Lypertek PurePlay Z5 True Wireless Earphone Review
Pros
- Sound excellent with and without ANC
- Stable and easy to use
- Solidly made
Cons
- Not that attractive
- Some absolute limits to what the ANC can handle
What Is the Lypertek PurePlay Z5?
The LyperTek PurePlay Z5 is a true wireless in ear earphone that joins the Lypertek family of true wireless buds. Compared to the absolutely bargain basement prices of the existing models, the Z5 is a little more expensive, although at £119.95, it still presents as pretty solid value. The reason it costs more than the existing members of the range is that is the first Lypertek model to offer active noise cancelling, complete with control app to control the finer bells and whistles.
The mechanicals of the Z5 are simple enough. Each bud is fitted with a single 10mm dynamic driver that is placed in an enclosure which is usefully compact given there’s an amp, battery and receiver in there too. Bluetooth transmission is handled by a Qualcomm QCC3046 chipset offering Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX, aptX Adaptive and AAC on top of the default SBC codec. Something that is immediately noteworthy is that the quoted battery life of the Z5 is up to seven hours from the buds themselves with 28 hours available from the power cell in the case.
The Active Noise Cancellation is largely in keeping with the standard facilities available at the price but there are some interesting twists. As you might expect, there’s a full noise cancelling mode which is partnered with a series of presets to adjust the processing to suit. There are additionally EQ adjustment options that allow the overall presentation of the Z5 to be tweaked to your taste. The interesting extra arrival is the ‘Ambient Mode’ which detects when the headphones aren’t running and then switches the noise cancelling off. This allows you to be more aware of your surroundings, more easily talk to people and also helps to preserve the battery life.
Neither is the app done there, there’s a mode called ‘LDX’ which is custom designed to complement the Z5 and bypasses the existing EQ settings (and that in fairness, might not be the last word in audiophile realism but sounds good nonetheless). There’s also a ‘find my earphones’ setting which logs when an unpairing occurred and gives you a slim chance of locating a wayward earbud. The app that handles all of this is an updated version of the existing Lypertek platform and, so long as you choose the correct app (the standard one will not connect), everything works well - the stability and responsiveness on my standard Oppo Find X2 Neo has been impressively good.
The Z5’s themselves are solid if gently unremarkable little things. The housing comprises a cylindrical body that had a protuberance that points down and houses the call mic. I’d hesitate to describe the Z5 as beautiful but it is well made and there are enough different domes supplied with the unit to ensure you should get a decent fit. The carry case is compact but usefully sturdy and should offer a reasonable amount of protection to the Z5’s day to day. There are more spectacular bits of industrial design doing the rounds but they generally cost more than £120.
Performance
Having installed the largest dome that Lypertek supplies with the Z5 (earphones come and go but it’s still possible to park a small car in my ear canal) and paired it with my phone, I spent a bit of time listening without the app to get a handle on the basic presentation. The news is pretty good, it has to be said. The manner in which they get stuck into The Last Dance by St Paul and the Broken Bones is satisfyingly weighty and propulsive. The standard EQ setting of the Z5 is fractionally bass heavy for my preference (although not wildly dissimilar to most rivals) but it avoids sounding leaden or heavy.
Engage the app and you can of course knock a little notch out of the bass and save it as a custom setting. You can also engage the noise cancelling and doing so is generally an encouragingly positive experience. Key to this positivity is that engaging it doesn’t unsettle the tonal balance of the Z5. There are fractional and reasonably perceivable changes but nothing that fundamentally alters what the Lypertek does. The noise cancelling itself is not quite as imperious as the Bowers & Wilkins system but that is rather more expensive. Like all true wireless earbuds, the Lypertek would not be the device I’d use for a flight but for a walk to the shops, it works well.
During that walk to the shops, you’ll also notice that all the basics are covered off. This is a comfortable earphone to wear and, while I will make the standard caveat that I’ve not tried anything so bold as serious exercise with them, they don’t feel like they’re likely to fall out any stage. The Bluetooth connection they’ve made with the Oppo has been excellent too. If you’re using them in the house, it’s possible to wander a fair distance from the phone without them cutting out or dropping quality. This is a simple and painless earphone to live with day to day.
Conclusion
Lypertek PurePlay Z5 True Wireless Earphone Review
And when you take this neat selection of features and capabilities and consider that £120 asking price, it’s hard not be impressed with the Z5. There’s nothing truly radical at work here but it is hard to argue that what has been implemented has been implemented well. It’s possible to buy better wireless buds but they generally ask for more of your hard earned than Lypertek is asking for these. This balance of features and costs is a very well considered one that means that the Z5 has to be seen as a bit of a bargain and for this reason, the Z5 comes Highly Recommended.
Our Review Ethos
Read about our review ethos and the meaning of our review badges.
To comment on what you've read here, click the Discussion tab and post a reply.