Denon is one of those audio brands with a long-held reputation for innovation and performance. Founded in Japan in 1910, Denon started out making record players (to see the latest from that branch of its business check out my recent review of the Denon DP-450 USB turntable), the company was a CD pioneer and Denon stereo components and AV receivers are prized by audio enthusiasts. So of course the company offers portable Bluetooth speakers! They may not be as well known as mainstream offerings, but Denon’s portables — like the Envaya DSB-250BT — offer serious performance in a compact and affordable package.
First Impressions
The Denon Envaya DSB-250BT arrives nicely boxed, but the contents are minimal. Inside, is the speaker itself, a Micro USB cable (you’ll need to supply your own charger) and a wrist strap.
The speaker is a mixed bag in terms of appearance. It’s the basic candy bar form factor that many Bluetooth speakers adopt (about 8-inches wide), although Denon adds a few touches including a larger front face that’s slightly angled up for better sound dispersion. Like many rugged and water resistant speakers, there is a fair bit of black, rubberized material — this membrane also covers the buttons on one end cap.
What makes it stand out visually is a covering of premium, textured cloth that covers the front face and wraps over the top (available in black or my review unit’s grey) and the Denon logo prominently displayed on the front.
Battery Life + Water Resistance
For its compact size, this speaker has good battery life, but nothing spectacular. Keep the volume at reasonable levels and you can expect up to 13 hours on a charge. That’s enough for a day at the beach and a party afterward. Mind you, as with all portable speakers, battery life goes down as the volume goes up. Charging is via a Micro USB port and you’ll need to supply a charger — the one that comes with your smartphone will work, although you’ll need a different cable if it’s USB-C. Fully recharging takes in the neighbourhood of three to four hours.
The Envaya DSB-250BT is also IP67 water resistant (and dust resistant). That means being sprayed with water — being caught in the rain or splashed at the pool — is no worry, and it can even survive being dropped in three feet of water. In testing, it lived up to these claims, but there was one caveat. When left soaking in water for any length of time, that cloth cover can become saturated. At that point, the audio suffers until you dry it off. That’s certainly not the end of the world, but it is something that doesn’t happen with water resistant speakers with metal or plastic speaker grills.
Envaya DSB-250BT Key Specs:
- 2 x 40mm full range drivers, 53 x 135mm passive radiator
- High efficiency digital amplifier (2 x 13.5W)
- Custom audio tuning with signal processing technology that automatically adjusts for best audio from connected source
- IP67 water and dust proof
- Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX low latency / AAC / SBC support, multi-pairing (up to 8 sources) and simultaneous playback from 2 devices
- Supports two-channel stereo with Envaya Link and a second Envaya speaker
- Speakerphone and Siri support
- Battery rated at up to 13 hours playback
- 3.5mm AUX input
- 8.2 x 2.9 x 3.0-inches, weighs 1.65 pounds
- Includes carry strap, Micro USB cable
- MSRP $199
Stellar Audio Performance
Finally, the big draw for the Envaya DSB-250BT: audio performance. It may be compact, but this portable speaker lives up to the promise of the Denon logo on its front. Beneath the cloth covering, the company packed the Envaya DSB-250BT with a pair of oversized, full-range drivers, a huge passive radiator (measuring over 5-inches across) and a high efficiency digital amplifier that puts out 13.5 watts per channel.
The results are truly impressive. Low end performance in particular is a standout. If you like to hear the bass in your music and find other portables produce audio that seems a little thin or tinny, you’re going to love the Denon Envaya DSB-250BT. Bass and midrange are surprisingly robust, while the high end is still clear and crisp. In addition, this speaker manages to produce audio that has significantly more depth than you would expect from a small portable. Positioning the drivers at both ends, Denon’s advanced DSP technology and the slight speaker angling all probably had something to do with this.
In addition, it can get very loud and definitely outperforms many speakers that are significantly larger in this respect. It also does so without distortion at high levels, and without the unit jumping around — although you’ll be able to feel it pumping out a lot of air.
If you want to go all out and get true stereo sound, the speaker support’s Denon’s Envaya Link feature that lets you wirelessly connect a second Envaya speaker for left and right channel stereo.
Not Quite Perfect…
There is a lot to like about this speaker, but it’s not quite perfect.
There’s the issue of water-logging in the unlikely event that you submerge it for a length of time. What’s more likely to be noticeable on a regular basis are the buttons. They take more effort to engage than they should, especially the power button. It’s a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things, but other manufacturers have managed to make water resistant speakers with buttons that remain easy to operate.
Recommendation
If you’re looking for a compact, portable Bluetooth speaker that’s rugged, waterproof and offers decent battery life, the Denon Envaya DSB-250BT covers those bases. But if you also value high performance audio — including outstanding bass, depth and volume for a small portable — the Envaya DSB-250BT is tough to beat. Especially for its $199 MSRP.
