Denon provides new bluetooth speaker with NFC

Denon has announced a bluetooth speaker under the name Envaya that is equipped with NFC. This should make pairing with a mobile device faster and easier. The wireless speaker can also serve as a charger for mobile devices.

Measuring 255x140x47.5mm, the Envaya features two 57mm full-range drivers and a 100mm passive radiator for sound production. Due to the presence of an NFC chip, the wireless speaker can be connected to a Bluetooth and NFC compatible device without the user having to enter pin codes or other actions. In addition, the Envaya has ‘multipoint functionality’ so that up to three devices can access the speaker at the same time. As soon as one of them pauses an audio stream, they can switch to another stream. Up to eight pairings are also remembered.

Denon states that the available aptX codec, which is used for the compression over a bluetooth a2dp profile, offers better audio quality. Also, the latency with this protocol would be approximately 32ms compared to an average latency of 150ms with a typical Bluetooth product. This should prevent problems like lip sync.

The 1.3 kg Enaya has a built-in stand at the back to put the speaker upright. The battery should offer up to 10 hours of play time, while charging via the micro USB connection takes up to 2.5 hours. The battery can also charge a connected device, such as a mobile or tablet, and there is an auxiliary input for connecting analog audio equipment. The Denon Envaya is for sale from mid-May with a suggested retail price of 199 euros.