TWS true wireless earphones - under $150
4.5 STARS - With a more balanced sound than its well-known competitors, the Lypertek PurePlay Z5 deserves your attention if you're looking for wireless ANC earphones.
Lypertek PurePlay Z5 specs and features:
Bluetooth 5.2 with AAC and AptX Adaptive
IPX4 waterproof (splashproof)
4-7 hours listening on a full charge (ANC on/ off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 10 different ear tips, USB-C cable, English manual
$130 - Check price on Amazon US, Amazon UK or other Amazon stores
Below this Lypertek PurePlay Z5 review, you will find comparisons of the Lypertek PurePlay Z5 vs Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, Sony WF-1000XM3, Edifier NeoBuds Pro, and Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+.
Updated August 26, 2022: The sound score has been reduced to 4 stars because of the thin higher vocals on higher volumes.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The Lypertek PurePlay Z5 isn't the fanciest-looking pair of earbuds. The charging case feels cheap, with a matte-black finish that scratches easily. The lid is a bit shaky, although the hinge seems strong enough to survive for a long time. A single LED light on the front indicates the remaining case battery. The case can top-up the earbuds four times fully before it needs to be recharged wirelessly or via USB-C.
The PurePlay Z5 earbuds are nothing special as well. They combine a moderate-length stem with a tube that goes into your ears. It may look nothing spectacular, but it is functional. The small round mound fits snugly and is nowhere near too large - it's comfortable to wear for hours. This is something to point out especially on ANC earbuds in this price range, which are often on the larger and bulkier side.
The battery life is decent, with around 4 hours with ANC on, to around 7 hours with ANC off - which is the default setting. If you're listening on volume levels below the 50% indication on your phone, it could be longer. Thanks to the IPX4 waterproof rating, it should also withstand light rain and splashes.
Controls and connectivity
The Lypertek PurePlay Z5 has all the important controls ready at your fingertips:
The app (half in English, half translated to system language) lets you change the controls
Tap L or R to play/ pause music
Hold L or R to switch between ANC on, Transparency mode, ANC off
Double-tap R to skip a song
Double-tap L to return s song
Triple-tap R to increase the volume
Triple-tap L to decrease volume
Tap THEN hold to activate the voice assistant
The touch panels respond well to your input, which is convenient, as the most important controls are both tied to a single touch.
Also adding the voice assistant to a single tap-then-hold action was too ambitious: it's hit and miss to activate this function. Happily: if you wish to change the controls, you can do so via the app.
Connectivity on the PurePlay Z5 is good: the Bluetooth connection holds up to 9-10 meters away from your device, and the earbuds pair and connect quickly when you take them out of the case.
Music doesn't automatically pause when you take an earbud out, however, and there's no multipoint connectivity to let you connect to two devices simultaneously.
Calls, movies and Games
Video calls like Microsoft Teams and Zoom meetings are doable with the Lypertek PurePlay Z5. Your voice comes with very subtle volume swings but sounds clear and loud all the time, even with a nice fullness to your voice.
Your voice is just as clear in phone calls. In both type of calls, darker sounds around you are transformed to unrecognisable sound effects in the call - and your voice outweighs them. Brighter sounds - like chatter, passing trains or scooters - do come through. Wind noise is a serious threat to the clarity of your voice, as always.
Watching videos is flawless, with perfect synchronization between audio and video on Android and iPhone.
Unfortunately, there's no game mode on the Z5. As a result, there's a noticeable delay between the action you see on screen in games and the sound you hear. Nice though: there is a Gaming equalizer from the app that reduces bass impact and accentuates spatial details like footsteps and distant gunshots.
Lypertek PurePlay Z5 app review
Lypertek surprisingly ditched the regular PurePlay app and released a new PureControl ANC app for the Z5. It doesn't ask for too many permissions on your phone, doesn't require an account, and is easy to use.
