Replacement Power Supply For Libratone Zipp

I used to have an outrageously priced Airplay speaker that resembled a zeppelin. It sounded great and looked interesting. A couple of years out of warranty it started to get flakier and flakier… it would drop off the network, it would suffer lots of audio dropouts, generally misbehave and do things you don’t want a speaker to do.

I did what anyone would do - I gleefully took it apart and attempted life-saving surgery on it - to no avail - I lost the patient and the music died.

I replaced the failed speaker with a Libratone Zipp (disclosure: affiliate link). I wanted speaker that didn’t cost as much and also didn’t take up as much space. The Zipp worked fine although it also didn’t sound nearly as good as the zeppelin.

The Zipp’s power supply expired soon after its warranty. Libratone sells power adapters for about ⅙ the cost of the speaker itself. I was determined to find an alternative, especially since I’m expecting to replace the Zipp with an Apple HomePod soon.

The Zipp’s power adapter delivers 19V at 1.8A, tip positive, ring ground.

Any replacement power adapter will have to supply 19V and at least 1.8A.

I found the “Outtag Universal Laptop Power Adapter” on Amazon (disclosure: affiliate link) for $19.99. It includes multiple tips; the black tip fits the Libratone Zipp. I’ve been using the adapter ever since. The Zipp finally recharged its battery and has been working fine.\

The Outtag also has the advantage that when I stop using the Zipp, I may be able to use the new power adapter with other devices thanks to the changeable tips it includes.

If you’re thinking about replacing your Zipp’s power adapter, definitely check the power requirements before getting a replacement. While unlikely, it’s possible they might quietly revise their hardware and have different power requirements.