British audio equipment maker Bowers & Wilkins is expected to release its first AirPlay 2-enabled receivers in the near future.

bowers wilkins logo
A pair of new Bowers & Wilkins receivers named Formation Audio and Formation Duo are listed as "coming soon" in Apple's recently updated list of HomeKit and ‌AirPlay‌ accessories. Bowers & Wilkins releasing receivers is interesting in itself, as the company is better known for high-fidelity speakers and headphones.

bowers wilkins airplay 2
Bowers & Wilkins has yet to announce the products, but we did find a cached GDPR-related fair processing notice page on its website from December 2018 that mentions a line of Formation products, including the Formation Duo, Formation Audio, Formation Bar, Formation Wedge, and Formation Bass.

‌AirPlay‌ 2 would allow the receivers to work with other ‌AirPlay‌ 2 devices such as the HomePod, the Apple TV, and Sonos speakers. ‌AirPlay‌ 2 receivers also appear in Apple's Home app across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.

Bowers & Wilkins, acquired by Eva Automation in 2016, will join Denon and Marantz, Bluesound, and Naim in offering ‌AirPlay‌ 2 receivers.

Top Rated Comments

SanJoseEd Avatar
90 months ago
So can the homepod work with apple tv?
For movies?
Absolutely and quite nice when two are used as a 'stereo pair'. I've never even used them for music - just TV and movies pumped out of an ATV4. There was a break-in period in late Spring last year before the HomePods' latter OS was published, but ever since then, volume's been fine and the 'stereo' output does at times seem to project appropriate noise and sound from the movies' soundtracks making it sound like something more than stereo.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fairuz Avatar
90 months ago
AirPlay 2 in receivers is great, but I'd really like a standalone AirPlay 2 device too... like the AirPort Express was for AirPlay 1 and AirTunes. That paired with whatever receivers we had made for a great home music setup as far back as ~2003.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tom.humphrey Avatar
90 months ago
I've got a B&W A5 which sounds amazing when the airplay works. Constantly plagued with audio drop outs.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

MacBook Pro Buyers Now Facing Up to a Two-Month Wait Ahead of New Models

Sunday January 18, 2026 6:50 pm PST by
MacBook Pro availability is tightening on Apple's online store, with select configurations facing up to a two-month delivery timeframe in the United States. A few 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations with an M4 Pro chip are not facing any shipping delay, but estimated delivery dates for many configurations with an M4 Max chip range from February 6 to February 24 or even later. At...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...