I own the SuperMix 4 and have enjoyed it, it was never my favourite (a solid 4/5) but it’s spent time in my rotation on and off since I got it. On paper the tuning of the SM5 looks to be very similar to the 4, however we have a different driver config now, so I was very interested to hear what the SM5 sounds like!
The SM5 comes in a nice box, similar in design to the SM4 but a little bigger. You get the IEMs, a case, a cable, two sets of eartips, and a few pieces of paper. The shells are minimalist, with an SM logo on each one. The shells are bigger than the SM4’s and stick out a little when wearing them. They also have the hollow’ish sound if you tap on them that the Kiwi Ears Etude had, I assume due to the BC driver. Not an issue once you’re actually listening to music! The cable allows you to change the termination, between 3.5mm and 4.4mm. I varied between these for the review as I was using the Mojo 2 to drive them for a good period of time.
The included tips are also decent, with one being slightly softer than the other. I ended up enjoying the ones with the red core more than the black ones, but it will depend on your ears.
I drove these from the Mojo 2, and also a few dongle dacs (LP W4 was the main one). For music it was my normal eclectic selections, ranging from classical through to heavy metal. I was also listening to the Punch Audio Portazo at the same time (review coming), so it was quite interesting hearing the difference between these two, as they are very different IEMs!
Onto the sound.
I generally break the sound down, which I will below, but I’ll start with an overall as I think it’s the best way to describe what Simgot have created here. The SM5 is extremely balanced across everything, to me it doesn’t have anything that stands out too much (although the Mids are a high point), nor is really lacking anything. You can throw anything at all at the SM5 and you get a coherent, slightly V shaped, tuning thrown back at you. If the track has a bass focus, that comes through, if it’s treble focused, that comes through etc. It’s not boring, nor is it overly exciting, just a great all-rounder.
Bass:
The bass here is quality over quantity.
Sub-bass is present and clean, the mid-bass is tight, fast, and well controlled, with excellent texture and speed. This is not bass-head tuning just an overall nice bass tuning which works with the rest of what the SM5 offers. It handles complex tracks with ease, with everything remaining clean and laid out for you. It’s not my favourite bass presentation at its price point, but it’s enjoyable with respect to the overall tuning.
Mids:
The mids are forward, clean, with excellent vocal clarity. Male and female vocals sit naturally in the mix without sounding recessed or overly pushed. I listened to quite a lot of vocal focussed music on these and liked male and female vocals equally, not my favourite for either but it strikes a great balance in the middle. There’s a slight upper-mid emphasis, but it’s controlled enough to avoid anything that would generally annoy people.
What I enjoyed most was the tactile quality of the midrange. Notes have shape and presence, aided by the bone-conduction driver (I assume), which adds a subtle sense of physicality. Instruments sound well defined and separated but avoid being clinical which can lead to a boring sounding IEM.
This is a midrange that favours realism and balance over warmth. As with everything else about it, it works well for the tuning they’re going for here.
Treble:
Safe and non-fatiguing. Good detail and limited sparkle. There’s no harshness, no sibilance, and no sense of the treble being disconnected from the rest of the tuning. Similar to the upper-mids there isn’t anything which would generally annoy someone. Cymbals sound natural rather than splashy, and string instruments work very well on it.
If you’re a treble-head or someone who lives for shimmer and brilliance, this may come across as a too little polite for you – there are plenty of treble focussed sets around for you. For everyone else, and for an IEM that you can listen to all day, it works very well.
Technical performance:
Technically, the SM5 is very competent. Soundstage is spacious with good depth and height, width is pretty much just to the shell and doesn’t extend out further for my ears, but nothing ever falls over anything else. It handles layering well within the stage with imaging which is fairly precise. With busier tracks some of the detail which can often get lost in sub 1k IEMs is present here, and creates a beautiful soundscape. At its price point the SM5 excels in technical performance, punching well above its price point. It does all of this while remaining extremely coherent, despite the multiple driver types that are jammed into the shells. Well done Simgot!
Subjective thoughts:
The SM5 didn’t blow me away when I first listened to it. In fact, in never blew me away, but it did earn my respect. It’s a very competent, coherent, IEM and I think easily competes as an all-rounder at its price point. The strengths of it are being able to throw anything at it and getting a great sounding rendition of your music thrown back at your ears. It doesn’t need crazy source gear to sound good; it sounded great from dongles as long as out of the Mojo2. It’s technical performance punches above where it’s priced and is what I would expect from a $500 set.
Overall:
The SuperMix 5 isn’t trying to impress you with fireworks. It’s trying to keep you listening and it does this extremely well, I very easily got lost in music while listening to these. I never really sought out anything in particular to listen to on it as I do with some sets, as it doesn’t particularly excel in anyone area, I just let the playlists go and everything that played sounded great. An easy recommendation for someone wanting an all-rounder, technically competent, set.
| Category | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bass | 4/5 | Clean, fast, and well textured with excellent control, but prioritises quality over quantity. |
| Mids | 4.4/5 | Forward, clear, and tactile with excellent vocal balance; realistic and engaging without sounding clinical. |
| Treble | 4/5 | Safe, smooth, and fatigue-free with good detail, though a little polite and light on sparkle. |
| Technicalities | 4.4/5 | Strong layering, good depth and height, precise imaging, and impressive coherence for a multi-driver design. |
| Build/Design | 4/5 | Lightweight, minimalist shells with a solid modular cable; shells are on the larger side. |
| Value | 4.3/5 | A highly competent all-rounder that punches above its price technically. |
| Overall | 4.3/5 | A refined, coherent, and versatile IEM that rewards long listening sessions rather than chasing fireworks. |
Aussie Audiophile 
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