Envent LiveFree 530

INTRO:-
 
 Envent is one of the rising IT brands here in India. Its not a brand that everyone knows but it’s a brand known to those who keep an eye on what is happening in the world of earphones and headphones here in India.
 
 This brand is mostly are known for its cost to performance products and have plenty of accessories under their belt, they have accessories for mobile phones and computer/laptops but are better known for their audio products. Envent have plenty of speakers for various use and have some headphones too, but we are mostly unknown about them.
 
 What I have here is one of their BT speakers, LiveFree 530, comes in 3 colours, Blue, Orange, and Black, Priced sensibly at 2999/- Rs which is somewhere between $40-45. Its not an ordinary day to day speaker which we see every now and then, it has plenty of tricks under it's belt. It has IP rating ( dust and water resistant), dual 5watt speakers, can take calls and is compact enough to carry around.
 
 I have to admit that my experiences with BT speakers has not been good. Those who sound good are really expensive, and are fragile, those who are not expensive doesn't sound good. I have heard some BOSE speakers, UE mini boom, few sony BT speakers but none of them impressed me when it comes to price to performance. UE mini boom was good but lacked bass and was not as clear as I expected and still was expensive.
 
 Well.. Let's find out how this little inexpensive BT speaker fairs.
 
 Before that let me thank Rani and Envent for this sample unit. Nice to see an Indian brand trusting in a reviewer.
 

 
BUILD AND ACCESSORIES and MISCELLANEOUS:-
 
 This speaker is not something we are used to for its price. It not our typical Cheap BT speaker. It has really nice build quality and can't be labeled as cheap looking by any means. I prefer its looks over the Mi BT speakers.
 
 530 BT has something that every BT speaker should have. It has IP65 rating and is waterproof, shockproof and dustproof too.  It has built-in MIC for hands free calling. Comes with a universal micro USB jack for charging and a 3.5 mm auxilary option for wired uses. Has a strap to hang or hold on to. And user manual.
 
 It has typical range of 10 meters, And its reception is good, better than my friends Mini boom and my brothers small BT speaker. Power output of 10 watts through its dual speakers are plenty for a small party. Frequency response of 20-20k is good too and soon I will tell you how good it is.
 
 Living up to its IP65 rating this speaker can withstand water splashes and can be dropped one or twice from not more than 1 meter height. Its roughly to 20cm long, 8cm tall and 5 cm wide. Its compact enough and can be carried around in your back pack or even your pocket (if its slightly bigger).
 
 I am not sure how it is dustproof, as its front and back mesh can let micro dust particles in, maybe the driver is air tight. And its corrosion proof too!!
 
 Battery life is good, better than many BT speakers, it's in the ball park of 5-6 hrs which is more than enough, but it takes long to charge its 2000mah battery, close to 2hrs with my 2A charger.
 
 On the down side it’s a BT 3.0 device, which is not really bad but isn't exactly exciting either as the whole world has moved on to BT version 4.0 or 4.1. It's okay never the less.
 
 Clarity through MIC is really good and these speakers have really nice in call clarity.
 

Looks nice doesnt it?
 

Bottom has a mounting screw.
 

Front.
 

Yes.. I washed it.. Its water resistant for a reason..
 

All that comes inside.
 
GETTING STARTED:-
 
 There are 4 buttons on top of this device, just press the power button for few seconds and the device is powered on and searches for nearby sources to pair with, get to your device's BT menu, scan, select LiveFree 530 and you are connected, party on!!
 
 There are 3 more buttons, and they do exactly what theirs signs indicate. There is this play pause / call receive and end button and couple of buttons around it for the speakers volume control.
 
 If you want to go Wired just turn the device on, Plug a line-in cable, the LED indicator turns green from blue, plug your device at the other side and you are good to go.
 

Back side.
 

Rubber protection for USB post and line-in jack.
 

 

 
SOUND QUALITY:-
 
BT MODE:-
 
Now when we talk about cheap $50 BT speakers we typically don’t expect much. We expect them to be loud, and kind of clear, lacking lower end grunt, okish reception and with manageable details.
 That’s not the case with this. 530 has enough lower end grunt for a BT speaker. Even though it has a 20-20k frequency range I don’t think it goes as deep as 20hz, it feels something like 30-35hz vibration which is kind of audible. It vibrates with Lower end grunt for sure and does that without distorting other frequencies which the UE mini boom does frequently. If we talk about details, its average at best, then again with BT mode one is not supposed to expect much of details when it comes to Bass details.
 
 You will not be able to tell notes apart nor will be able to pick them clearly, decay is considerably bad, enjoyable never the less and thank fully its there, as many BT speakers in this price range are just unable to produce bass frequencies below 80hz.
 
 Mid range is a considerably better when it comes to details and clarity, it's not much transparent but clarity is acceptable. It picks up enough details and most instruments sound good. They just sound good without depth or refinement. Vocals too sound good with meaty and full bodied presentation but still notes are out of depth, that’s mostly because of BT transmission loss. I don’t mind 530's MID range quality at all, Over all its good.
 
 Sound stage is better than mini boom and many other $20 in-line speakers.
 
 Highs are mostly good too. You can hear guitars and trumpets and most of the common instruments clearly. When it comes to extension it's not much extended, not that I was expecting, still..
 It has nice layering, acceptable separation and good instrument placing.
 
 Distortion is high at higher volume, I recommend not to put it through Trance and house music and expect outstanding performance.
 

 
 
 All in all I can say that with BT mode it sounds really nice, better than many BT speakers under $50 and better than some $20, 2.0 speakers.
 
 After all BT mode battery life is slightly better than 5hrs.
 
IN-LINE MODE:-
 
 In-line performance is not much different when it comes to Bass, its still has the same texture with slightly better depth and details. Decay remains mostly similar.
 
 Mid range too is slightly better with better depth and decent amount of details for vocals and instruments. It sounds more transparent and clearer when compared with BT mode.
 
 Highs too improves similarly with better extension and slightly better separation.
 
 Output volume is not really loud still loud enough for a house or pool party. Slight distortion creeps in at higher volume.
 

 

 

 
CONCLUSION:-
 
 Well. if you are an Indian or are in India and is looking for cheap BT device with good battery life and above average sound quality, Envent LiveFree 530 can be an option for you with good signal strength, connectivity options, Good battery life and more than acceptable sound quality.
 
 Now none of us take our electronic devices out in the dust or in the rain or for outings, for a change, take this one out, its dust resistant, you can afford to drop it once in a while, It can stand running water too and rain simply is not a problem.
 
 It’s a pocket friendly rugged Bluetooth speaker that sounds good enough, can with stand plenty of things without complaining. You can use it in your office, kitchen, GYM and even take it with you while you take a shower!! Isn't that fantastic?
 
 All this for under $50.. What else should you ask for..
 
 Let me tell you what..
 
 1. Better sound quality.
 2. Bluetooth 4.0/4.1, NFC.
 3. Slightly better bass with a bit more refinement.
 4. One can use a Pendrive or card option.
 
 This is it for now. Good day folks.
 Cheers, enjoy.