Lypertek TEVI

Lypertek Tevi Review



About

Lypertek, a Chinese audio brand, recently shot to fame with their successful truly wireless IEM, Tevi, which I am going to review in a moment. Lypertek has few products under its belt, 2 IEMs and 1 TWS IEM. Their products carry an unique naming schemes with all the three having rhyming names: Mevi, Bevi & Tevi. For now this review is all about their first truly wireless IEM offering, Tevi, which caught everyone’s attention by providing better performance than its competitors in its price range. Tevi is priced very aggressively at INR 6,999 or $90. Tevi uses a high performance 6mm graphene driver and supports all major Bluetooth codecs available. And is powered by Qualcomm’s high-end Bluetooth audio SOC. You can buy Tevi from either of these links below.

https://www.headphonezone.in/collections/lypertek/products/lypertek-tevi

https://www.lypertek.com/shop

Package, Design & Build Quality



Lypertek Tevi comes in a small white box, containing the earbuds, charging case, USB-C charging cable and few extra ear tips. Packaging is pretty much standard across many brands, and Lypertek does not do anything new. Earpieces are made of plastic and look solidly built. Each earpiece’s faceplate holds a button with brand’s naming printed on it and a charging notification LED light. You can use the buttons to answer/decline calls, music control and to use your phone’s voice assistant. Buttons have to pressed a little harder to work and this makes it less intuitive. The earpieces are of slightly bigger size and protrude out of ear and one has to use provided foam tips to avoid any movement while you are doing any activity.



Charging case is also made of plastic and wrapped in a fabric which makes it nicer to hold. Case is on bigger size to allot more battery in it. Opening the case will show off the charging holders for earpieces, which are spaced out nicely. The hinge of the case does not feel confident inspiring though. The charging case has 4 LED light indicators at the front indicating the battery charge left. Overall fit and finish is fine and stays true to the price range it caters to.




Connectivity

I have used my phone Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus extensively to test Tevi. Connectivity with my phone is quite good with few niggles. Wireless range is very good. The few niggles I faced in my usage are 1. It got itself disconnected and re-connected to my phone thrice in a day’s usage and 2. Mic quality is not that good. The call receiver will hear external voices more louder than caller’s voice even if caller’s talking quite louder and the other issue I found with the mic, receiver will hear a peculiar tapping noise while the caller is walking at leisurely pace. Apart from these connectivity is quite good and stays consistent throughout usage.

And all these come after establishing a connection with my phone. Which is where Tevi lacks the simplicity of few of it’s competitors say like, Samsung Galaxy Buds+ and RHA TrueConnect have. I had to take out the right earpiece first from the charging case to get both earpieces connected at a time to my phone. If the left earpiece is taken out first, you only be able to connect that earpiece and not the right. You have to connect right earpiece separately, which won’t be that straight forward and is a hassle. You can use just a single earpiece without taking out the other, no issue with that, but if you want to use both of them, you have to take the right one out of the charging case first to avoid hassles.

Sound Analysis

Tevi, in a nutshell, is a very good truly wireless IEM as far as sound quality is concerned. It has a neutral sound and yet quite enjoyable to listen to and all that comes at a bargain price.

Tevi’s bass is on the neutral side with just the right amounts of slam when called for making it enjoyable. Bass attack and decay is quite fast and is very controlled and there is no bleed into the mids section. But, bass depth is less, which I wish it had more of it.

Mids are balanced and natural with good note thickness, placement is right at center. Upper mids though seems to have more emphasis and has more sparkle in here making mids section little energetic. Female voices sound slightly more energetic than male voices. Cymbals sound natural. It has good natural tonality.

Detail retrieval, imaging and layering all are very good for the price. It has slightly less micro-details but can’t ask more for the price and it is very good in these at its price point.

Soundstage is decent. It has got fair depth and width, enough to not have any congestion. Instrument separation is also pretty good, though it may sound slightly congested in busy tracks during high notes. Instrument timbre sound natural.

Treble has good extension and has good detailing too. But I found Tevi to be on the brighter side of things on particular songs. Not overly bright, but bright enough to trouble some.

Latency

I have used Tevi while streaming videos and found that it has little latency at the beginning of the video but later on it’s perfectly fine and no latency seen after that.

