Bowers & Wilkins Repair
Bowers & Wilkins "Zeppelin", "Zeppelin Air" & A7 models are some of the finest pieces of home audio equipment you can buy for the money, with amazing sound for their size. They combine an audiophile listening experience with a design which is simply stunning and looks amazing in any living space.
Unfortunately they are all plagued with an achilles heel which is the substandard quality of electrolytic capacitors used inside them. They have a main power supply which is chinese made, a far cry from the British quality of B&W. This cheaply made unit features inside every Zeppelin and A7 unit on the market.
The electrolytic capacitors are a critical component for ensuring the voltages inside the unit are stable and capable of supplying the power needed to deliver the high quality audio you expect. Unfortunately the capacitors used inside these units are very cheap, chinese items which fail prematurely.
The units naturally run hot as they have little to no cooling. There are no fans inside, instead they rely on the air movement from the subwoofer to draw in cool air. This leads to the capacitors failing extremely early. Once they fail you could have symptoms such as:-
- Slow to power on
- Flashing red lights
- Completely dead
- Blown fuses
- Cutting out at higher volume
- Erratic operation when cold
We have been successfully repairing Bowers & Wilkins components for many years. When you send your item to be repaired we have a standard policy which every repair undergoes. We will carry out the following work
- Cleaning and inspection
- Replacement of ALL electrolytic capacitors with quality Panasonic 105 degree rated versions
- Replacement of any other failed components
- Removal of circuitry which can cause the unit to blow up thinking its on 110V AC
- Soak testing for 2 hours using our custom made test rig
This ensures your unit comes back to you and gives you many many years of listening pleasure. There is no reason why the repair won't last 15 years+ with average use, instead of the 2-3 years the poor components give.
We have never had a repair come back under warranty. That is how confident we are in what we do. We confidently say we are the best in the business completing first class quality rework, which is what your item deserves. We have seen some shocking attempts at repairing these where capacitors are torn out damaging the board. There is no reason with the right equipment and skill that this should happen.
A standard PSU repair sent to us is £90 including shipping back to the UK
If you wish to send us a complete speaker please get in touch as there is a dismantling and rebuilding surcharge as this takes extra time.
