Teufel presented the portable Bluetooth speaker Teufel MOTIV GO in mid-October. We have been able to test this compact stereo speaker for several weeks. Does the MOTIV GO surprise you? You can read it in this review.
When I took the small MOTIV GO out of a fairly large box from Teufel, I was a bit disappointed. Such a small speaker, that can never be much, can it? And then also for an amount of 249 euros? Fortunately, that disappointment soon disappeared and I was very pleasantly surprised by this new model from the German Teufel.
Specifications Teufel MOTIV GO
First of all, the specifications at a glance. The compact stereo speaker MOTIV GO has two full-range drivers and two passive bass drivers. The total power of the speaker is 20 watts. The speaker has a lithium-ion battery that, according to Teufel, lasts about 16 hours without charging at a normal volume. The speaker supports Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX for streaming music in high quality. In addition, Dynamore technology from the German manufacturer is present. This boosts the sound to provide a wide stereo sound image. The speaker also has a party mode. You can simultaneously pair two smartphones with this portable speaker.
Design Teufel MOTIV GO
The speaker has an aluminum housing with plastic on the back and fabric on the front. The speaker is 20 centimeters wide, 11 centimeters high and 6 centimeters deep. The speaker is slightly less deep at the top than at the bottom. The total weight is 900 grams. You can easily take this model with you wherever you go. The housing is splash-proof, so you can easily use this model in the bathroom or in the garden. There is a protective cap on the right side. When you fold it open you will find the connection for the charger and a 3.5 mm connection.
At the top we find physical buttons. These are provided with a rubber layer. This is of course to ensure that the speaker can withstand a splash of water. Here you will find buttons for on / off, Dynamore on or off, previous, play / pause, next and the volume. The first two buttons are also equipped with LED lights. The MOTIV GO is available in the colors black and silver (Night Black and Silver White). We started with the silver version.
First impression
The first impression was not very impressive. A small speaker comes from a fairly large box. That can’t be much, can it? After pressing the on / off button for a while, the speaker was started up and a bluetooth connection was searched. Then just connect from the bluetooth menu on your smartphone and you’re done. This whole process will take about 10 seconds and you can start. After starting up Spotify and listening to the first songs, my first impression turned 180 degrees. It is unbelievably clever what Teufel manages to get from this little monster in terms of sound.
Impressive sound
After the first impression, I left the speaker on continuously at the office. For a somewhat smaller room, the MOTIV GO offers enough sound to fill the office. Also places like the bathroom or kitchen should not be a problem. The Dynamore technology has a major influence on the sound. According to Teufel, this technology should provide a wide stereo range. That is partly correct as far as I am concerned. When you have Dynamore switched off, the sound sounds a bit on the dull side. It is quite neutral, but especially the low tones do not come into its own. If you turn on your Dynamore at the touch of a button, the low tones will be given a considerable boost. It therefore sounds like a music preset with Bass Boost that you can switch on or off. Yet this is not entirely fair, because the sound actually reaches further and in particular the stereo effect is much more evident. Actually, it is unbelievably clever what bass effects come out of the small speaker. In fact, the bass needs quite a bit of space, look at the size of a subwoofer, to do it justice. Now you cannot compare this speaker with a sound system with a separate subwoofer, but the bass that comes from the Teufel MOTIV GO is nothing more than impressive. It is actually strange that in this review I am talking about a comparison with a more expensive system with separate subwoofer, and in this case that is a compliment for this Bluetooth speaker from Teufel.
Still, not everything is perfect about this model. The Dynamore technology can ensure that the bass is able to take the upper hand. As a result, the low tones come out too much and this is at the expense of the detail in the sound. The high tones are sometimes pushed too much into the background. This differs per song and type of music. If you blast rock-hard metal through the speaker, the double bass drum can take the upper hand. If you prefer to listen to pop music, this is much less noticeable. If you kick on dance music, this will not disturb you at all. It’s a bit hit-and-miss with the Dynamore technology, but you probably prefer to leave it on. Otherwise the music often sounds too faded.
Teufel MOTIV GO in use
The Teufel MOTIV GO is compact enough to take with you everywhere. Teufel claims that the speaker has a battery that lasts up to 16 hours. Of course this depends on the volume at which you let the speaker play, but our own test has shown that it is probably correct for 16 hours. So you don’t have to charge often with this model, which is a plus. The charger is of course included. Later this year, a special Teufel storage bag will also be launched on the market for this model. Once your smartphone has been paired, it is just a matter of switching on the speaker and the connection will be made automatically. So you can start listening to music within seconds. Another nice extra is that the speaker has a microphone. If you have a connection with the speaker when your phone rings, the call automatically switches to the speaker. You can hear your conversation partner very clearly through the Teufel MOTIV GO. The other way around, your conversation partner can also hear you perfectly through the microphone in the loudspeaker. If you end the conversation, the music will immediately resume.
The buttons on top work well, but lack the real impression effect a bit. There is of course a rubber protective layer over it to make the whole splash-proof, but this is at the expense of pressing. It may therefore happen that you press a button and you are not quite sure whether you have activated a function. So you miss a little feedback. Yet this is a small downside that will not be decisive for a possible purchase. The design of the Teufel MOTIV GO will probably not appeal to everyone. It is a classic design that the youth may soon label as ‘boring’. Personally, I think the design radiates class and Teufel actually does something different from all those other manufacturers of bluetooth speakers. Finally, the price remains. For 249 euros you get the MOTIV GO at home and that is certainly not a small amount. It is also not a smart speaker, but purely a bluetooth speaker with microphone. Then it is still a considerable amount. Is the speaker worth the purchase price? To me for sure. The Teufel MOTIV GO blows away many competitors of this size. You really have to be looking for a good Bluetooth speaker and use it regularly, because for a nice extra speaker that you will use on holiday or in the garden is 249 euros a lot of money.
Teufel MOTIV GO – Conclusion
The Teufel MOTIV GO has pleasantly surprised me. It is a great achievement by Teufel what kind of sound they have managed to conjure up from this compact speaker. The Teufel MOTIV GO is one of the best bluetooth speakers you can buy at the moment. For 249 euros it is certainly not a cheap speaker, but this model is certainly worth it.
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