Battery Life

This is going to be another deciding factor to Tevi’s success story apart from the sound quality. Tevi has exceptionally good battery life. Earpieces lasted a good 8 hours for me on a single charge and the charging case providing another 7 more charges on a single charge of its own. This is all due to the bigger batteries placed inside both the earpieces and the charging case.

Comparison

Samsung Galaxy Buds+




Galaxy Buds+ is Samsung’s latest offering in truly wireless IEM segment and is priced at INR 10490 or you can get them for INR 8500 if you buy through Samsung Corporate website. Buds+ has an upper hand over Tevi in connectivity, connecting Buds+ is a breeze on any phone and even more on a Samsung. Just download the app on non-Samsung phones and opening the case connects both the buds to the phone in an instant, and they have better call quality than Tevi too. And touch control on Buds+ seem to work more intuitively than Tevi’s. Buds+ have a stellar battery life, with earbuds running for 10-11 hours on single charge. But Tevi has got an upper hand when it comes to the charging case, Tevi’s charging case is bigger in size and battery capacity, it can charge earpieces 7 times compared to Buds+ case which can only charge buds twice being smaller in size and hence overall battery life is just superior in Tevi. As far as sound quality is concerned, Buds+ takes the cake here. Just. Though difference is quite close. Buds+ do seem to have slightly better overall clarity and better treble control than the Tevi. Both sound very neutral, with Tevi having little brighter highs.



Verdict

Priced at INR 6,999 or $90, Tevi has many things going for it. It has got good build quality, exceptionally good sound quality, decent call quality, good connectivity, and stellar battery life. It has its share of issues, but all those are minor. Overall, Tevi is an exceptionally good TWS IEM. Well worth the money.

Physical Description

The Lypertek Tevi are a fairly plain looking pair of true wireless headphones - definitely reminiscent of the Sennheiser TWS headphones but at a fraction of their price. I managed to pick these up at a discount price from Amazon. The Tevi's feature a single push button on each earphone (which I personally found quite hard to find and press when I had them in my ears) but the good news is that all your necessary functions can be accessed from these buttons - including volume up and down. This is always a nice feature on TWS headphones.



The charger case looks very similar to the one supplied with the Sennheiser headphones as it's covered in a rather attractive material. The case also features USB type C which again is always a nice feature. Charging is nice and fast and the case offers a crazy number of hours to the headphones.

Whilst the headphones are made of high impact plastic, they don't feel at all cheap and their fit is excellent for me. The Tevi's come with the usual shirt recharge cable, an assortment of different tips including some Comply type foams and an instruction sheet.

Bluetooth range isn't overly impressive but I didn't experience any problems when keeping my phone in my pocket. It just about passed the upstairs toilet test (just a couple of dropouts when I washed my hands) - both the Mavin's and the original Airpods perform better as far as bluetooth range is concerned but generally there's not a problem.

Sound Quality

When it comes to headphones, sound quality is king as far as I'm concerned. If doesn't make any difference to me if they feature the finest noise cancelling, fantastic smart features or battery life that's out of this world if the sound quality is lacking. Luckily, the Tevi's definitely deliver when it comes to sound quality.



I contacted Lypertek about trying out their beta software and firmware update for the Tev's and they kindly sent me a link. The headphones have to be updated before the software recognises the headphones and the firmware update does definitely effect the sound characteristics - bass is slightly boosted and the slightly 'shouty' upper mids are slightly reduced. The headphones still retain their wonderful sense of detail thankfully

.

One of the other pairs of TWS headphones which I use regularly and rate very highly are the Mavin Air X which I have previously described as wireless Etymotics. Well I'm afraid that description wasn't truly accurate as the Tevi's really have them beat when it comes to reproducing the sound quality that you can get from the Etymotics. They definitely share the same sound characteristics - having a really nice detailed and punchy sound - they are very dynamic sounding and yet also balanced. In fact it's this balanced sound quality which really sets them apart from many of their peers as many bluetooth headphones tend to have too much boost in the bass frequencies and can get rather muddy sounding.

They also have some impressive volume to them as well. There's no way I could listen to them at full volume - that's not something I could say about many of the other TWS headphones out there.