See the remaining battery life of the earbuds
Change the controls
Find your earbuds on a map
Update the firmware
See wearing instructions
Select ANC, Ambient, Normal, and turn Auto-Ambient on/off
Activate the LDX mode (adding a bit of dynamics to the sound)
Choose from seven preset equalizers
Create and save two custom equalizers
The app starts quickly and is easy to use
Auto-Ambient is a useful new feature
Save two custom EQ's, or select from a small few
The app connects easily, is easy to understand, and as the equalizers can tweak the sound to your liking, the LDX mode makes music more dynamic, and the Auto-Ambient (more on that hereafter) is a very clever addition; the app makes the Lypertek PurePlay Z5 a better, complete product.
ANC Noise cancelling test of Lypertek Z5
ANC quality: The Lypertek Z5 only partly convinces in the active noise cancelling department. While darker sounds are reduced well from your surroundings - even to the point you can't hear typing on a keyboard, brighter sounds are still audible. Your water kettle is still noticeable, and so are chatter and distant traffic. More so than competitors like the Edifier NeoBuds Pro and Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, it's possible to not only hear but also locate where cars are driving under your window - for example. The ANC mode also comes with a white noise floor, sadly, which can also be heard in between songs or in easygoing musical parts.
Transparency mode quality: The Transparency/ Ambient mode works like a charm, however. It immediately puts through brighter sound effects, so conversation and traffic come through clear - even when you have the same mentioned window closed again. When you're playing music on low to moderate volume, it's still doable to pick up traffic and even the quick chat with the cashier.
The Z5 has an extra trick: the Auto-Ambient mode is brilliant. This setting immediately activates the Transparency/ Ambient mode when you pause music or video playback. Just tapping pause is enough to hear your surroundings clearly again. It takes about 1,5 seconds before the Ambient mode kicks in, and while that could be faster, it's a very clever function. Tap play again, and you'll return to the setting you were in before.
Wind noise reduction: The PurePlay Z5 passes through a lot of wind noise in both ANC and Transparency modes. Lypertek knows this too, seeing the manual recommends you to switch off ANC when you're in the wind. This does indeed help you enjoy your music without problems while commuting.
ANC off is the standard setting, and it's the right choice most of the time, as it the off-setting also adds up to 3 (!) hours of battery life on a single charge.
Also read: The best wireless ANC earbuds
Sound quality of Lypertek PurePlay Z5
Whereas most ANC earbuds around the $150 price point are generous with their bass, the Lypertek PurePlay Z5 takes another direction. It sounds more balanced than many of its competitors.
Where the Lypertek PurePlay Z5 stands in sound approach, is best described opposed to its strongest competitors. Coming off from the Sony WF-1000XM3, Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, and Edifier NeoBuds Pro, switching to the Z5 always means two things: it reaches further into the highs and has less mid-bass.
Now, that isn't a problem. These competitors may be praised for their sound quality, but they are tuned for bass lovers. They have punching, hard-hitting bass thumps that a few audiophiles here and there will only describe as aggressive or 'guilty-pleasure' levels.
The PurePlay Z5 doesn't boast the same wildly textured and pronounced mid-bass, but instead has a more natural bass. The mid-bass has a steady thump and decent texture, but it never overstays its welcome. The sub-bass, too, doesn't rumble as fiercely as its competitors, but the sub-bass dives deep and sounds lovely full. This gentle fullness applies to the entire lows, including the lower-mids. Those are slightly boosted - giving drums impact and providing music with a pleasant warmth.
The balanced approach of the Z5 continues in the higher frequencies. Female and higher-pitched male vocals are brought a bit forward, and the same goes for violins, trumpets, and cymbals. They stay away from peakiness and harshness, while delivering plenty of clarity. Mid-instruments like guitars and piano play have a natural tonality bordering on warm and are represented well in between the lows and highs. There's a good level of detail here, with above-average separation in Z5's moderately airy sound, and instruments coming from your left and right. However: on higher volume levels, higher female and male vocals do become somewhat thin. The Z5 sounds less refines at higher volume levels.
Then, as usual in more expensive earphones with app support, there are all kinds of variations to tweak the sound. Lypertek stresses to try the different kinds of ear tips that come with the PurePlay - and rightly so! There are silicone tips with a narrow bore for more bass, wider tips for more treble, and two sizes of foam tips for a smoother sound. Ultimately, the narrow bore-tips strike the best balance; they reveal more detail than the foam tips and cut off the harsher treble notes of the wider ones.
