music, it will still chop the songs up. I'm trying to figure out what else i can do to avoid this from happening, like running this on the 5ghz router band, but then some of the components wont be able to attach to the speakers.

    I also tried last week the pioneer A4, and have to say the bass was way too much and muffled the mids and highs, i really do like this A5 speaker, and want to keep it, but this chopping up songs is quite annoying cause it sounds REALLY good

    Was this useful? i'm still gonna give it chance

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  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    poor setup and no wireless n

    • Written by from Markham

    19 of 29 people found this useful

    I'm on my way to the store to return this product. I couldn't have been more disappointed with the setup - I worked at it for hours before I found the two key issues, 1) you can't have a special character in your password, 2) you have to have wireless g compatible network. So what do these things have in common, they aren't documented anywhere. You will be searching the web for hours like I did in order to find this stuff. The product is less than 6 months old and it doesn't have wireless n, how crazy is that. I live in an apartment with 30-40 wifi networks around me…there is too much competition on every channel for me to be using wireless g. So here is the suggestion that I got, get an airport express. I just paid $500 for this thing and now I should spend $100 to get it working and doesn't that go against the whole reason I purchased an airplay speaker?!?! So you might be wondering why I gave this two stars instead of one, well I thought it did have nice sound when I plugged it directly into my router…and besides who takes those guys seriously that post 1 or 5 stars. ;)

    Was this useful? poor setup and no wireless n

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    This Speaker is Great

    • Written by from Thornhill

    14 of 19 people found this useful

    Picking out a speaker at the Apple Store is impossible due to ambient noise, however, I jumped for B&W due to previous experience and after hearing this in our bedroom I was so impressed with the sound I bought a second one for the living room that is already decked out with 10 speakers. Having the convenience of AirPlay mixed with the genuine warm, balanced sound from this speaker is really a pleasure. I was planning on springing for the A7 but for the size of rooms and subtler size I decided this is the better way to go. Setup is a synch with the B&W iOS app. If only Apple could make optimizing home networks for AirPlay as good as this speaker and Christmas really would have come early as getting the network optimized for AirPlay is not what I would call plug n'play.

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    I gave up...

    • Written by from Fort Lee

    17 of 26 people found this useful

    great when you can connect to it via wi-fi. Worked may be 2 hours out of the past 20 days. Luckily apple took it back.

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    I really wanted to like these Speakers

    • Written by from Orange

    18 of 28 people found this useful

    Bought 2 of these speakers have them hooked up to 2 different networks. Both I'm having same problems, music skips/fades in out, or just QUITS playing.

    Using itunes on Mac Pro, as well as 2 different new ipod touch. Also using on PC laptops. All are having same issues.

    Bought these Speakers for wife and other female friend. They will not want to deal with aggravation so will be returning.

    And yes speakers sound okay but of no value if I can't play music when I want.

    Was this useful? I really wanted to like these Speakers

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    A5 B&O

    • Written by from Markham

    14 of 22 people found this useful

    Having previously purchased Bose systems in the past, I always wanted to try B&W
    First product is the A5 - Looks and Sounds Amazing. Very easy to setup using the B&W App available from app store for FREE
    True test of this system would come when i played (Edgar Winter Group-FRANKENSTEIN) Which exceeded my expectation, then second test (Phil Collins In the Air Tonight) felt like Phil's drum set was right beside me, awesome then tossed in a JOSH GROBAN and 3 out of 3 - this product is excellent! big sound from a small box and very clear sound at that...great product! for those audiophiles who might not want to spend $700+ on the A7 like me.

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    I expect nothing less from B&W

    • Written by from Ypsilanti

    11 of 17 people found this useful

    As someone who has multiple Airplay speakers I can say nearly every poor review I've seen post for this has been user error.

    The best way to get this setup is the Bowers and Wilkins Setup App for iOS. I had my A5 on my network and sounding great about 2 minutes after opening it. It was much less complicated to set up than my Zeppelin. My Zeppelin had to be updated before I could use the B&W Setup App for it.

    It sounds great, highs and lows are even better than the Zeppelin Air, although the Zeppelin Air has MUCH better lows.

    Was this useful? I expect nothing less from B&W

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Awesome speaker - highly recommend

    • Written by from WEST VANCOUVER

    9 of 14 people found this useful

    I originally purchased the Phillips Fidelio airplay speaker, It was constantly disconnecting, and cutting out while playing songs. Based on the other reviews, I thought it must be a hardware issue on my end.

    Exchanged it and brought home the A5 - what a difference! Easy to set up, worked flawlessly immediately and the sound cannot be compared.

    The A5 is completely worth the extra $$. The sound is much richer, and the base is a lot stronger - at full volume, I'm pretty sure my neighbours across the street can hear it, ha ha! Seriously though, this is the quality I wanted for my home - something that would sound like a great home system in my kitchen and livingroom for when I'm entertaining. The A5 definitely will fill this requirement.

