If you’ve never heard of Lypertek, don’t worry. It’s a relatively new entry into the world of wireless earbuds and audio hardware. The SoundFree S20 wireless earbuds come with a budget price tag, but punch above their weight to deliver a decent audio experience.
- Brand: Lypertek
- Battery Life: 48-hours
- Noise Cancellation: No
- Bluetooth : Yes
- Excellent battery life
- Easy connection
- Great budget option
- Good audio for price
- No ANC or microphone
- Can struggle with certain music genres
Lypertek SoundFree S20
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Figuring out the type of earbuds you want can feel difficult at times. Do you want a big-name brand? Or do you want something a little lesser-known? In truth, both options can feel like a punt at times, with the top names in tech sometimes falling short of the performance and quality you expect.
With Lypertek, you get a little of both. It’s a growing brand name looking to establish a firmer foothold in the world of portable audio hardware, specifically with earbuds. Yet, it is a name that still doesn’t carry much recognition.
So, with that in mind, how do the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds stack up? Continue reading for our hands-on review and whether they’re the right earbuds for your audio listening experience.
What’s In the Box?
First things first. As ever, what comes in the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds box?
- Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds
- Charging carry case
- Six pairs of silicone ear tips
- USB Type-C charging cable
There’s also a quick start user manual. Oh, and the foam inlay is shaped like a startled ghost face, which is outstanding.
Lypertek SoundFree S20 Specifications
You know what’s in the box, but what’s powering the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds?
- Design: Closed-back earbuds
-
Drivers: 6mm neodymium dynamic
- Frequency response: 20-20,000Hz
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
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Battery life: 8 hours on earbuds, 40 hours on charging case for 48 hours total
- Fast charge: 2 hours playback on a 15-minute charge
- Wireless: Qi
- Water resistance: IPX5 for protection from rain and sweat
- Weight: 5g per earbud
Lypertek SoundFree S20 Design
With the formalities out of the way, let’s get stuck into the good stuff: the Lypertek’s design, followed by its audio quality.
When you first unwrap the SoundFree S20, the first thing you’ll note is the weight. The overall package, including the charging carry case, is lightweight, making it easy to slip into a pocket without issue, and it certainly won’t take up baggage weight on an overseas trip or otherwise.
In that, the earbuds themselves weigh around 5g each, which is marginally more than an Apple AirPod at 4g each, but more than the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro at 2g each. Either way, the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds are sufficiently lightweight that you don’t notice them after putting them in.
Moreover, you can happily wear the S20 earbuds for hours without any ear fatigue. During this review, I wore the SoundFree S20 earbuds for hours at a time without really even needing to readjust, and they remained secure while moving around the house, doing the shopping, and so on.
They did move around a bit more when stood up against more intensive activities such as running, but overall, the SoundFree S20 earbuds are a comfy fit. Oh, and talking of running, the SoundFree S20 earbuds are rated IPX5 and will protect against sweat and rain.
Adding to the comfort are the six pairs of silicone ear tips, ranging in size. There are three standard ear tips and three double-flanged ear tips, both available in small, medium, or large. As you’d expect, they’re super easy to pop off and on again.
Back to the S20 earbuds themselves. In terms of build quality, the SoundFree S20 earbuds are just fairly standard. What I mean by this is that they’re not lacking in any quality and are built decently enough. They’re just not a premium build, which is reflected in the price point these earbuds retail for.
Again, that’s not knocking the S20 earbuds. In fact, they’re pretty decent when you consider the cost. Both earbuds feature a physical button you can press to skip a track, pause, or play, and while a little on the chunky side of things, again, they fit nicely and don’t hurt during a prolonged listening session.
Can you really ask for more than that at this price point?
The charging carry case is solid enough. I wouldn’t bank on it surviving excessive falls or standing up to a rugged environment, but it’s plenty good for everyday use. The case is plastic, with a slightly textured finish. There is a standard hinge at the rear, with a magnetic locking mechanism holding the lid in place. The magnetic lock is strong enough to remain firmly shut during my very scientific “hold upside down and shake” test.
