Surround yourself with superior sound when you use the KEF Gravity One Porsche Speaker. This one-of-a-kind speaker brings together the iconic design of Porsche Design with the technical knowledge of KEF. The result is a show-stopping Bluetooth device in a compact and portable package.
The Gravity One Speaker achieves stunning sound without skimping on the details. Measuring just 8.5 inches long, you can easily pack it on any trip. In addition, the powerful acoustics are sure to fill any room with hi-fi audio. With the signature Uni-Q driver, the Gravity One Speaker disperses audio in a full 360 degrees.
Finally, every single detail of this audio system has been systematically and thoughtfully made.
Even with the full range of audio, the Gravity One Speaker has a twin force-cancelling auxiliary bass. This weeds out any distortion for pure sound.
Like other traditional hi-fi brands such as B&W and Focal, KEF has broadened its range of products by branching out into the lifestyle market in recent years. Headphones and wireless speakers such as the KEF Muo are now an established part of the company's product portfolio.
KEF's latest venture sees the brand team up with the Porsche Design Group to create three premium lifestyle products: a wireless speaker and two pairs of headphones.
Porsche Design's previous audio product was the crazy 911 Soundbar, a £2200 soundbar-cum-wireless speaker. However, at £330, the Gravity One speaker is a little more affordable. It features a winged design and is carved out of a solid block of aluminium.
The speaker uses Uni-Q technology, which KEF claims can fire out 360-degree sound. Standard and aptX Bluetooth devices are supported, while there's also a built-in mic for taking calls and a USB output to charge smartphones. KEF claims a single charge should be good for around 10 hours of battery life.
MORE: Best wireless speakers 2016
The Porsche Design and KEF Space Ones [£370] are active noise-cancelling headphones with an over-ear design. The earpiece shells are made from aluminium with a sandblasted titanium finish.
The Space Ones use 40mm drivers surrounded by 'racetrack' earpads filled with memory foam for the best possible fit.
MORE: Best headphones 2016
The Porsche Design and KEF Motion Ones [£220] are Bluetooth in-ear headphones which, like the Space Ones, use aluminium housings and feature a titanium finish. You can use them wired or wireless, taking advantage of their Bluetooth connectivity, which includes aptX.
The in-ears use a pivoted design which allows the cable to run over your ear for extra comfort and reduced cable noise. They're also water-resistant and KEF claims you should get 10 hours of wireless listening from the built-in battery.
The Porsche Design and KEF Gravity One, Space One and Motion One are all available to buy now.
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Andy is Deputy Editor of What Hi-Fi? and a consumer electronics journalist with nearly 20 years of experience writing news, reviews and features. Over the years he's also contributed to a number of other outlets, including The Sunday Times, the BBC, Stuff, and BA High Life Magazine. Premium wireless earbuds are his passion but he's also keen on car tech and in-car audio systems and can often be found cruising the countryside testing the latest set-ups. In his spare time Andy is a keen golfer and gamer.
The KEF Gravity One is a premium upmarket Bluetooth speaker that combines stylish looks with excellent sound quality… for a price.
KEF is a British loudspeaker manufacturer based in Maidstone, Kent that really needs no introduction. The company specialises in upmarket HI-FI speaker systems that can run into the thousands, covering everything from in-home speaker installations to Bluetooth speakers. One of their newest wireless products is the Gravity One speaker, which was created in collaboration with Porsche design to bring both style and sound quality.
Almost as soon as we opened the box, we knew that this speaker would be premium quality. It’s heavily packaged and weighs an absolute ton, with solid metal construction. KEF was kind enough to include a bunch of accessories to get you started, including a rugged USB charging cable and various mains connectors for each region. There’s also a carry pouch made of some nice shiny material, though the thinness of the material probably won’t offer much in the way of protection. The lack of an aux cable as standard is a bit disappointing but since this is Bluetooth, it largely won’t matter.
Taking it out of the box and focusing on the KEF Gravity One speaker itself, construction is outstanding. As we said, it’s built like a tank and has recessed sides at the bottom allowing sound to escape. KEF say that this speaker was designed to have an open soundstage that outputs optimal sound quality from all directions and we have to say, it definitely works. Despite only measuring 11.5 x 7.2cm and being highly portable, sound quality is phenomenal from this thing. Usually with speakers such as this we expect an absence of bass and clarity that is common with smaller speaker drivers… but the KEF Gravity One manages to outperform every other of its size and several larger speakers too. With a bit of external eq’ing to bring out those highs, it was a joy listening to the KEF. It didn’t matter whether we placed it on a desk or in the corner of the room, we were able to hear a consistently full sound.
The KEF boots into Bluetooth pairing mode when you hit the power button, meaning you don’t have to do anything if you want to connect. Pairing was incredibly easy, with my HTC 10 picking up the speaker instantly without any fuss. A big plus is that uses AptX technology for transferring the Bluetooth signal, overcoming the bandwidth bottleneck usually associated with the technology. This allows audio quality that is much closer to CD standard and we can definitely tell the difference here. Using the device as a hands-free speaker also works very well, with excellent audio quality for human speech and a clear microphone installed.
If we were to describe the overall sound of the KEF, it would be natural. The company has managed to include the same Uni-Q drivers which you find in their more expensive speaker lines; albeit greatly shrunk down for portability. As is with all small speakers, some material can sound a bit muddy if there’s a lot of instruments crammed into the mid-range, but the KEF deals with these shortcomings very admirably. For most material, the experience was stellar with each sound well defined. The lack of any real bump in the frequency spectrum means that some users may find the experience a bit boring if you’re not used to it, however a quick EQ preset can soon change that. Pairing it with the HTC 10, I found the ‘Techno’ preset to be most effective in getting my desired sound. This gives the bass a little increase and ups the treble, making things sound a little more appealing. That’s not to say that the KEF Gravity One can’t pump out any bass. In fact, we were actually surprised how such a small box could capture the mid-bass so effectively, as most seem to tail off well before that area.
Battery life on the KEF Gravity One is rated at 10 hours and honestly, after using it for most of the day at our office, it’s still going strong. We’ll update this with an official figure soon but for the 5+ hours it’s been playing, we’re quite happy with the result.
Verdict
Quite simply the best sounding Bluetooth speaker we’ve used of its size. To think a box of it’s size can produce such a full-bodied, detailed sound is pretty impressive in its own right. Combine this with first-class style in a rugged design that feels bulletproof and you’ve got a hell of a package. Just don’t expect it to come cheap.