    For someone who knows very little about speakers and technology, I can hear a huge difference between this and the Phillips. I also listened to the Bose Airplay that's around $370, and the A5 sound is far superior to the Bose, too, in fact.

    I would highly recommend it, and it's worth spending the extra $. You won't need anything else!

    Was this useful? Awesome speaker - highly recommend

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Stunning.

    • Written by from Garden City

    11 of 18 people found this useful

    This speaker is awesome in so many ways. After deciding that Bose was too mainstream and Bang and Olufsen was to expensive, I decided that Bowers and Wilkins was the perfect balance between sound quality and price. I do not regret my decision. It is the best of the best.

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Simply awesome!!!

    • Written by from San Diego

    10 of 16 people found this useful

    I like this speaker so much I have decided to use them throughout the house. Set-up is simple, as it seems to be with anything linked to Apple. I like that I can use the Remote App to control different zones and that I can move these around for different environments. The sound blew me away and I listen to music everyday so my experience has become pretty extensive over my 45+ years. Apple has a tremendous return policy so what can you lose - take on home and try it!!! I would be surprised if many come back!!!

  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    Great sound; awful wireless connectivity

    • Written by from Chicago

    5 of 8 people found this useful

    This speaker was fairly easy to set up and the sound is perfect--when you get sound. Frequently, but erratically (it doesn't happen every time), when I pause my music or turn the speaker off for a time, it disconnects and cannot be reconnected via Airplay. B&W support suggested that I use a different Wi-Fi channel, but changing channels does not resolve the situation. Looks like a common problem among the reviewers here.

    Was this useful? Great sound; awful wireless connectivity

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    How very disappointing

    • Written by from Sidney

    13 of 24 people found this useful

    I am so very disappointed in this product. I previously owned a Bose sound dock but, after hearing a friends B&W Zeplin Air I decided to purchase a B&W unit and bought the A7. Setup was difficult due to lack of detailed instructions. I eventually accomplished the setup and settled in to listen to the crystal clear sound from the speaker system. No disappointment here at all! It's a spectacular unit. However, after a day of working almost seamlessly, it now quits within ten minutes of starting. I have rebooted the speakers and checked the router without finding any problem. Both my iPhone and my wife's iPad experience the same problem and both of these devices are within 10 feet of the speaker system. I have scoured the internet for a solution and nothing comes up. The person who recently wrote that all these complaints are likely "user caused" has prompted me to submit this saga. It is one more example of the problem and is definitely NOT my fault. A perfect example of great speakers but poor wireless technology. I will be returning this speaker next week.

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Perfect

    • Written by from New York

    7 of 13 people found this useful

    Just what I expected. Did research on B&W for almost a year while I was still a student finding that almost everywhere, everybody rated the Zeppelin as the best AirPlay product in the market (along with most B&W state-of-the-art products). Now that I started earning some money, I bought the A5 instead of the Zeppelin or the even more expensive A7 (a reduced price makes it very attractive).
    It took me less than 15 minutes overall to carefully enjoy unwrapping it, placing it, removing the pastic lid from the remote (which task was awfully impossible for another reviewer here (?)), downloading the B&W installation app, instaling it to both my iPhone 5 and my MacBook Air, and enjoying its amazing sound.
    I love my A5. It has been playing music almost every morning and every night for me.
    Can't lie and have to tell that it disconnected from my devices one time out of the blue and unexpectedly, but it took me a couple of minutes to get it playing again with the B&W installation app. It has never happened again in 2 months.
    My A5 is the best $500 I've spent in my life as a music lover. Extremely pleased.

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Sound quality is fundamentally a joke

    • Written by from San Francisco

    1 of 2 people found this useful

    I'm a classically trained musician, 20 years violin, 10 years acoustic guitar, I consider myself to have a very good ear.

    Bottom line, the a5 sound quality is so incredibly NOT worth $500, don't even bother. While it looks stunning, that's all you're going to get out of this box. I only had to listen to this in the store and go head to head, song for song, with the Bose Soundlink Air ($150 less) to declare the winner hands down. For all the B&W hoopla on their tweeter technology, the upper range of the A5 was just plain muffled, no articulation of treble tones. Base tones had absolutely no warmth or depth. I picked up on this even before i did the comparison, thinking maybe it was an in-store acoustic thing going on. But compare with the Bose and you get so much more with the latter.

    I worry that all these tech heads are evaluating speakers based on ease of setup and AirPlay reliability, but have they all had their eardrums blown from Dr Dre beats headphones? Start with sound quality first, ladies and gentlemen, and that's where you'll quickly end with this speaker.

    I brought home the Bose unit and could not be happier for the investment - great range and clarity for $350. If you have an obsession with black fabric and aluminum, buy the B&W. If you like to hear good music, turn to Bose - at least in this price range.

    Was this useful? Sound quality is fundamentally a joke

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    I want to sell it

    • Written by from Saint-Petersburg

    1 of 2 people found this useful

    I'm not satisfied how to work this system. As many users I have the serious problem. Sound keep dropping even when connected via Ethernet to the router.