At $129, the Lypertek PurePlay Z5 is $30 more than the impressive PurePlay Z3 2.0, but still feels worth the money owing to the quality-of-life improvements over the other. Most of the technological features are retained and several improved upon. The case in particular did shift towards a smaller size for increased portability, and thus has a lower capacity battery, but thankfully still retains wireless charging and fast charging. Add the hybrid ANC, which works well, very good touch controls, and even improved microphones and comfort owing to the form factor, and I have no problem recommending the Lypertek PurePlay Z5 in the Lypertek lineup. In fact, the tuning and design are different enough to where I can see a world where users would have both the PurePlay Z3 2.0 and Z5.

The tonality is going to be hit or miss no matter what Lypertek says to justify it, though. It's not bass-emphasized enough to garner mainstream appeal, and the sub-bass dip makes it worse in that regard. At the same time, I found it overly bright, and that's coming from a guy who can appreciate a pronounced, extended treble response, too. I am not sure the tuning being different in itself isn't as much an issue as the imbalance, especially since the former can be explained away by simply catering to a more audiophile market instead. The latter, as with a few other issues that the otherwise excellent app can't resolve, still make this another entry to the not-yet-there compartment of ANC TWS sets in my search for a well-tuned set. Lypertek not sharing much about the used driver says more about the R&D emphasis perhaps.

The app and other technological features are thankfully quite excellent, and again make this set a contender for a recommendation. The PurePlay Z5 joins the Technics AZ70 with a perfect round of testing for the onboard touch controls, of which there are several to use and customize to your needs. The app also allows for Lypertek's LDX mode, which aims to introduce earphone holography akin to what Creative did with SXFI, albeit via a software profile as opposed to a hardware DSP and processor. It's still neat enough of an experiment to try out, and to then do the same with the ANC and ambient modes and conclude that it works better than on most TWS earphones in the price range and then some. Battery life will take a hit with ANC on, although the fast-charging feature will be a relief for many. The only thing I am convinced about with hybrid ANC is that auto-ambient mode is just not worth it for the lower battery life and continuous background hiss. Everything else, including Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX Adaptive and some actually effective microphones, is icing on this pleasantly sweet cake.

[Update (Oct 18, 2022): Lypertek has reduced the price of the PurePlay Z5 to £99 / $99 / €99 which makes this even more attractive an offering. There is also a new firmware which adds an auto-off function to preserve battery life in addition to displaying individual battery levels and allowing custom presets in the app as mentioned here.]