TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
4.5 STARS - Engaging, clear, and lifelike: the Lypertek SoundFree S20 wireless earbuds sound fantastic. Combined with great battery life and wonderful controls, it's a steal for its money.
Lypertek Soundfree S20 specs:
Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC codec
IPX5 waterproof (rain and sweat proof)
8 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 6 sizes ear tips and USB-C cable
$50 to $70 - check price on Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries
Below this Lypertek Soundfree S20 review, you will find comparisons between the Lypertek Soundfree S20 vs Sennheiser CX 400BT, Fiil T1 Lite, Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus and Cambridge Audio Melomania.
The Lypertek Soundfree S20 was previously (but limited) released as Lypertek Levi, which had some problems, as you can see from the Amazon user reviews. This S20 is technically better.
Update July 22, 2022: As I've re-evaluated the importance of good call quality, the overall score of this model has been changed from 5 to 4.5 stars.
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Design, comfort and battery life
Let's get the ugliest words of this review out straight away: the charging case of the Lypertek SoundFree S20 isn't a highlight. You can only lay it down, it's made from cheap black plastic and is a magnet to fingerprints. The four LED-lights on the front of the case are so tiny you can barely see them from different angles. It does, however, charge via USB-C and wirelessly.
The earbuds may not be beautiful, but they are clever little things. When idle, their LED flashes precisely in the logo, and you can't miss the actual metallic buttons on the sides. These grand you access to all the controls - and it responds reliable and feels durable. The S20 buds are IPX5-waterproof, meaning these survive your sweat and (heavy) rain when you're commuting, running, or working out with them.
It's entirely possible to work out with these. The S20 earbuds are oval on the inside, and a bump follows the shape of your ears to ensure a tight fit. It's not the smallest bud, but it feels comfortable enough to wear for hours.
You can do so too: the Lypertek SoundFree S20 offers up to a great 8 hours battery life on a single charge. The charging case can fully recharge them four times before needing new power itself, or you can recharge them for 15 minutes to get another two hours of listening. Wonderful.
Connectivity and controls
The SoundFree S20 controls with the actual, silver buttons on the sides of the earbuds. It's convenient to have buttons you can press, and it's even better to have them on the sides, so you don't have to push the earbuds in every time you operate them. The buttons survive rain, a bit of cold, and respond perfectly well to sweaty fingers, making the S20 incredibly suitable for runs and workouts. It's hard to find wireless earbuds that control better.
The control scheme is logical:
Press L or R to play/ pause
Press R twice to skip a song
Press L twice to return a song
Hold R to increase the volume
Hold L to decrease volume
Press L or R three times to activate the Transparency Mode
Activate the voice assistant by double-pressing L or R when not playing music
Connectivity on the S20 is rock solid. The buds connect quickly when they're out of the case and easily keep their Bluetooth signal up to ten meters away from your device.
It's also possible to continue listening to one earbud while you're charging the other, and return in stereo once you put the charged bud back in.
Calling and watching movies
Taking a phone call with the Lypertek SoundFree S20 is doable outdoors but only recommended indoors. Outside, your voice comes with a slight background hiss and can sound like a voicemail-recording from the nineties. Some surrounding noises (like trains and scooters passing by) come with strange sound artifacts - but happily, your voice remains loud enough.
Video call quality is mediocre. For instance in Zoom meetings or Google Meet, your voice and the line are noticeably compressed, and the microphone has trouble separating your voice from louder background sounds. In quiet areas, it's still doable to take a video call.
Watching videos is easy with the SoundFree S20, with great synchronization between audio and video on Android and iPhone. However, there is a noticeable delay in sound effects when playing games - as is the case on many wireless earphones.
Noise cancelling and ambient mode
The Lypertek SoundFree S20 doesn't come with ANC active noise cancelling. It does have a Transparency/ Ambient mode. The mode enables you to hear some traffic around you when you activate it, but not so clear you can hear where a car is coming from, for instance. It also activates and deactivates with an annoyingly sharp beep, and lets in a lot of wind noise when activated. If you're playing music on very low volume, this function may let you eavesdrop on nearby conversations you otherwise wouldn't hear, but it's not much of an addition to the S20.
Also read: The best wireless earbuds under $100
Sound quality of Lypertek S20: Clarity king
'Clean and balanced sound with good bass'. That's how Lypertek describes the sound of the SoundFree S20 small on the side of the box. It's the understatement of the year.
The best wireless earphones separate themselves from competitors on the mid-tones. There are the wonderfully clear mids on the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus+. There's the warm, smooth mids-bath on the Sennheiser CX 400BT. There's the exquisite lower-mid boost of the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+, and of course you have the vastly detailed budget option Fiil T1 Lite. These are all so good because they nail the mid-tones.
And now here's the Lypertek SoundFree S20. Wow.
It doesn't really matter if you're playing an old record from the Beatles, from your singer-songwriter next door, dance songs, classical rework from Händel, or browsing through a typical audiophile library: mids sound outstanding on the SoundFree S20.
They are so clear and so powerful. Vocals are front-and-center and placed forward - the lowest of male vocals to the highest-pitched female outbursts brim with detail and texture. They are flanked by instruments which sound just as impressive. Guitars don't just come with the plucking of and hand-movings on strings - they appear natural and lively. Piano's comes with the thudding of the keys being played, snare drums and cymbals resonate, you can hear sputter in trumpets, and further down the lows, drums have a proper kick - impact you can feel.
