Disclosure: The SuperMix 4 was provided by Simgot for this review. Please read more about our product review disclosure here.
Today we have a fairly unique IEM, the Simgot SuperMix 4. Previously I reviewed the Simgot EM6L and the EW300, both of which had their own distinct strengths and uses and are fairly unique in their own way. This continues with the SuperMix 4, a four-driver hybrid (or “quadbrid”) IEM featuring four distinct drivers: a 10mm dynamic driver, a balanced armature driver, a planar driver, and a piezoelectric driver. This complex driver arrangement has excellent potential if tuned properly, but at $150 USD it has a lot of competition in the mid-fi IEM space. Read on to see if the unique and exotic specs of the SuperMix 4 translate into real and practical results.
Key Specifications
- Type: IEM (in-ear monitor)
- Driver Type: 1 x 10mm Dynamic Driver (DD), 1 x Balanced Armatures (BA), 1 x Planar, 1 x Piezoelectric (PZT)
- Frequency Response: 8 Hz – 40 kHz
- Impedance: 7.2 ohms
- Sensitivity: 120 dB SPL
- Weight: 5.4g
- Connection: 0.78mm 2-pin connector
- Detachable Cable: Yes
In the Box and Unboxing
- Simgot SuperMix 4
- 0.78mm 2-pin silver-plated OFC cable with 3.5mm termination
- Set of S, M, L silicone ear tips
- Zipper travel case
- Manual
As usual, Simgot has excellent taste when it comes to box artwork, color, and texture. They always capture the essence of what the product inside is about, and here as you can see it’s about the four-driver configuration, which is displayed in an x-ray-like picture on the front of the box.
Inside the box, we have a bare-bones amount of accessories. The cable has a decent thickness and is overall of good quality. It doesn’t feel cheap and has a good amount of play while still retaining its shape. Most importantly I noticed no microphonics when using it. The silver color also looks really good and compliments the color of the IEMs nicely.
One set of S, M, L silicone ear tips is included, which I feel is a little lacking for a $150 USD IEM. The zipper case is similar to other Simgot IEM cases, which means it’s nothing special but gets the job done, and provides enough room for an accessory such as a dongle DAC.
Design & Comfort
The design of the Simgot SuperMix 4 is on the understated side of things. The 3D-printed resin shell is all black with a nice shine to it. SuperMix 4 is printed in small, gold letters along the bottom side of each earpiece, along with L and R indicators. The shell itself feels cheap since it’s plastic, but it’s also very light at 5.4 grams. This is definitely a case where most of the material investment was put into the guts of the IEM and not a flashy shell, which is alright in my mind.
The faceplate has a matte texture for the dark grey aluminum covering. The sole design on it is of a gold circle, with a small mesh vent sitting on one end as if to look like a planet’s orbit. Again, very understated, and I like understated. The SuperMix 4 uses a 0.78mm 2-pin connector, and beside the connector looks to be a pressure vent.
Putting the earphones in they might be one of the most comfortable IEMs I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. Using the small ear tips I was able to get a solid seal with no discomfort, and the passive noise isolation is excellent as a result. They do stick out of the ear a bit just due to the thickness of the shell, so I don’t think you’ll be able to go to sleep with these IEMs in, but otherwise, you’ll be able to wear them for hours without issue. Stability is also excellent, they didn’t move at all when I was walking around.
Sound Quality
Sources used for this review:
- Sony NW-WM1AM2
- Qudelix T71
- Samsung Galaxy Fold 5 with Apple USB-C to 3.5mm dongle
- Razer Blade laptop with iFi GO link Max
Music playlist used for the majority of testing: https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/hifi-oasis-audio-testing/pl.u-lKWlcjy04xp
The Simgot SuperMix 4 features a unique quadbrid driver design utilizing four different drivers, each responsible for an area of the frequency range. The dynamic driver handles the low end, the balanced armature driver is responsible for the midrange, the planar driver handles the majority of the treble, and finally, the piezoelectric driver handles the upper treble range.
You would think then with four drivers that the SuperMix 4 would be hard to drive. Surprisingly it is not, but it’s also not as easy as the 7.2 ohm and 120 dB sensitivity make it look. The SuperMix 4 can be paired with even the most basic of sources, such as an Apple 3.5mm dongle DAC or laptop 3.5mm connection. You’ll get sufficient volume and the overall sound is pretty good. Moving up to a better and cleaner source, such as the iFi GO Link Max, you’ll notice less bloat in the bass and toned-down sharpness in the treble. The texture overall is improved as well.
You do have to turn the volume up more than the impedance and sensitivity would indicate though, and that lower-mid to mid range of volume is really where the SuperMix 4 excels. Higher volumes tend to sound a bit hot and fatiguing after a while, so you get a much better-sounding experience if you pair the SuperMix 4 with a decent dongle DAC or portable DAC.
