Lypertek Z5

Introduction​

Lypertek Z7 left a great impression as something catered towards more experienced users, audiophiles let’s call them. Z5 on the other hand seems to be made for people who want to enjoy ANC without much drop in quality from the bigger brother. They are smaller, lighter but provide more options for the cost of being single driver earphones. Are they perfect for an audiophile’s girlfriend, or is there more to them than that? Let’s take a look at Lyperteks idea of $129 ANC TWS.

Lots of consumers aren’t as demanding as we are. That’s totally normal. For example, I’m doing perfectly fine with a $300 bike. It basically does everything I want it to do. It rides, it has two wheels, it has a ringer. Ding dong, get out of the way. But for people that are invested in bikes, it is probably seen as trashy. Just as we look at overly bassy headphones from the biggest consumer electronics brands. But what, if you are invested in audio, but want something light, easy to use that doesn’t sound weird, or straight-up bad? The answer might be Lypertek, again. Z7 that I tried almost seven months ago was my first review here. In conclusion, you could find that it’s not only easy and comfortable to wear, but most importantly it sounds normal. This is an expectation here too. Will the Z5 hold to the brand’s name and deliver the same bang for the buck as the other tested model did?


As mentioned in the opener, it has a simplified driver setup but packs more functions, most importantly ANC. Is it a good compromise? We will see soon. This product on paper is definitely more geared towards consumers, but let’s be honest. Sometimes I’m not in the mood to carry FiiO M11 with some dope IEMs. If your female coworker asks you to come over to her place to watch a movie at 11 pm, you just grab a TWS and go faster than the wind. Or you go to the gym, to work out, but who am I kidding. Neither of those situations happens in my life anymore. I’m sensing there might be a connection… As you can see easy-going TWS is still useful even when you have some higher-end stuff. The question is which one to pick.

Packaging, Build Quality and Comfort​

The Lypertek Z5 comes in a simple, side opened the box. There is a quick start guide, phones, case, charging cable, and some tips. The latter will come in handy as Z5 has an oval nozzle, and not many tips will sit on it tightly. Case and earphones are made out of solid, but light plastic. Nothing bends under my chunky fingers. It’s really a lightweight solution, perfect for women too. The case is also much smaller than the one from Z7, so no dirty jokes this time. If you haven’t read that review, it won’t make a big bulge in your pants when you put Z5 into your pocket.

The opening part of the case could have been made better, it kinda feels like it can wear out after some time. On the other hand at this price point, every dollar counts, so I think we can let it slide this time. Overall, the Z5 looks simple, will go well with both jumpers and suit. Black is the ultimate color, and you can’t convince me otherwise. Combine that with a few metal details and you got yourself a winner. Earpieces are rated for IPX4, meaning they aren’t afraid of rain, or sweat from a gym trip.


Comfort-wise Z5 features a shallow insertion, they will probably require you to change your usual tips. This type of fit might result in them not sitting tightly in your ear even with selected tips. That was my case, as ELONgated(TESLA SPONSOR ME PLZ) parts were laying on my earlobe in a way that they were easily caught by a hat. Besides that, they are super light, so when you find your fit, you will stop noticing them.

Tech​

The foundation here is a 10mm dynamic driver. I really like DD-based headphones, they have that meaty tone, at least usually. Besides that, Z5 is very well equipped. Most notable includes ANC, which uses three microphones in each earpiece. Those microphones also work in cVc 8 (clear voice capture) improving the quality of users’ voice when using them as a headset. It works very well indeed, but I’m not going to review its sound. We all have got to stop somewhere.

Back to the ANC, it’s quite interesting as it actually lets some midrange through. When you stop the playback it automatically goes into Auto-Ambient mode that lets you hear the surrounding. Cool idea, but I usually just left the ANC on anyway. Z5 uses the newest Bluetooth standard, namely 5.2. The best available codec is the aptX Adaptive as a compromise between quality and battery life. Bluetooth doesn’t only transfer music. It also allows control of more advanced options. LDX makes a comeback too. It’s a proprietary Lypertek sound enhancement mode. It works pretty well, just as in Z7. Additionally, you get a seven-band EQ, which really lets you tune your headphones to your liking and needs.

Additionally, PureControl, because that’s what the control app is named, lets you customize touch button controls, and other minor settings. As Lypertek is getting me used to, battery life is exceptional. Up to 7 hours on one charge (around 4 with ANC) and 4 charges stored in the case you will forget that those need charging from time to time. The aforementioned case supports quick charging, you can get 2 hours of playtime with only 15 minutes of charging. Super cool. Each earpiece has a touch sensor that controls volume, skips tracks, and starts playback. They are super sensitive, and I have messed with them accidentally when fixing my beanie from time to time.