Where one instrument can push away the other on so many other earphones, here, they all reside next to each other. Separation and placement are fantastic, operating in a medium-wide soundstage. And even more important: no matter how crowded or hot songs become, the S20 doesn't dip into harsh territories. Even though the upper-mids and highs are surrounded by air, the Lypertek handles even the fiercest attacks of Bjork. It never becomes too bright or peaky loud.
The bass deserves praise too. Like drums, more electronic basslines also pack a punch. The Lypertek has a strong mid-bass but rolls bass tones off quickly enough to prevent bloating. It's boosted yet tight. The sub-bass - the deepest tones you can feel as much as hear - join in on the greatness, as it can both fire stabs and controlled ear-shaking rumbles, for instance in James Blake's test case Limit to Your Love.
While lower-mids aren't underrepresented, they play the smallest role in the music. In dance songs, darker electronic tones ensure enough flow, but as they're kept down a little, expect a more neutral than warm tonality. The Soundfree S20 isn't one to please background listeners, who just want a smooth and warm background sound. It's for active listeners: it overloads you with detail, it stabs, it punches, it keeps on triggering your attention.
The Lypertek SoundFree S20 is a true king of TWS under $50. Wireless earbuds this affordable haven't sounded this good before.
Lypertek Soundfree S20 comparisons
Lypertek Sounfree S20 vs Lypertek tevi
The big-cased, hard-to-control Lypertek Tevi was praised for its outstanding if bright mids 1,5 years ago, but then came with a firmware update that reduced the higher tones and gave the Tevi a more balanced if much darker sound. The SoundFree S20 is a better performer, not just on battery life, comfort, controls, and compact case. The S20 bass is more textured and layered, there's more air in the sound with a wider soundstage, vocals are more pronounced, and the mids resolve more detail.
Lypertek Tevi review ($80)
Lypertek Soundfree s20 vs Samsung Galaxy Buds+
In the mids-department, the SoundFree S20 finds a competitor in the much-praised Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus. Indeed, both these models have (upper)mid-emphasis, sound airy, and present many vocals and instruments from the mids on up in a natural way. However, the Lypertek balances things out with easier-to-pick-up darker details in the mids, lifting the lower-mids more than the Samsung, and making the mid-bass stronger too. The Galaxy Buds+ may have more articulated sub-bass, but that's partly due to the other lows' lack of presence. The Soundfree S20 adds more engagement to its brilliant mids.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus review ($80-100)
Lypertek Soundfree S20 vs Cambridge Audio Melomania
The often hard-to-get Cambridge Audio Melomania and SoundFree S20 sound have more in common than they differ. Both shine with a natural, lively presentation of mids. The Melomania adds more weight and warmth in the lower mid-tones, which can be heard in the overall signature and individual instruments. In contrast, the Lypertek empowers vocals and instruments a bit more in the higher frequencies. The Melomania can make voices sound smoother, but also thinner than the S20. The Melomania sub-bass is stronger; the Soundfree's more textured. As these both sound so fantastic, it's good to know that the Lypertek uses USB-C instead of micro-USB, controls easier, and is slightly more comfortable.
I don't have a review on the original Melomania, but will have a review on the newly released $130 Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+ with USB-C and app support next week
Lypertek Soundfree S20 vs Sennheiser CX 400BT
Do you prefer a warmer, intimate sound or a more natural and clearer one? That's the big question between these two. The Sennheiser has the first approach: it boosts lower mid-tones and mid-bass slightly and dips instruments and vocals in warmth. It has a smaller, rounder, more precise soundstage than the Lypertek, with always a prominent, central place for the vocalists. The SoundFree has a wider stage and sounds clearer, with a more natural presentation. Details are easier heard on the Lypertek, but the Sennheiser places them better. Do you live in a country where the Sennheiser is sold below $100? Good luck choosing.
Sennheiser CX 400BT review ($100)
Lypertek SoundFree S20 vs Fiil T1 Lite
With a stronger mid-bass and thicker lower-mids, the Fiil T1 Lite can sound more engaging, uplifting than the Soundfree S20. But it gets beaten in where it's so good: the mids. Acoustic instruments sound more natural on the Lypertek, and while vocals enjoy just as much attention, they're more controlled than on the T1 Lite, on which vocals, cymbals, and violins can sometimes be a bit too much on high volumes. Most of all, the Soundfree S20 handles multiple instruments better in more crowded songs, where the T1 Lite can show a minor loss of detail.
Fiil T1 Lite review ($35)
Fiil T1 Pro review ($65, adds ear wings and ANC noise cancelling, slightly more upper-mid emphasis)
Lypertek SoundFree S20 vs Edifier TWS1 Pro
The Edifier TWS1 Pro has been praised as the best sounding wireless earphone under $50 by some YouTubers, but the SoundFree S20 actually takes it up a notch. Vocals on the S20 are a powerhouse, sounding just as clear as the Edifier, but more full-bodied and with less sibilance. The Lypertek has a bigger soundstage with more precise instrument placement and more detail in the (center-)mids while also presenting a stronger, fuller mid-bass and more sub-bass depth. The TWS1 Pro has 4 hours longer battery life and more comfortable buds; the Lypertek has a Transparency mode for traffic use, and controls even more conveniently with its actual buttons.
Edifier TWS1 Pro review ($50)
Verdict
Good controls and great battery are just bonuses for the Lypertek SoundFree S20. With a fantastic engaging, clear, and lifelike sound, this is a steal for its money.
4.5 stars - Great
Buy Lypertek Soundfree S20/ check price:
I bought the Lypertek Levi and Lypertek Soundfree S20 myself to test and review myself, and received a review sample from the distributor as well. 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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