I must admit that our off the box when I first got them I found the sound to be somewhat bright and lacking slightly in bass however after having them for a couple of weeks I contacted Lypertek about a software update and new Android application which has subtly improved the bass and is most welcome. Unfortunately the Lypertek application is currently still in beta and not yet generally available. However there's no doubt in my mind that this is definitely worth doing once it does become available. With the update in place the sound quality has changed character - especially in the bass. Even with the eq settings set to flat this character has been changed to offer a fuller bass and slightly lower the upper mids/lower treble to help reduce long term listening fatigue. I have noticed a slight veil that covers some of the details but in my opinion it's still worth doing.

The thing that really makes these headphones stand out though is their impressive resolution. In genuinely hearing things in some of my familiar tracks that I've not noticed before - definitely not bad for a pair of fairly inexpensive set of bluetooth headphones. Both mids and highs are truly superb - these are the 'flattest' bluetooth headphones I've come across so far. They use either APtX or AAC (depending on your phone I suppose) and connect without any problems. There's virtually no noise floor with these headphones - sometimes you have to press the button just to make sure they're still powered on.

Unfortunately the Tevi's do have a couple of 'issues' which prevent me from describing them as perfect. The Bluetooth range leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to comparing them to their competition. They pretty much fail the upstairs toilet test - dropping connection to the phone before I've even reached the top of the stairs. Other Bluetooth 5.0 headphones in my collection can do this with ease. In all fairness though I don't experience dropouts when using them normally (ie with the phone nearby or in my pocket). The other problem that I have with them may well be a software issue which may get resolved when the software update comes out of beta. More than once the headphones have temporarily lost connection on the right hand earbud. A quick press of the button restores the connection but it's not ideal.

Conclusion

My recent experience with active noise cancelling from the likes of Sony and Apple have made me realise a couple of things. Firstly no matter which way you try to rationalise it, additional features such as active noise cancelling and sophisticated touch controls all cost money to produce and that has to come from money that could be spent on improving sound quality. Secondly active noise cancelling really isn't very useful in these types of in-ear headphone as they already provide sufficient passive noise isolation (unless you're one of those people who listen to music at very low volumes). I would much rather have a headphone product that's designed around providing the very best sound quality without compromise. The Lypertek Tevi is definitely designed around sound quality. All of its features that make it stand out from its competitors are genuinely useful - great battery life, great sound quality, excellent volume range, easy and comfortable fit and firmware upgradable makes these the ideal TWS headphones for anyone who is looking for the best possible sound quality for the price - who doesn't mind being close to their phone when in use.

I personally feel that these are the best TWS earphones I have tried so far (and yes that includes the Apple Airpods Pro and the Sony WF1000XM3's). I was impressed with both those noise cancelling and expensive headphones but ultimately I felt that the Airpod Pro's were simply too expensive and their overall design ethos was based around features rather than sound quality. Whilst they sounded pretty impressive - especially when taking into account their active noise cancelling, ultimately I'm always going to be more interested in sound quality.

The Sony's on the other hand really did impress me with regard to their sound quality. They exhibited a really nice fulsome sound and shared pretty much the same sound characteristic as their larger counterparts. Unfortunately I felt that they simply didn't go loud enough and that, for me is a deal breaker as it's something that typically can't be sorted out with a software fix.

What the Tevi's offered for me was a nice combination of sound quality without any significant compromises, excellent battery life and comfortable fit. The other thing they offer (from my point of view) is that they're inexpensive which means I'm not suffering the guilt that I almost certainly would suffer if I'd bought the Airpod Pros.

Postscript

Tonight I tried a quick comparison with my beloved Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10's and I have to be perfectly honest here - I preferred the sound character of the Tevi's. Don't get me wrong, the Triple Fi's were capable of reproducing a greater resolution and perhaps even are more faithful to the original recording but the Tevi's offered slightly more boost to the bass and generally sounded fuller.

I was slightly concerned about the apparent loss of presence in the upper mids since the firmware update but to be honest, I still really like the sound characteristics that the Tevi's offer. I must admit I was somewhat surprised at just how close these are to my Ultimate Ears - I've always considered these to be the very best headphones in my collection. Perhaps they still are but the gap in both performance and excellent pricing is definitely closing.