Despite the plasticky feel of the case, it’s still nice to hold in your hand by way of its smooth, curved exterior. It isn’t oversized, either, fitting nicely in the palm of your hand.
One thing the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds guarantee is battery life. The earbuds hold up to eight hours of playback, while the charging carry case holds another 40 hours. It’s a substantial amount of playback time and one that pushes the S20’s right up there in terms of longevity. Indeed, if your main concern for a pair of earbuds is how long they’ll stay charged, the SoundFree S20 could well be what you’re looking for.
Finally, let’s talk connectivity. Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity means the earbuds will link with your device almost instantaneously, without any messing around. The SoundFree S20 earbuds connected with my smartphone with ease, after which there were no random dropouts.
Bluetooth audio comes with well-documented issues, but in this case, because you’re not relying on latency for phone calls or anything else, connecting via Bluetooth isn’t an issue at all.
Lypertek SoundFree S20 Sound Quality
I really didn’t know what to expect from the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds in terms of audio quality. Lypertek’s PurePlay Z3 earbuds were well-reviewed on release towards the end of 2020, so presumably, the SoundFree S20 would carry the positives from the Z3 through to the S20?
Inside the SoundFree S20 earbuds are 6mm neodymium drivers. The earbuds support the AAC and SBC audio codecs, and the connectivity comes via Bluetooth 5.0.
Overall, the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds deliver a well-rounded audio experience. The bass delivery is deep, and the mid-levels all sound tidy, pushing through crisp notes and not overstraining on guitar-heavy tracks. At the top end of the scale, the S20’s do begin to struggle a little, especially with tracks featuring rapid transitions or consistently high-frequency tones.
For example, listening to things like The Cat Empire’s fast-paced horn sections can cause the S20 to begin crackling a bit, especially at higher volumes. Similarly, I found the odd dance track to trigger the same sort of top-end crackle, particularly with euphoric trance-type tracks.
Most of the time, the Lypertek SoundFree S20 exceeds audio expectations. Particularly notable is the vocal audio quality. Even against the backdrop of the top-end audio crackling, the delivery of vocals remained clear. With other tracks more reliant on vocal quality, such as hip-hop, they don’t disappoint either.
Remember, the SoundFree S20 earbuds are being compared not only to other earbuds but the price tag they arrive with also. With that in mind, the audio quality of the S20 is certainly decent enough. Those who demand outstanding audio or consider themselves audiophiles probably won’t enjoy these earbuds. But then again, Lypertek isn’t positioning these earbuds to cater to that market.
The SoundFree S20 earbuds do not feature active noise cancellation, which might be a deal-breaker for some users. Lypertek has included an ambient sound mode that blocks out some noise—but not all. Still, it’s enough that your music listening experience isn’t interrupted in busier environments.
Lypertek SoundFree S20 Repairability
Earbuds, in general, are a bit of a nightmare for repairs. They’re small, fiddly, and often feature soldered parts to keep costs down and the earbud footprint small. When your earbuds break, that’s normally them done for.
Given the SoundFree S20 price and overall build quality, they don’t appear to rank highly in terms of repairability. As ever, this isn’t a slight against Lypertek. Earbuds are just really difficult to repair.
Are the Lypertek SoundFree S20 Earbuds Worth Your Money?
Despite my initial misgivings with the SoundFree S20 earbuds, they’ve shone in different ways.
First of all, the battery life is enormous. I never once ran out of battery, and the 48 hours of combined playback is excellent. If you’re going hiking, on a long journey, or just hate having to constantly charge your earbuds, take a look at the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds.
Second, the price. You can find the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds currently retailing for $70. At this price point, the audio experience and sound stage on offer is really quite good.
In many ways, you could consider the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earbuds a bit of a bargain. There aren’t many truly decent earbuds at this price point that deliver good audio performance with extensive battery life. Often, there is a trade-off, where some part of the product is compromised to make up the difference in price to performance.
The SoundFree S20 wireless earbuds aren’t exceptional, but they don’t let you down. So, with that, I can recommend the Lypertek SoundFree S20 wireless earbuds to anyone that wants a budget-beating earbud experience.