APRIL 2017
KEF PORSCHE DESIGN MOTION ONE WIRELESS HEADPHONES
REVIEW / KEF / PORSCHE DESIGN MOTION ONE IN-EAR HEADPHONES
KEF
PORSCHE DESIGN MOTION ONE WIRELESS HEADPHONES Distributor: Advance Audio $399 RRP
Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche was
Porsche Design Group was formed. Porsche
famously quoted as saying “If you analyze
took their elegant, high performance, no-
the function of an object, its form often
nonsense approach to design and applied it to
becomes obvious.”
an array of everyday items, including luggage,
When he designed the first ever Porsche
watches, eyewear, electronics, and more.
911, it was clear that he practised what
And whilst the Germans were busy creating
he preached. From its unusually functional
history with the iconic 911 back in the 1960s,
aesthetic, down to its rear-engined raw power,
equally rich in heritage and performance,
to this day the 911 remains one of the most
KEF were getting to work in the UK, creating
successful competition cars ever produced
beautiful sound systems.
– and for decades now, a cult favourite amongst sports car enthusiasts.
The brainchild of WWII Royal Navy veteran Raymond Cooke, KEF has always been at
What many may not know though is that
the forefront of HiFi. Their iconic speaker
Porsche aren’t just about cars. In 2003 the
enclosure design, paired with their incredible
“elegant, high performance, no-nonsense approach to design”
amount of acoustic and driver research, allows them to proudly remain one of the most esteemed names in home audio. Teaming up for a new range of headphones and Bluetooth speakers this year, it’s not the first time they’ve collaborated. Back in
between these two industry giants. The new line includes three products: ‧ ‧ Over-ear headphones (Space One) ‧ ‧ A portable speaker system (Gravity One) ‧ ‧ The new Bluetooth IEMs (Motion One)
2013, together they produced the over-ear
Space, Gravity and Motion … we’re starting to
KEF M500 headphones. Whilst reviews were
notice a pattern here.
mainly positive for this release, critics did mention that it felt more like a KEF product, with Porsche Design’s style bolted on. With a more unified collaboration in this new range, there is an obvious and consistent design philosophy driving the collaboration
Australian KEF distributors Advance Audio were generous enough to send through one of the first available samples of the Motion One In-Ear Monitors for our review.
“Porsche Design have put an enormous effort into the aesthetic of this release”
Packaging and Materials Included in the box is: ‧ ‧ Clamshell style hard carrying case ‧ ‧ Smaller semicircle soft case ‧ ‧ Neckband Bluetooth module ‧ ‧ 3.5mm ribbon cable ‧ ‧ A shirt clip ‧ ‧ An airline adapter ‧ ‧ Three different size of ear tips ‧ ‧ A USB charging cable The packaging and presentation of this product is nothing short of exceptional. All the accessories are a sleek shade of matte black and have clearly had consideration put into the consistency of the design. Everything was so neatly and beautifully presented that I almost felt bad removing it all from the carefully laid out positions in the packaging.
Build One unspoken rule of what I like to call a “road
For on-ear and over-ear releases this is
warrior” IEM, is that it must look the part.
becoming a common feature, but it’s quite a
If a product is designed to be used on flights,
rarity for Bluetooth earphones.
in the gym and around the office, let’s face it,
To switch between Bluetooth or cabled
it will become not only a way of listening to
options, the entire neckband assembly
music, but also a fashion accessory.
must be detached from the aluminium driver
Luckily in this case, Porsche Design have put an enormous effort into the aesthetic of this release. Not only is each earpiece
housings via their MMCX type connection, and is easily replaced with the included 3.5mm ribbon-type cable.
made of aluminium with a sandblasted
This solution is perfect for a portable IEM for
anodised titanium finish, but all of the included
a few reasons. Firstly, the user can use any
accessories and parts strictly follow the same
cable they wish, providing it has an MMCX
colour scheme and design themes.
connection. Secondly, this option means that
It all comes together in a very classy and elegant looking package – which is especially impressive considering the IPX5 water resistance certification. In fact, Porsche Design claim you can wash these under a tap! Each earpiece has an internal magnet at the rear which allow the IEMs to neatly snap together when not in use. Sounds gimmicky,
users will never have to worry about battery life affecting their listening session – if it ever runs out on the road or on a long-haul flight, you can simply switch to cabled mode. This is both a clever and intuitive way of switching between wireless and cabled, and our hats go off to both Porsche design and KEF for this.
but it’s handy for a tiny product with removable
The Bluetooth neckband contains volume
cables; a key factor in not losing them.
control, play/pause and track skipping
They also feature a pivoting rear head with precise markings so that the cable can comfortably be worn either over the ear,
Bluetooth buttons. They feel a little soft and spongy but that’s likely due to the IPX5 water resistance rating.
or straight in. Considering the insertion
Unfortunately, the battery does not seem
angle on these is quite steep, this is quite a
to be user replaceable. Rather, an included
useful feature.
Micro USB cable charges it.
The Motion One earphones can be used in either cabled or Bluetooth (wireless) mode.