I also feel that it's only fair to point out that I'm 56 years old. Whilst I still think my hearing is generally OK, I have to be honest and admit to my age. Obviously I can't hear what an 18 year old will hear. For me, tone and overall frequency balance (to my ears) is easily as important as information retrieval. I am sensitive to 'bright' sounding headphones but also appreciate treble detail. For example, I love the sound characteristics of my Sony WH1000XM2's. Whilst the treble detail may be slightly laid back in the mix and the bass may be slightly overblown when compared to more accurate headphones, I nonetheless find them very musical. I just wish they were a little more comfortable.

Introduction
True wireless, Bluetooth 5.0, stereo Hi-Fi sound, IPX7 waterproof, up to 70 hours playtime, CVC8.0 for excellent calling quality... Enjoy all these wonderful features from Lypertek TEVI true wireless earphones. In addition, enjoy better sound quality with aptX and AAC codecs too. Does TEVI sound great? Read on to find out...

Special Thanks
This review is possible thanks to below companies. Be sure to check them out...

• Lypertek for this Lypertek TEVI True Wireless Earbuds

Package Content & Design
Lypertek TEVI comes well protected. Once taken out the earphones and charging case, there are another 2 pairs of silicon eartips, a pair of flexifit foam tips, USB-C charging cable and quick start guide in English, Japanese and Korean.



TEVI build quality is excellent thanks to sturdy and smooth matte plastic housing. Compact and light in weight. There are multi-function button, LED light indicator and microphone on top of it.



And here are the included eartips. Just pick the one that matches you.



Finally, the lovely charging plastic case with fabric cover. Yes, USB-C port is there. USB-C is the future.



Fit, Comfort & Isolation
TEVI fits very well. Make sure you choose the correct ear tip size will do. In addition, it stays securely while exercising and jogging. No worry about dropping it at all. Furthermore, it supports IPX7 waterproof that can use during the rain and even shower. Comfort wise is great. It's a pleasure to listen music for long hours with TEVI. Lastly, it has outstanding noise isolation. Yes, it virtually blocks most of the environment noises while music is being playback.



Performance Result
Excellent Bluetooth range for true wireless earphones. Yes, TEVI can to go up to 7m+ with obstacles like walls. Connection is very stable. Furthermore, AAC and aptX have lower latency than the usual SBC codec. Audio and video are virtually in-sync that great for movie, games and so on. It also supports TWS Plus technology. You can use TEVI as stereo or mono as you wish. Bluetooth connection is one of the most important stuff and TEVI passes with flying colours.



10 hours of playback time on a single charge based on specs. Yes, TEVI does have outstanding battery life. And up to 70 hours when combining with the charging case. In addition, if you need to recharge quickly, you can use the TEVI for 2 hours if you just put it in the charging case for 15 minutes. Surely more than enough for your daily sport activities. And there is battery indicator status on iOS and Android devices as well.

Crystal clear phone call thanks to Qualcomm's cVc 8.0 Microphone Noise Cancelling. It will suppress noise during a call and reduce echo feedback. In addition, the microphone performance is great as well. Others can hear me loud and clear.



Sound Quality
Balanced sound signature is what you get from Lypertek TEVI. Maybe a slightly toward on the bright side depending how secure fit you get. Here are the results that I get from perfect fit. Highs are bright and clean. Performs great without any harshness and sibilant. As for mids, vocals sound natural in both male and female. A bit forward and closer to ear. Female vocals like Faye Wong, The Corrs and Taylor Swift sound sweet to me for sure. Bass is decent and enough. But don't expect V-shape kind of bass. So this may not be the basshead favourite. Soundstage is okay. Not the best out there nor the worst. Instruments placement separation is clear even in the complex scene thanks to the sound clarity. Overall, Lypertek TEVI sounds great for the price.



Thing to take note... At totally quiet environment, there is a very sightly hiss noise when Bluetooth is kicked in but nothing is being played. You won't notice it during normal music listening or movie playback.

Advantages

• Crisp, clear sound with nice bass
  
• Wide Bluetooth range
  
• Excellent microphone
  
• Ultra long battery life
  
• Comfortable for long hour wear
  
• IPX7 waterproof
  
• Excellent build quality

Limitations

• Slightly hiss noise at totally quiet environment

Conclusion
For less than $100, Lypertek TEVI is surely a keeper. Enjoy crisp, clear sound with nice bass. Excellent phone call quality. Ultra long battery life. And comfortable for long hour wear. Interested? Do visit Lypertek Website for more information. Get yours at Amazon.