Sound​

Right now I feel quite confident to say, what is Lypertek house sound. It’s a normal, balanced sound. They don’t have either big pros or big flaws. My last reviewed products (DUNU and Shuoer) had a very pronounced sound signature, and I have praised them for it. It was fun, it was different. But sometimes it’s good to go with something universal. Just put them on, play some music, or an audiobook, and just get along with your day. Maybe you work remotely and need a headphone that won’t bother you during calls and long hours. This is it.

A balanced, universal sound that will carry you through the day. Compared to Z7 we get the same style, but less resolution and detail. Overall, it’s the same direction, just one step behind. That’s why I like them so much. As the best reviewer I know of once said when asked how does he like them: “they don’t piss me off”. If a Susvara user says that, then it’s really good.

The bass is the foundation of this sound. It’s a little slow but doesn’t overpower anything. It has a nice, round punch as you would expect from a dynamic driver. I believe that having a bit more bass helps with sound isolation, and that’s what those headphones are for in the end. It goes very well with contemporary pop/rap. Take a listen to Lalala by Tamer Kaan and PANE. Lows are powerful, rich, and engaging. They carry the whole song as intended by the artists. On the other hand, try That Golden Rule from Biffy Clyro. The Bass line is very nice here, it really gives you a boost, like a speed up. When I was standing in a bus, riding to work it really felt like I was standing faster.

The midrange has some coloration to it, but nothing too pronounced. It’s a bit thick, has that nice feeling, just like a good stew has a mouthfeel. That makes instruments appear larger than usually they are. That can be a pro, or a con depending on your taste. For me, it was a pro, as warmer, darker sound usually feels cozy to me overall. Coming back to contemporary music, take Na haju w maj by polish songwriter and singer Zagi feat another singer, Antonina. It’s a great song, even if you don’t understand the words. It just isn’t the best recording on the planet. It still sounds great with Z5, although not as good as I heard a week ago live.


The highs are typical for a dynamic driver. They are a bit rounder, a bit damped. Besides that, they do a solid job. They have the same character as the rest of the ranges which is a very good thing. That helps to build that coherent, universal sound that I appreciate here. It’s great when I want to listen to songs labeled as not usable with my current setup. E.g. The Pretty Reckless My Medicine. Great song, but brighter than morning sun when you are hungover. The amount of roundness here helps tremendously to enjoy this, overall great song.

Soundstage is actually better than I have anticipated. Z5 creates that nice, open space around you. It doesn’t force the sound inside your head, which is amazing at this price point. Wasn’t expecting that. Depth isn’t too big, but sideways’ it’s really good. Bells in I Robot by Alan Parsons Project are placed widely from left to right. They really make that song feel spacious. Great job to be honest. That is another small piece of that normal, universal sound that I praise here.

Comparisons​

Lypertek Z7

Overall impression stands as stated before. Their sound signature is basically the same. It’s balanced, with a nice wide, but not too deep soundstage. It’s a super easy-going, non-fatiguing style of presentation.
I won’t be going into much detail here, as I don’t believe that makes too much sense in this case. Bass in Z7 is deeper and faster. It’s not a big difference and I suspect that it might be even the same driver, just with another box around it, with different tuning.

Mids are beginning to be more different between those, as Z7 uses balanced armatures. Z5 is more mellow, thicker with less detailed. The older brother is more open sounding in this range with more resolution. When you are into vocals this will be a big difference for you, maybe the biggest one overall.
Highs are much nicer in Z7. BA really does its job in this range. They are more open, create wider sound and deliver much more detail. No question about it. Overall character yet still is the same. They are still in line with the overall sound.

The soundstage is significantly bigger in Z7. I think we all know how nicely it can be created by even a simple set of BA. The Z7 has more breath.
Z5 while is good at creating spacious sound just can’t compete with more sound-oriented brother. Features are Z5 domain. Younger brother offers more options, most significantly very good ANC. If you need it, it’s a no-brainer. If you want it, the sound quality drop might be worth it, as it’s not gigantic.

Summary​

The Lypertek Z5 is a great ANC TWS. At this price, it has all the bells and whistles you might consider mandatory. It holds to the sound character of Z7. It’s extremely universal and forgiving. Play whatever you want, it’s going to be okay.

While the price difference is $70 I believe that Z7 and Z5 are in the same ballpark of budget. In my opinion, Z7 is better when you want that better sound, while Z5 offers you much better isolation while providing solid sound. Speaking of which, ANC works very well indeed. if you live in a big city like me, it kind of becomes essential if you don’t want to lose your hearing when walking around the streets. Leaking some midrange leaves you with a bit of awareness, a solution much safer than a total cut-off. While the fit for me was sometimes a little weird, overall they are very light, so most people shouldn’t have a problem here. With all that, they hold on to a battery very well.

Recommended, when you look for something very mobile, good sounding, that can separate you from the environment around you. Another solid product from Lypertek.

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