The ANC mode deepens the lows and adds more texture to the (sub)bass. The LDX mode from the app makes the lows slightly fuller and adds to the dynamics in the sound, and the equalizers are worth trying as well - especially the Neutral mode to reduce further bass if you so desire.
These variations don't overhaul the sound. They all build upon the same good foundation: A balanced sound signature with enough, but not too much bass. The Z5's a great choice to have in between more aggressive sounding ANC earbuds, unless you love your music very loud.
Lypertek PurePlay Z5 comparisons
Lypertek PurePlay Z5 vs Edifier NeoBuds Pro
PurePlay Z5 (left), NeoBuds Pro (right)
The Edifier NeoBuds Pro has two sound settings with their own character. In the default Dynamic setting, the Edifier is more outspoken than the Lypertek. The bass is much stronger and has more texture, and upper mids are fuller and feel thick. On the Z5, vocals and brighter instruments sound lighter, and more vulnerable when they need to. They have more air around them. The Lypertek has a more well-behaving bass and reaches further into the highs. Switching to the Classic setting on the Edifier, the PurePlay Z5 (still) has more clarity and separation than the NeoBuds Pro.
On a more practical level then. The Edifier has stronger active noise cancelling and LDAC codec support to pass through more detail on supportive Android phones. Great, but this depletes battery in as little as 3 hours, while battery life on the Lypertek is much more consistent at 4 hours minimum, and up to 7 hours. The main argument between these two models is: do you want a more engaging sound - choose the NeoBuds Pro. If you prefer a more balanced sound, go for the Lypertek.
Edifier NeoBuds Pro review - Buy on Amazon US, Amazon Germany, or other Amazon stores ($120)
Lypertek PurePlay Z5 vs Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro
The Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro has heavier bass - it has a more powerful thump, dives deeper, and plays a more prominent role in the music. In the higher frequencies, vocals and instruments have a colder tonality than on the Z5, and sometimes they can show a tiny bit of hiss around them. The Lypertek sounds more natural, with more fluent transitions between the frequencies - the L3P is 'hookier'. Thanks to Soundcore's wild articulation of bass, lower mids, and mids, the Liberty 3 Pro does feel more detailed. Battery life, call quality, and noise-canceling strength are better on the Soundcore; the Lypertek is more comfortable, and its app is easier.
Lypertek PurePlay Z5 vs Sony WF-1000XM3
Now available at around $150, the Sony WF-1000XM3 is unmistakably a competitor to the Lypertek. Its noise cancelling is stronger, but both the case and earbuds are much bigger and less comfortable to carry. Like the Edifier and Soundcore, the Sony sounds more dynamic than the Lypertek. Sony's mid-bass has more texture, lower-mids are more pronounced, and upper-mids are more forward and thicker than on the Z5. The Z5 feels more fluent and natural but may not be as immersive or engaging as the Sony.
No Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Initial price too high - Buy on Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries ($140)
Lypertek PurePlay Z5 vs Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+
Finally, let's pit the Z5 against a warm and balanced sound competitor without ANC: the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+. The latter makes mids like male vocals, guitars, and piano play sound a bit warmer and places them more precise around you. Even though the 1+ doesn't have a big soundstage, lower frequencies - like acoustic drums - sound better placed and are more impactful. Higher-pitched vocals are thinner on the Z5, but upper-mids and highs extend further and have more space. The biggest difference is the mid-bass: the Lypertek Z5 has more of it, and this bass-pushing makes the Lypertek more suitable for modern genres like dance, hip-hop, and pop.
Verdict
It's a shame the active noise cancelling isn't a little bit stronger when you're not playing music. If that scenario is less important to you, the Lypertek PurePlay Z5 should be on your shortlist if you're looking for ANC earphones.
Excellent comfort and an easy-to-understand app with lots of tweaks are great bonuses to its lovely balanced sound.
4.5 stars - Great
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I received the Lypertek PurePlay Z5 from KS Distribution to test and review. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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