Design 9.5
Build 8
Performance 9
Value 8
Overall Score 8.6
THE GOOD
Stylish design that suit most occasions
Impressive sound reproduction
10hr battery life
THE BAD
Not for the budget conscious
Passive sound isolation
I’m not the biggest fan of collaborations. Especially when the partnership is nothing more than a marketing gimmick without any real contribution to the design and quality of the product. The KEF MOTION ONE – a collaboration between Porsche Design and KEF, isn’t one of those cases.
To the uninitiated, you might confuse Porsche Design with the car manufacturer and go “well isn’t this a marketing gimmick as well?”. Well, while you may be technically right, Porsche Design is owned by the famed car manufacturer, it is also a standalone entity that keeps to the same values that made the Porsche 911 one of the most celebrated cars ever – stylish, yet functional design.
Porsche Design develops a wide range of premium lifestyle products, from stationary and appliances to audio equipment, found in high-end department stores, exclusive specialist retailers and the official online store (www.porsche-design.com).
Audiophiles would need no introduction to KEF – a British icon in high-fidelity sound. KEF, known for their dedication towards speaker design and development, is always pushing boundaries with products such as iconic ‘egg’, Muon and Blade speakers.
But do these two boys play well together? Yes, they make quite the tag-team. The MOTION ONE is one of three Hi-Fi systems Porsche Design and KEF have developed. The other two being the GRAVITY ONE, a sleek Bluetooth speaker and the SPACE ONE, active-noise cancelling headphones.
When it comes to style and design, the MOTION ONE is undoubtedly influenced by Porsche Design’s unique style. From the casing the bluetooth headphones come in, the carry case, to the sleek headset and neckband.
Staying true to Porsche Design’s sensibilities
The headset, made from aluminium build with a sandblasted anodised titanium finish, perfectly complements the black accented silicone neckband giving you a complete headset that’s light and classy enough for the office, or cool and rugged enough if you’ve got your hoodie on getting ready for a run.
When it comes to performance, these in-ears don’t disappoint. KEF is all about designing audio enclosures and the MOTION ONE definitely proves it. The 8.6mm neodymium drivers deliver a solid bass, and clear highs. The mids while not perfect, still do perform very well and provide an amazing soundstage that will suit most genres of music.
The aluminum earphones and silicone neckband provide a comfortable listening experience
Connecting to the MOTION ONE is a breeze through the use of Bluetooth Qualcomm aptX audio CD-like quality sound, wire-less. Swap out the neckband for a wired cable and you’ll be able to experience high resolution sound. Perfect for when your neckband runs out of power.
The MOTION ONE can comfortably last for about 10 hours of playback, but more importantly, the silicone earbuds, and the neckband light enough, are comfortable enough for extended use. And since it’s IPX5 water resistant certified, rain and sweat won’t be a problem.
The earphones also fit snug and securely – especially when you bring the cables behind your ears. Perfect for a gym session.
Swap out the cables for wireless or wired mode
The in-ear buds while comfortable do not completely isolate environment sound though. While good enough for most, getting premium earbuds is an option if there’s a need to swap. However, the earbuds do well to keep your sound from bleeding out and disturbing the people around you.
While a little pricey at SGD399, the MOTION ONE punches above its weight class and definitely is the Bluetooth headset for all occasions.