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Like many, I suspect, my thoughts automatically turn towards expensive, high speed automobiles (well beyond my pocket) when encountering the Porsche brand name.  However the area of automobiles is not the only place you will come across the Porsche name.  There is also Porsche Design. 

Since it was founded in 1972 by Ferdinand Porsche, incidentally the same person who set up the automobile company, Porsche Design has partnered with a number of companies, including KEF, to add the Porsche design flair to specific products.  KEF, on the other hand, had more prosaic beginnings as this audio company was founded in 1961 by Raymond Cooke OBE and took its name from the “Kent Engineering & Foundry” where it was initially located.

One of the products that resulted from the Porsche KEF partnership is the KEF Motion One.  This product is a set of in-ear Bluetooth earphones which are supplied in an impressive package.  Delving into this product reveals a rigid, zipped, pear-shaped case containing a light, soft silicone neck-band with connecting wires leading to a pair of magnetic ear buds.  This magnetic feature ensures the earbuds attached to each other to reduce any swinging about when they are not in use. 

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There is also a small, soft, spring clasp carry case for storing the various oddments.  Buried a little deeper, behind a false bottom, are a standard-to-micro USB lead for charging the earphones’ internal battery, a two-pin in-flight adapter, audio cable for use with non-Bluetooth sources and a spare set of bud replacements. 

You also get a Quick Start Guide.  This mini booklet adopts a minimalistic style of imparting its information through annotated illustrations.  I felt the Quick Start Guide provided little assistance to the user.

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With the supporting neck-band in position, the earbuds can fit directly into the ears or by placing the connecting wires around the ears.  It is just a matter of taste which method you use.  I tended to prefer having the connecting wire laid around the ear.

In their default state, the Motion One earphones arrive set up for Bluetooth use.  When listening to music from a non-Bluetooth source, you will need to change the connecting lead.  This is achieved by disconnecting the current lead and replacing it with the audio cable supplied in the package.  Due to the small size of the earbuds and the nano sized connection jack, this is a fiddly operation especially when you come to the attaching part of the procedure..  With practice it does become a little easier but I would have preferred a simpler method more suited to the product’s design concept.    Depending upon which of the connecting methods are used, the music will be then streamed via Bluetooth or an AUX connection.

Fiddly lead switching aside, these earphones feel comfortable to wear.  There is hardly any weight to put pressure on the neck and the earbuds are flexible enough to ensure a comfortable fit when inserted into the ear canal.  All the controls associated with these earphones are located on the neck-band.  Rather than spoil the aseptic appearance of the neck-band to clearly identifying these controls and features, a black on black colour scheme has been implemented.  As a result, the user is place in the position where these elements need to be identified by touch alone as you turn power on/off, adjust the volume level, receive and make calls plus uncover the USB port for charging the 140mAh internal battery which should provide up to ten hours of audio playback.

With its 8.6 mm neodymium driver, the KEF Motion On earphones can deliver clear audio with a frequency response of 20-20kHz and a sensitivity of 95dB+ 4dV.  Currently this Porsche Design personal listening device is listed on Amazon priced at £149.00.

http://uk.kef.com/