Using the headphone: Each earpiece contains a single dynamic
built in when compared to the average
8.6mm Neodymium driver which is rated at a
smartphone. I also used various smartphones
surprisingly low 16 Ohms and has a sensitivity
for listening as well though, with no noticeable
of 95dB. You’ll have no issue driving this to
audible difference.
ear-splitting level with the average smartphone.
A robotic voice will speak through the IEMs
The wireless neckband has Bluetooth v4.1
indicating when they are powering on or
with AptX, with a 140mAh battery which is
off, or when they successfully connect to a
rated to around 10 hours of battery life.
source device.
The neckband is incredibly light and flexible. It
While too often found with Bluetooth
didn’t cause us any pain or discomfort, even
headphones, I’m happy to report in this case I
after long periods of use.
couldn’t detect any audible hiss or noise.
No two pairs of ears are the same so it’s
Tonally, the sound via AptX and cabled mode
always welcome when several different sizes
was very similar. The usual unavoidable
and styles of tips are included with in-ear
bandwidth drawbacks with Bluetooth are
headphones. In the case of Motion One, I
still present, but it’s still a solid and stable
did find the selection to be lacking in this
connection with no major issues.
department with only three different size of olive-style tips included.
Cabled Listening (Chord Mojo):
From my observations, there doesn’t seem
Whilst not being difficult to drive in cabled
to be anything terribly unique about the wide bore of the Motion One IEM, so perhaps
mode, the low impedance of these single driver dynamic IEMs does mean that a little care must
some aftermarket tips might fit neatly here.
be taken in selecting the right source.
In any case, once a good fit is established
Whilst the Chord Electronics Mojo headphone
they sat comfortably enough in my ears.
amplifier/DAC was a perfect pairing for this
Bluetooth Listening (Pioneer XDP 300R):
The good news is a smartphone will do
I prefer using a dedicated Digital Audio Player for testing Bluetooth earphones as they generally have a lot more volume steps
device, at this price point it is a little overkill. a great job of powering the Motion One earphones in cabled mode.
“once a good fit is established they sat comfortably�
“The bass feels strong and clean, and not distorted at all�
Sound The bass response is precisely
Considering the ever so slight
what I love to see in a single driver
V-shaped sound signature, the
dynamic IEM: Deep reaching,
high frequency range has just
tight, controlled and punchy. The
a little bite around the 8kHz
packaging lists the frequency
mark, but not enough to be
range as 20hz to 20khz.
bothersome.
The bass feels strong and clean,
The soundstage is phenomenal,
and not distorted at all. Basslines
and I was pleasantly surprised.
and kicks alike will jump out and
The imaging was also dead
be forward in the mix. With a rise
accurate. Both of these
around 30hz to 60hz there’s a
properties allow the Motion One
distinct sub bass rumble. From
to clearly punch above their
there, it’s a linear ride from 60hz
price point which is no surprise
to 120hz, where it gets a nice
considering KEF are at the helm
meaty kick until it hits around
of the acoustic enclosures.
160hz or so.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model / / MOTION ONE Bluetooth Earphones Type / / Bluetooth In-ear earphones Driver (Headphone) / / 8.6mm neodymium driver Frequency Response / / 20-20kHz Bluetooth Version // Bluetooth v4.1 with aptX codec Sensitivity / / 95 dB±4dB (IEC-318 at 1KHz) Impedance // 16±15%Ohm
Considering the Motion One will
Midbass frequencies don’t bleed
be used out and about, noise
into the lower midrange in any
isolation is important. While not
intrusive or unpleasant way.
ground-breaking in this area
Usage Time
they do a respectable job at
// Up to 10 hours (BT)
In my listening the midrange is slightly recessed compared to the bass and higher frequencies. It’s not a huge veiling, but it’s enough to make the sound signature more fun rather than neutral. This is also common
/ / 45g
tips fitted, but in overly noisy
Unit Measurement
environments, some outside
/ / Piece
noise may leak in during quiet moments in your music. Conversely, there’s not a lot of sound leakage out of the Motion
accurate tone, with enough detail
Weight
well improve with some Comply
designed to be used on the go.
the midrange still retains a fairly
// 140mAh
isolating external noise. This may
for a multi-purpose earphone
Despite this mild recession,
Battery Type
One even at decent volumes, so the person sitting next to you won’t be disturbed.
present for an earphone at this price point.
Conclusion Summing up the sound signature
Paired with the IPX5 rating the
of the Motion One IEMs, they’re
Motion One looks professional
powerful with an ever so slight
yet still highly capable for gym
emphasis on the bass and high
sessions or an active lifestyle.
frequencies, with terrific imaging and respectable detail.
Considering the overall quality and the big names and
If you’re looking for an affordable
technology behind this release,
in-ear headphone with a premium
I consider the Motion One
yet unusual aesthetic, a fun
earphones from KEF and Porsche
sound signature, IPX5 water
Design very well priced and
resistance and a stylish brand
highly recommended.
name, this fits the bill.
WORDS/IMAGES: Mathew ‘Jensy’ Jens