By: Kurtis | Last updated February 13, 2019 
When it comes to consumer and professional audio equipment, Denon is a brand with a solid reputation. The Japanese company has been around since 1939 and it is still popular and appreciated.
What is the Envaya DSB-250BT?
The Envaya DSB-250BT is Denon’s most premium portable Bluetooth speaker. It has a price of approximately $200, which is not exactly cheap, but you do get your money’s worth.
The Envaya DSB-250BT is the second model in the Envaya series, first released in 2014. It is not full of modern bells and whistles commonly found in newer Bluetooth speakers, such as WiFi or NFC for instance, but you get the most important thing you should want in a speaker: an amazing sound.
Besides the DSB-250, there are 3 other models you can choose from in the Envaya series: the Mini DSB-150BT, the Pocket DSB-50BT and the Envaya Mini-DSB-100. They all have lower prices than the Envaya DSB-250BT.
Design
The Envaya DSB-250BT has a pretty common and simple design, but tasteful and good looking. The speaker comes in 2 colors: black or gray, with fabric on top, rubberized plastic on the sides and a silver Denon logo on the front, in the middle. Of all the Envaya models, the DSB-250 BT is the biggest one.
The controls are on the right side of the speaker. There’s a phone button for taking calls, the power button in the middle, a Bluetooth button and the volume controls (+ and -).
There are also 5 LED indicators on the side, which show you the battery level.
The Envaya DSB-250BT comes with the charging cable, a carrying strap and the manual.
What are the features of the Envaya DSB-250BT?
Here are the main features and specifications for the Envaya DSB-250BT:
- Dimensions: 2.9 x 8.2 x 2.9 inches
- Weight: 0.750g
- 2 full range drivers (40mm)
- 1x53x135mm passive radiator
- Micro-USB cable for charging
- Analog input (3.5 mm mini jack)
- IP67 rating
- Number of units supported for simultaneous playback: 2
- Built-in microphone
- Multi-pairing: up to 8 devices
Playback time
The Envaya DSB-250BT has an above the average battery life. It lasts up to 13 hours. As for the charging time, this Denon speaker needs 3.5 hours to fully charge.
As we’ve already mentioned it above, the Envaya DSB-250BT has an IP67 rating, which means it can be submerged in water up to 1.5m, for up to 30 minutes. While we don’t recommend you voluntarily throw your speaker in the pool, it is reassuring to know in case of any accidents, rain or so on, this speaker can cope with water. The DSB-250BT is also dust proof.
While it doesn’t work with Alexa or Google Assistant directly, the Envaya DSB-250BT does work with Siri. You can talk to Siri on your iPhone by long pressing the phone button on the side of the speaker.
Pairing the Denon Envaya is as straightforward as it gets. You just power on the speaker and it will automatically try to pair with your device. You just go to Bluetooth settings on your smartphone and accept the pairing.
If you want to enable the stereo pairing mode you have to press on the Bluetooth button on the Envaya and hold it for approximately 5 seconds.
Sound quality
Denon is not exactly a budget brand. They do respect their merchandise and they have managed to build a reputation over the years. That is because they make good products and their top priority is sound quality. Sound quality is what makes the Envaya DSB-250BT stand out. It may not be its exceptional battery life (although is more than decent), the futuristic design or the modern, smart features. But when it comes to performance, this Bluetooth speaker won’t disappoint you.
The Envaya DSB-250BT can get pretty loud without distorting or degrading in sound quality.
This speaker has more richness in sound than most portable speakers. It sounds like a much larger speaker than it really is. The sound is really balanced. The mids are well textured, the bass is deep and present even at higher volumes, and the highs are smooth.
Overall, the Envaya DSB-250BT delivers a beautiful, detailed and balanced sound and if you were to listen to it with your eyes closed, you wouldn’t associate its sound with its size.
Bottom line, if you’re a picky audiophile and sound is your top priority in a Bluetooth speaker, and if your wallet can agree with you, you can’t go wrong with the Envaya DSB-250BT. And the fact that this speaker is also waterproof is a nice, useful bonus.
