Home iPhonia iPhone Accessories ,,,,, Design and active noise reduction are the two characteristic factors of KEF Space One Wireless a model of headphones that we have had the opportunity to try these days. But even if these elements are nothing new since in the world of high-end headphones (and often also entry level) they are two constant strengths, the test intrigued us a lot.
KEF is a historic and popular brand in the world of Hi-Fi and audiophiles in general and the quality of its products is known and manifested by the constant attention to detail, which, we anticipate, we found pleasantly also in this product (but also in others, such as when we talked about the Riva Turbo X diffuser).
KEF Space One Wireless, the review
Two words: Porsche design
The review of the KEF Space One Wireless starts from the box: once opened, we find the leatherette case inside, where the headphones and accessories stand out on a throne of soft fabric.
And it is already from here, from the beginning, that the attention to detail emerges: velvet, accessory bag, convenient position for extraction, nothing that has never been seen, but everything well arranged and a nice reward for those who have just purchased a premium product that appears as such also to the eye and not only from the substance.
What then there is not much to discover: in addition to the headphones we find the MicroUSB / USB-A power cable (a bit short to be honest) and the analog cable with Jack for those who want a longer duration or for those who love tradition again.
The headphones appear as a design product, with attention to detail and with a definitely original cut: a mixture of metal and plastic that embellishes the whole, offering a modern and very sober look.
A must mention for the memory-type headphone cushions, which after the first time remember the shape of the ear and are undoubtedly very comfortable. The bow cushion is also comfortable, and in the long run it doesn't get tired, even if the headphones are just heavier than average. We found them very comfortable: the pads, among other things, do not heat up too much even after many hours of use, and this is an advantage for an accessory designed for people who will probably use the headphones not casually.
The only thing we didn't like in the design, but it could be a personal opinion, is related to the Y-hook of the arch with the pavilions, which tends to widen a lot outwards: great for those with a lot of hair, a bit excessive for those who don't have any.
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In the street
The controls are all grouped in the right pavilion: three buttons control playback and, in our case, also SIRI shared with the iPhone, there is the connector for the analog cable and the physical button for switching on and activating the circuit NC.
This is of the mechanical type, in practice with a click the headphones are activated, with a second the headphones turn on the circuit for active noise reduction, in a position that is not the most adequate and sometimes even not very delicate, where one expected something softer.
A female voice informs us of the switching on and off and a small white LED allows us to understand the type of function activated.
The noise reduction system is quite precise, it is not adjustable but we can certainly say that it worked well on the road. You can hear the most important and less annoying noises while it almost completely cancels the most deaf ones such as the tram or bus engine.
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You can correctly recognize the voice of those who speak to us directly as well as a motorcycle or a car that comes towards us: we have not had the opportunity to test them on the plane, however we have no way of doubting that even in that area they work correctly.
We remind you that the use of an NC system not so much in controlled environments (airplane, office, home) but outdoors can become very dangerous and more attention than normal is needed for continuous use, in the face of a reduced perception of the activity. surrounding.
Finally, note of merit regarding the use of Bluetooth, which has never wavered: from time to time we forgot and walked around the house or office with headphones on, leaving the iPhone in the other room. , without ever suffering from interruptions or lag. Even in games, the headphones have proved capable and active, although clearly not a model designed for gamers.
It is interesting that the headphones use the default AptX codec, which can be selected as the transmission method with Mac, Windows PC and Android, but still not from iPhone and iPad due to limitations by Apple and it is a shame because according to we the quality of AptX does not fail to be perceptible compared to AAC, a technology supported by iOS.
Music what a passion
Those who already know KEF and the tradition of the brand expect meticulous attention to sound quality here: for the tests we used an iPhone 8 with Vox as a music player, however, deactivating the internal equalization and letting the headphones express themselves in their form. more natural.
The result, if we can define it with a single term, was “balanced”. The bass is present, but never excessive, the range of the mids and the highs stands on the same evaluation.
The KEF Space One Wireless are supported by 40 mm transducers with a frequency response between 20Hz and 20kHz; the impedance is 16 Ohm, the sensitivity is 94dB. The 20 mm magnets are neodymium.
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The result is an airy and open sound, although perhaps we would have preferred a greater detail in the lower frequencies, which comes by raising the volume, but looking for balance the result was fully pleasant and definitely up to expectations: these are not Hi-Fi headphones and it is clear that in this game the presence of the NC circuit counts, as is the difficulty of maintaining a good yield with an attenuation in some frequencies.
We happily listened to songs like Sting's Englishman In New York, Sinead O'Connors' Nothing compares 2U, Enya's Orinoco Flow and Guns N 'Roses' Welcome To The Jungle. In the humble opinion of the writer, headphones work better with pop music, less with symphonic music and / or sustained disco rhythms.
We really liked the speech, especially in the movies: we saw some episodes of the no longer young but always excellent “The Mentalist”, a couple of episodes of “Rocco Schiavone” (bad quality of Rai Play, much better to opt for DVD ) and the final part of the third (and possibly final) Daredevil series on Netflix.
In operation not consumed much: at full charge the KEF Space One Wireless promises 30 hours of listening on battery with Bluetooth and noise cancellation active, 40 hours of operation with Bluetooth on and noise cancellation deactivated and 110 hours of operation with noise cancellation enabled and Bluetooth disabled. Values that we would like to endorse even if in addition to the 30-hour test, certainly realistic, given that we used the headphones for a whole week here and there without charging them, for the other values a test is probably too long to test.
Considerations
KEF Space One Wireless are an interesting product that is able to withstand the fierce struggle in the premium sector of active noise reduction headphones, with very important names but to which KEF looks with reverence but without fear.
The construction is (very) good, the sound performance balanced, the attenuation of noise dosed and the design of the level, for a product perfectly that justifies the price towards a demanding and attentive market.
Some construction details can be revised but it is a secondary aspect for a product that knows how to please and that can be an important gift for Christmas, even if the cost is not to be underestimated.
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Pro : • Splendid attention to detail • Excellent Bluetooth performance • Correct and balanced functioning of the NR chip
Against: • The NR ignition and activation controls are a bit awkward • The bass is not well defined
Price: 299.00 Euro
The KEF Space One Wireless headphones are distributed in Italy by HIFIGHT, a Padua-based company that also includes other interesting Hi-Fi products among its brands: the headphones are available in Black and Titanium colors at the retail price of 299.00 Euros, but they are also available online.
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