Looking at the overall sound signature now, the SuperMix 4 follows the Harman IE 2019 target pretty closely, so if you are familiar with that tuning then that should tell you most of what you need to know. For those that don’t know, or simply want an elaboration, the SuperMix 4 has a U-shaped sound with added emphasis on the sub-bass, a fairly neutral midrange, and a well-extended treble with some sparkle, but not the fatiguing kind. It’s suitable to be used with most music genres, making it very versatile, and is slightly warm and musical sounding. Vocals are a bit forward, which can sometimes lead to them sounding shouty at times, and the midrange tends to be on the thin side, but overall the SuperMix 4 sounds very good and it really is enjoyable to listen to.
Bass
The SuperMix 4 has excellent sub-bass performance. It’s deep but not in an overwhelming way, it has the right amount of texture and substance. The mid-bass is where things fall a bit, lacking punch and impact, but that falls in line with the Harman in-ear target. The bass overall though is controlled and detailed, and it helps drive the slightly warm sound of the tuning. If you listen to a lot of Massive Attack, for example, you’ll have endless fun here.
Midrange
The midrange is recessed and leans neutral, though still smooth, natural, and clear. Vocals have good clarity and are generally very sharp and clean, but as mentioned before can sometimes sound shouty as they are a bit forward. Male vocals with a deeper, more gravelly voice tend to get smoothed out a bit too much, losing that body and weight that adds to their power. The midrange itself can also sound a bit too cold or clinical, but this is mostly a nitpick as overall it does sound good in line with the rest of the tuning.
Treble
The treble is great, honestly. There’s a good amount of energy present and some sparkle that adds to the musicality but is never fatiguing or piercing. There’s some airiness to it as well that helps open the treble up, and paired with how detailed it is everything just sounds coherent. I think the key thing here that Simgot was able to achieve was to avoid sibilance and sharpness yet still have that sparkle present. Push the volume too high and yes it can sound a bit much, and the amount of energy might turn some off, but I think it’s a very enjoyable treble for both casual and critical listening.
Soundstage and Imaging
The soundstage is very wide and deep for an IEM, with a good sense of height as well, so the overall 3D space it creates is accurate and big enough to be able to properly enjoy spatial audio. Instruments are nicely layered and detail resolution is excellent. The imaging performance is also stellar, with accurate sound placement in the left and right earbuds. All of this together makes the Simgot SuperMix 4 perform superbly with anything that requires a sense of space and accurate sound placement. This leads me nicely to talk about gaming performance.
Gaming
Games used for testing (played on Windows 11 PC unless otherwise noted):
- Call of Duty Warzone/Modern Warfare III multiplayer
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Skyrim
- Soma
In short, the SuperMix4 is an absolutely fantastic gaming IEM. The large and airy soundstage and accurate imaging performance pairs perfectly to gaming use, especially competitive gaming. In Call of Duty footsteps have appropriate weight and body, and with Dolby Atmos enabled they are placed accurately within the map, helping indicate direction. The same goes for gunshot sounds. I was worried that maybe they would sound too bright, but thankfully Simgot did an excellent job keeping sibilance away with their tuning.
Single-player narrative games, whether FPS or RPGs, perform admirably here too. If you are in a room that is small, sounds within the room are intimate, if you’re outside in a field atmospheric audio sounds expansive, if you’re underwater it sounds claustrophobic. The SuperMix 4 performed well in all games I tested it with and is my new favorite gaming IEM.
Final Thoughts
For a four-driver hybrid IEM, I think Simgot nailed the sound tuning as far as making it have a cohesive sound that doesn’t embody any one of the specific drivers. You get the sense they are working together as opposed to against each other, and that really is what makes the SuperMix 4 special. Harman-tuned IEMs aren’t my personal preference as I like my midrange to have some thickness to it, and I like deeper male vocals to have appropriate texture and weight. That being said, the Simgot SuperMix 4 really does a good job with everything else that, for the most part, I’m able to forget about my personal nitpicks and simply enjoy what I’m listening to, for both critical and casual listening.
The SuperMix 4 is extremely versatile not only because it is suitable for listening to most music genres, but the gaming performance is simply excellent and is tempting me to switch from mainly using over-ears. It’s that good. While you don’t get a lot of accessories with it, I think the $150 USD price is justified purely by how the SuperMix 4 performs. Good job Simgot!
Buy from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4jffVY9
Buy from Linsoul: https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-supermix-4?sca_ref=5236667.OhF52MYHpZ
I’m not always able to cover all the details of a product, both hardware and software, in our reviews. If you have any specific questions you’d like answered about this product please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly.
Be sure to check out our excellent Buyer’s Guides, as well as our other Reviews.
HiFi Oasis Verdict
HiFi Oasis Verdict-
Design & Comfort9/10 Amazing
-
Sound9/10 Amazing
-
Features8/10 Very good
Pros
- Excellent implementation of the Harman IE 2019 target
- Bass performance is excellent
- Treble sounds great with the right amount of sparkle
- Amazing technical performance
- Great build quality and fit
- Perfect for gaming
- Cohesive, non-fatiguing sound profile
Cons
- Lack of mid-bass is noticeable
- Mids can sound a little thin at times
- Certain vocals lack weight and texture
- Lacks accessories for the price