Motiv Home in the practical test
This devil streams with great class
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With the Motiv Home, Teufel is bringing a loudspeaker onto the market that specializes in streaming. In the practical test, it impressed above all with its great sound. It is also mobile thanks to an integrated battery and Bluetooth, but it quickly reaches its limits.
Around three years ago, Teufel released the Musicstation, an extremely versatile and powerful speaker that is equipped with almost everything you can use to listen to music, from DAB+ to WiFi streaming to a CD player. Now the Teufel Motiv Home is coming onto the market for 550 euros, which focuses almost exclusively on streaming and could compete with the Sonos Era 300, among others. ntv.de has tried out what the new devil has to offer.
At 40 x 16.5 x 16.1 centimeters, it is not a small speaker box, but it is quite compact and can fit in many places. The simple but attractive design also contributes to this. The Home motif is available in black or white.
Strong inner life
The removable cover provides interesting insights into the inner workings.
(Photo: kwe)
Inside the box, which weighs almost 4.5 kilos, Teufel has housed four broadband speakers (2 inches/aluminum), two of which radiate from the sides. A centrally located subwoofer (5 inch/polypropylene) and two passive membranes on the back are responsible for the bass. The Motiv Home is controlled using a Teufel rotary control and buttons.
There are no touch surfaces or a display. Volume, charging status, etc. are instead displayed by LEDs on the front and top. Their brightness is automatically adjusted using a sensor.
The Teufel Motiv Home has a button for every function.
(Photo: kwe)
Operation using the wheel and buttons is simple and largely self-explanatory thanks to the illuminated symbols. Teufel also provides pleasantly detailed printed instructions. It also helps with the initial commissioning, which primarily involves integration into the home WiFi network.
Large streaming offering
To do this, you need the manufacturer’s associated home app, in which you can also select playback sources. These include the music streaming services Spotify and Tidal, internet radio via TuneIn Radio, Chromecast, Apple Airplay and an AUX input on the back. In addition, the box can establish Bluetooth connections to smartphones and other devices.
The back with passive bass membranes, USB and AUX ports and carrying handle.
(Photo: kwe)
You can use the Home app to control playback as an alternative to using the buttons. It also offers basic settings and a fairly rudimentary equalizer: it is only possible to control highs and lows manually, and there are five presets.
Excellent sound
That’s not exactly lavish, but fortunately you don’t actually need any more sophisticated sound control, because Teufel has tuned the sound of the Motiv Home perfectly. It sounds pleasantly neutral, with an emphasis on the mids. The highs are crystal clear and do not rattle even at very high volumes, which the Class D amplifier with 70 watts of nominal power is capable of.
The bass also plays in a controlled manner when you turn up the volume. They appear surprisingly powerful and show a lot of depth. The box also has a bass amplifier button, but it only has a certain effect with very quiet music – otherwise Teufel is obviously pushing the acceptable limit.
Overall, the Motiv Home sounds like a much larger box – and, above all, really good. The sound can also be quite room-filling thanks to Teufel’s Dynamore technology in conjunction with the side-emitting speakers. However, the stereo effect itself is not comparable to that of a pair of speakers.
Mobile, but not a real outdoor device
With an integrated battery that has a capacity of 5200 milliamp hours, the Motiv Home can also be used mobile. It has a carrying handle on the back. But that doesn’t make it a camping companion. Without water and dust protection, it is more suitable for balconies and terraces, where it can also remain within WiFi range and is not limited to Bluetooth and AUX.
With a capacity of 5200 milliamp hours, the battery would run out of steam far too quickly at a beach party. Teufel states a maximum running time of 15 hours. But this only applies to quiet music. According to the instructions, at medium volume you can get a maximum of eleven hours. If a party needs to be filled with sound, it can be over after just two hours. The Eco mode doesn’t help much, as it limits the volume, among other things. If the running time is not that important or the device is plugged into a socket, you can charge smartphones etc. using the USB port on the back.
Conclusion
The Teufel Motive Home is a speaker box that offers many streaming options and scores with excellent sound. Bluetooth and battery operation are welcome additions that make the device even more versatile. 550 euros is appropriate for the quality. However, the Motive Home has strong competition from its own company: the even more versatile and almost equally powerful Teufel Musicstation is available for 100 euros less.
