FENGRU SILVER MX985 review :
Okay, firstly, whats this earbuds exactly? On aliexpress it can as well be call Tingo TG-38S than Fengru MX985 or other blabla MX985 title. What’s hide in there really, is it a unique Tingo in house driver or some suspectly concealed OEM one from the very company that some product title suggest? It’s hard to know with Aliexpress and as western spy aren’t well view in China, I don’t think I will take the risk to investigate this any further.
Because.
I’m here to share my cheap ass budget audiophile EXCITATION!!!!!!!!
As a big fan (and wannabe compulsive collector) of earbuds, I decide to take the oh-so-risky plunge of buying a strange looking earbuds that neither was beautifull or plain ugly, just looking like a poorly pimped glossy fake metal budget earbud inspired by some Lady Gaga outfit, but having too a quite intriguingly nice cable and must of all BIG housing that perhaps hide something SPECIAL in it. As well, a MX985 ‘’brand’’ that make 1+1=2 in my head like : hey, if MX500 sound great,those perhaps are 485 points or times(!) better than them (here its 985 minus 500 that make me think about vague extra points concept).
Yes, I take the cheap ass plunge but NO I wasn’t prepare that these Tingo-TG-What-MX985 will sound so good for such a tiny tiny price. I pay 8.40$ on Ali, here in Canada I cannot have a Big Mac trio for this price. These are like a warmer more musical sounding version of MX500 with more presence in vocal, better controled bass and must of all way biger and airyer soundstage.
CONSTRUCTION :
As said, its the kind of earbuds Elton John would like to wear when going in the subway, it try to look like metal housing but WE know it isn’t and that even from a far distance the strange glossyness betray the cheapish look it try to hide.
The Fancy housing is bigger than MX500 and surely hide a bigger dynamic driver as well.
In another hand, the cable is nice, tangle free and do not create any microphonic wich is a BIG plus as half of my earbuds can create sometype of microphonic.
(note to myself : try to find this cable for DIY earbuds project)
About fiting, its not a problem for my big ears, and do better than lets say the EBX or Mrz Tomahawk in term of stability of fitting, still, those other 2 risky fitting is due to their size and heavy weight where the MX985 is very light.
SOUNDsoundSOUND :
I’m addict to the MX985 warm, clear and vast easy going sound, but i’m very open minded about soundsignature so perhaps not Everybody will love them as much as me, I like to have multiple soundsignature for specific music style critical listening, but I NEED to have more relaxing and musical buddies that can follow me daily without transforming me into a severe gringy music critic, sometime we need to laid back and let the music be gently sexy -MX985 is a musical hot tub with bubble (or glossy jacuzzi).
AMPING isn’t fondamentaly needed and bad too powerfull one can even create driver distortion at very high volume, so plugin them in an ultra powerfull vintage Sansui amp isn’t a big plus. Still, rightly well amped they can open even more and gain in low and mids weight.
SOUNDSIGNATURE is mid centric with warm extra push in bass and smooth but enoug detailed highs that have not super extended treble.
SOUNDSTAGE is immense and around your head, airy, deep with very good layering.
LOW are warm but well rounded, it got good punch as weight is more felt in mid low than sub, still, it dig deep and we can hear quite easily a sub line under a wide slow beefy kicks. This isn’t basshead earbuds and they feel smooter than the MX500 more bright and tightly bassy sound. Mid bass barely do not bleed into the mids strangely, leaving great space for vocal to open. We have here a slow thick bass presentation that can do as good with cello than double bass, wich is a real joy for acoustic music lover.
MIDS are warm and vast with lot of airy presence, they are the show of rest of sound spectrum but not in a negative way as we can find with too fowards brightish mid centric earbuds. Because they have lot of transparency that permit rest of layering to be well spoted, the vocal or instruments like violin or piano feel more like smoothly bodied musical than very textured, but the MX985 react very well to EQ or tone switch from old amp as I discover and giving them extra treble can really impress even more. When rightly amped this really are incredible sounding for vocal, as we can see with Youn Sun Nah ‘’Lento’’ album that isn’t overcrowded with instrumental (guitar, acoustic bass and drum), her voice is ample and realist, have musical warm and extreme clarity, its just impossible to convince ourself we listen to a 10$ earbuds as its the best one for this very signer, soundstage is immense and sens of space is perfect for layering. Really, if these MX985 don’t blown you away, just try to find the right sinergy and music andmagic will happen.
HIGHS are smooth with clean treble that permit to details to have there place when needed due to great imaging and layering in deep soundstage. It have quite realist decay as well and percussion even if not fowards have good resolution. This is not analytical earbuds but supreme musical one, tuning is just so addictive and well made and that is even more evident with greatly recorded music. Texture is perhaps not overemphised but it do not sound dull at all.
COMPARAISONS :
VS NiceHCK EBX :
EBX are brighter with more textured and punchy bass while the Tingo lack a little punch weight but have more body. Mids of Tingo are more vast and present and way more enjoyable and versatile, vocal are more detailed with EBX but can feel less musical. EBX have more micro details and better layering. Soundstage is more holographic than Tingo too. At 10 times the price i’m not even sure I prefer EBX to be honnest because I prefer the vocal presentation of Tingo. I would conclude that EBX deal better with complex music as well as fast bass even if it feel more grainy compared to Tingo.
VS EMX500 :
Firstly, I Love both. But I find the MX985 sound more mature and calibrate, with bigger deeper soundstage and better imaging-layering (biggest difference), less bright in the mids and highs, and bass (less sub but still weighty) is more controled and never distort. These are really a no brainer, try it by yourself bro you will NOT regret it! Sub is less boomy as well, but perhaps MX500 have a hint more details...in a more congested less airy way even if they are far from sounding congested. COnstruction of 985 is better too as the cable is well fix to housing. I'm pretty confident nobody on planet eath can find these bad sounding
CONCLUSION :
I own about 15 pairs of earbuds and more than 50 pairs of IEM and never find such a great value in sub-10$ price range. These earbuds are phenomenal period. But you need to be perhaps a maniac audiophile to know it, by this, I mean having the right gear to hear their real potential and take the time to do it. If you search for the perfect MID centric earbuds whatever price range, this is the one, don’t let it go and thank me later.
For more audio reviews, please give a look at my BLOG
