More

    Denon Envaya (DSB-250BT) review

    Removed from the primary of its identify, Denon’s Envaya vary started in 2014. The newest  product to bear the identify – the top-tier Denon Envaya DSB-250BT – is a part of the second wave of audio system within the sequence. 

    The Envaya DSB-250BT is the most important of the three new fashions and, maybe not coincidentally, it’s additionally among the many best-sounding wi-fi audio system you should buy. Amongst its tremendous powers are highly effective bass, clean tone and the power to fill larger rooms than it has any proper to, all of which make this speaker reasonably particular. 

     Value and availability 

    Sitting excessive up on the high quality, the Denon Envaya DSB-250BT prices $199 (£149, AU$229) and is the costliest speaker within the present Envaya line-up.

    It’s joined by the Envaya Mini ($149, £109, AU$98)  and the $99 (£79, round AU$130) Envaya Pocket. Make sure you keep away from the older Denon Envaya DSB-100 and Envaya DSB-200 when purchasing for one in all these audio system – whereas each of these audio system are strong, the newer variations ship even higher sound high quality.

    Design

    Contemplating the Denon Envaya DSB-250BT is the biggest of three siblings, you might need anticipated it to be downright large. Nevertheless it’s not. That is nonetheless a small Bluetooth speaker that you could possibly pack in a cabin bag for a weekend break with out having to depart all of your garments bar a t-shirt at house.

    In case you’re a numbers particular person, the Envaya DSB-250BT measures in at 209 x 77mm (W x H), making it a good bit smaller than its rival, the UE Megaboom.

    In typical Denon fashion, the Envaya appears to be like fairly grown-up. Relatively than embracing color and clearly tough-looking materials, it’s all-black other than the silver Denon emblem. And the speaker grille makes use of a reasonably smooth cloth that wouldn’t look out on place on the entrance of a bookshelf speaker. 

    It’s a slight shock, then, that the Denon Envaya DSB-250BT is water resistant. Rated to IP67, it may deal with being submerged in water of as much as 1m depth. Working it below a faucet, the water simply cascades over the Envaya. A really small quantity appears to be absorbed by the material’s smooth prime layer, however this can evaporate pretty shortly.

    The Denon Envaya DSB-250BT’s finish caps are rubber-coated, giving them the power to absorb some affect pressure do you have to drop it. This speaker would not look misplaced in a sleek front room, but it surely’s robust sufficient for the outside too.

    There’s additionally a cut-out on its again, letting you connect the speaker to a rucksack with a wire.  It is a function we have seen earlier than on the UE Roll 2, but it surely’s good to see it once more right here.

    Characteristic set

    The Denon Envaya DSB-250BT has just a few additional options however some of the vital issues to notice is what it lacks: sensible speaker standing. It doesn’t join on to Google Assistant or Alexa as a Google Residence or Echo speaker does. 

    That mentioned, you possibly can convey up Google or Siri by long-pressing the Bluetooth button on the aspect. There’s a mic within the speaker that permits you to discuss to the assistant, however that is really simply the identical performance latest wi-fi headphones have.

    It is price noting that the Envaya DSB-250BT’s aspect buttons are stiff and have virtually zero click on suggestions. If there’s a design weak spot right here, it’s these buttons. 

    That mentioned, nonetheless, they do work and also you don’t actually need to make use of them aside from to energy the speaker on and off. 

    The Denon Envaya DSB-250BTs battery lasts for 13 hours at reasonable quantity, and is recharged utilizing a microUSB socket on the again. This port is roofed by a rubberised panel to maintain water out. 

    Such battery life is strong reasonably than wonderful, and whereas one other competitor, the Sony SRS-XB40, lasts as much as 24 hours, the Denon sounds higher. You too can verify the battery stage with a fast press on the facility button. Doing so lights-up a 5-LED array on the entrance, to point out you roughly how a lot cost is left.

    If wi-fi is not your forte, a three.5mm socket subsequent to the microUSB charger additionally helps you to plug in non-wireless sources

    There’s no companion app, no Wi-Fi. Nevertheless, you possibly can hyperlink up two of those audio system by urgent their Bluetooth buttons for 5 seconds. We haven’t had an opportunity to check out a stereo pair, however anticipate such a combo to sound nice. 

    Efficiency

    Contained in the the Denon Envaya DSB-250BT you will discover two 40mm lively drivers and a 53x135mm passive radiator. 

    This radiator is bigger than most on this speaker class, and it helps give the speaker impressively authoritative  bass, digging 10-20Hz decrease than most of its rivals. This makes bass drums and bass guitars sound weightier and extra highly effective. 

    It additionally provides to the speaker’s sense of scale, significantly because the low-end is best managed and separated than that of one thing just like the Bose SoundLink Mini II. A lot of small audio system ship bass that appears spectacular for the dimensions, however a combo of tiny lively drivers and a radiator can depart them with very apparent lots within the treble and bass, however a flawed bridge between the 2. 

    A mix of some mid-range texture and higher bass management make the Envaya DSB-250BT sound much more cohesive and coherent than many. This can be a “small” moveable speaker, however one with the sound high quality of a speaker for the house. 

    Equally, the soundstage is comparatively clear and clear, permitting for a lot better stereo imaging than most. 

    The Denon Envaya DSB-250BT may also go fairly loud with out the telling “shouty” mids of a speaker having its limits examined. It crammed our 4x5m check front room properly … a lot as we’d nonetheless reasonably have a Sonos One as a speaker solely for at-home music. This is likely one of the best decisions you may make in order for you one thing that may cowl house listening and holidays, although.

    Verdict

    Regardless of an almost flawless efficiency, the Envaya is not good: Whereas sound quaity is full, highly effective and wealthy, it doesn’t have the treble chew some like. Treble element is there, but it surely’s offered to mix in, not stick out. 

    The rival Riva S additionally has cleaner, extra detailed mids. Nevertheless, contemplating the Riva’s  sound is much less highly effective and doesn’t maintain up as properly at excessive volumes, the Denon Envaya DSB-250BT would nonetheless be our choose for a celebration.  

    General, we really feel that the Denon Envaya DSB-250BT is a good small wi-fi speaker, and one of many first audio system from 2018 that completely blew us away. 

    Recent Articles

    How to Partition a hard drive – 2 efficient ways

    Partitioning your onerous drive makes managing the working system, information, and file codecs of every partition simpler. For instance, you possibly can set up...

    UGREEN Revodok Max 213 review: The only Thunderbolt 4 docking station you’ll ever need

    UGREEN is launching extra merchandise than Xiaomi today, and the Chinese accent maker is aggressively branching out into new classes. It debuted a 13-in-1...

    Hands on: UGREEN DXP4800 Plus

    Rather than a overview, it is a ‘hands-on’ of the UGREEN DSP4800 Plus. Our machine is likely to be outdated earlier than this {hardware}...

    How we test webcams at PCWorld

    Testing a webcam appears straightforward sufficient: Assemble a bunch of them, use them to take images or video, and examine the outcomes. But it’s...

    How to record screen Windows 10 with audio [4 free ways]

    Key Takeaways: The best solution to report a Windows 10 display with audio is by utilizing knowledgeable screen recorder – EaseUS RecExperts, which helps you...

    Related Stories

    Stay on op - Ge the daily news in your inbox