FENGRU D08 Earphones Review – Budget Flathead Behemoth

First Impressions

Quite frankly, I didn’t expect the FENGRU D08 to surprise me like it did. In the context of budget flatheads, most sets focus on sound while cutting corners on packaging and, obviously, the build. The D08 came with a really nice box with a clean aesthetic to it. It looked something like KZ’s packaging and far from the very sparse containers that most budget flatheads ship with. 

What blew me away though was the build quality. I was really impressed with the feel of the materials,  especially for the price. 

In terms of sonics, the tuning is anything but novel. However, I can see that many of its components, particularly the midrange and the treble, are done well. Although there are some flaws that detract a bit from the overall experience, I find the D08 to be of excellent value. 

Build Quality

The FENGRU D08 comes in an aluminum body with a nice heft to it. The shells are polished and smooth, plus the overall design is modern with elements of steampunk.

There are some vents on the side which are all symmetrically done and despite looking the part, the backplate isn’t an actual vent but serves only as a design choice. 

The connectors are soldered in but they’re really sturdy and almost resemble detachable MMCX connectors. The cable is the least pleasant, being slightly cheaper than the rest of the components and while I do find it to be less charming, it does store easily and is devoid of tangle memory. 

Overall for the price, the build is pretty solid and the design is well thought-out and executed.  

Fit and Comfort

The FENGRU D08 is still technically a flathead set and although it’s not without discomfort, it’s more manageable than most flatheads. 

If you have smaller ears, you might have trouble finessing them around as you need to get a good placement for them to sound as accurate as they are susceptible to positioning. With the cloth covers on, most users should have no problems with moderate listening sessions. 

Sound Quality

The apparent tonality of the FENGRU D08 is V-shaped. 

The low end isn’t that big to make a recession in the mids but I find the vocal projection to be more distant than I prefer. Scaling with volume helps with the levels but it comes to a point where everything apart from the vocals gets too loud, causing me to lower the volume – a conundrum, if not a minor one. 

I did find that I adjusted to the slightly farther presentation but I think the tuning would’ve been better following somewhat of a neutral approach rather than a V. 

The low end is a bit odd as it’s not completely bass-light. There’s an emphasis more on the sub-bass notes than the mid-bass and I find that this gives songs the needed oomph to render their atmospheres.

The midrange and the treble are very well done. Somehow with good-sounding sets, it gets hard to say anything apart from “they sound right” because they do. They just sound right with nothing amiss. 

Bass 

The low end of the FENGRU D08 has more of an affinity for sub-bass, although the mid-bass is far from neglected. I actually find the kick drum to be very refreshing as it’s light-sounding but remains tactile and fast. 

This is a well-balanced bass presentation and even though it doesn’t come as strongly as other sets, I’m not too averse to this kind of presentation. Overall, the low end is balanced and melds naturally with the rest of the spectrum.

Midrange

The mids of the FENGRU D08 are articulate and well-textured. I might go as far as saying it’s a very detail-oriented midrange. The lower midrange sounds sufficiently round and not thin in any way, while the upper midrange is energetic and amply bright. 

I like how they did the midrange on the D08 as it really works with the technicalities, making for a very natural and engaging presentation. 

Treble

The upper end is bright and crispy with no sibilance or any harshness. The extension is far-reaching and lends to a sense of airiness and expanse. The transients are snappy while strings sound mellow and lush. Higher female ranges, as well as upper vocal harmonics, sound natural and alluring.  

I subjected it to the usual stress test with metal, J-pop, and Rock and they were no problem at all for the FENGRU D08’s upper end. 

Technicalities

The standout in the technicalities of the FENGRU D08 would be soundstage and imaging. 

The stage is very wide and side EQ techniques, where vocals and instruments flare from the side, sound nice. The imaging is surprisingly on point. Be it on the instruments, percussions, or vocals, but in any given song, they’d just pop out and disappear in the soundscape, creating that flow to the sound.  

I think they’re actually better than some of the budget IEMs that go for way more, which is just crazy. I could go on to discuss layering and other attributes but overall, the technicalities are very good for the price. 

Genre Synergy

The FENGRU D08 is a very good all-rounder flathead and everything in my diverse library was done really well and with justice. Vocal-centric tracks are a treat but just as well as genres that have various instrumentation. 

Conclusion

I’m inclined to recommend the FENGRU D08 with its build quality alone but for what it gives you sonic-wise, it’s definitely an insane value set in the landscape of budget flatheads. If you start with these flatheads, I doubt you’ll want to pursue any side-grades anymore.

This post was last updated on 2025-02-05 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.