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JCALLY JM20 Headphone Dongle Review

Rate this headphone adapter:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 17 9.3%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 163 89.1%

  • Total voters
    183
JM20 Pro - model which includes unknown ADC to support microphone
Small detail: the ADC is actually part of the CB5100 bridge chip used on the JM20-Pro. Per TTGK datasheet, it should go up to 24 bits / 48 kHz (may even be stereo, 2x ADC(?), only one wired).
 
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BUYERS BEWARE

I ordered the JCally JM20 Pro on Aliexpress for $27 from the Sailboat 3C store.

It was a rip-off.

What I received was a JCally JM12 which is 1/3 the price. Followed by weeks of poor and uncooperative messaging by the seller. Rather than honor the buyer protection policy I got the "run around".

The seller claimed, without proof, that I provided the wrong address to my home ( ! ) Asked for photos of the item and the packaging it arrived in. That the package was waiting at the Post office (I went there but there was no record of any package from the seller) and all I had to do was sign for it. Then later claimed that I received the item even though I already complained that I was sent the wrong item and sent photographic evidence.

I have requested a refund or to be sent the item that I had ordered and paid for but the seller has not responded to these requests.
I received my unit in about 10 days. AliExpress price was $13 and change. Your experience is why I am reluctant to shop in many online outlets, particularly from halfway around the world. I too have had experience with unresponsive sellers (got no replies to a question I sent to SMSL despite sending it to an address they identified as a US agent for them). There is no viable recourse if something goes wrong.

As far as the unit itself is concerned, it seems to work fine… At first, I thought I had dud because I was getting scratching noises and dropouts. A closer inspection revealed that while the plug appeared to be fully inserted, it was not. Giving it a good push for the rest of the way solved it. For something in this price range, if it was a dud, I would’ve just tossed it. If you’re buying something that cost a few hundred dollars the situation is obviously different.

In comparison to the venerable $9 phone dongle that is the Rodney Dangerfield of the phone, dongle world, I’d be hard-pressed to say that I could tell the difference with the 24/48 files I have fed it so far. I doubt that I could tell a difference in a double blind test either. However, this will play formats that one will not and for the extra $4, that’s worthwhile for those playing DSD or 24/96 with a computer. My phone only supports 24/48 anyway which is probably fine when all is said and done.

If you look closely, you can see that the USB-C plug is just a little bit crooked. Oh well, for $13 I can live with it.
 
BUYERS BEWARE

I ordered the JCally JM20 Pro on Aliexpress for $27 from the Sailboat 3C store.

It was a rip-off.

What I received was a JCally JM12 which is 1/3 the price. Followed by weeks of poor and uncooperative messaging by the seller. Rather than honor the buyer protection policy I got the "run around".

The seller claimed, without proof, that I provided the wrong address to my home ( ! ) Asked for photos of the item and the packaging it arrived in. That the package was waiting at the Post office (I went there but there was no record of any package from the seller) and all I had to do was sign for it. Then later claimed that I received the item even though I already complained that I was sent the wrong item and sent photographic evidence.

I have requested a refund or to be sent the item that I had ordered and paid for but the seller has not responded to these requests.
I received my unit in about 10 days. AliExpress price was $13 and change. Your experience is why I am reluctant to shop in many online outlets, particularly from halfway around the world. I too have had experience with unresponsive sellers (got no replies to a question I sent to SMSL despite sending it to an address they identified as a US agent for them). There is no viable recourse if something goes wrong.

As far as the unit itself is concerned, it seems to work fine… At first, I thought I had dud because I was getting scratching noises and dropouts. A closer inspection revealed that while the plug appeared to be fully inserted, it was not. Giving it a good push for the rest of the way solved it. For something in this price range, if it was a dud, I would’ve just tossed it. If you’re buying something that cost a few hundred dollars the situation is obviously different.

In comparison to the venerable $9 phone dongle that is the Rodney Dangerfield of the phone, dongle world, I’d be hard-pressed to say that I could tell the difference with the 24/48 files I have fed it so far. I doubt that I could tell a difference in a double blind test either. However, this will play formats that one will not and for the extra $4, that’s worthwhile for those playing DSD or 24/96 with a computer. My phone only supports 24/48 anyway which is probably fine when all is said and done.

Here's a closeup of what I received. If you look closely, you can see that the USB-C plug is just a little bit crooked. Oh well, for $13 I can live with it.
 

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Fascinating. With these things, I always wonder, what'd happen in an A/B test against extremely expensive things, like Chord etc :)
 
As for Walk Play APP:
Someone can't download from its official website because the website has a cross-domain problem for some browser.
go to https://walkplay.szttgk.com/api/appver/Android/latest to get latest download link.
I've reported to them and they said "cross-domain domain name issues have been investigated and will be optimized as soon as possible".

Interesting Function: The app can share your Eq with other users since v2.11, just like Moondrop App, etc.
Screenshot_2025-01-11-21-43-47-25_0f68dd14f140985.png

In v2.13, it allows users to change DAC Filters Type. However, it only support specific models now(TT39518F01-PRO,EPZ TP35 Pro).
Screenshot_2025-01-11-21-43-08-45_0f68dd14f140985.png
Screenshot_2025-01-11-21-43-12-31_0f68dd14f140985.png
Screenshot_2025-01-11-21-43-17-45_0f68dd14f140985.png

Here are good news: TTGK said
1736603401408.png

(Sorry for my poor English)
 
(Sorry for my poor English)
No need to apologize: English is not my native language either and your English is much better than… my Chinese!

Just don’t be offended if I (or somebody else) ask you to clarify a particular point: it’s nothing personal, just making sure I understand what you wrote!

Cheers and Welcome! :cool:
 
In v2.13, it allows users to change DAC Filters Type. However, it only support specific models now(TT39518F01-PRO,EPZ TP35 Pro).
Off Topic, I know...
I haven't seen the EPZ TP35-Pro anywhere (?). There is an EPZ TP35 (non-pro), but it uses a CT7601 bridge, so very unlikely to be Walk Play-enabled...

As for the TT39518F01-Pro TTGK module (CB5100 Bridge > dual CS43198), I literally received mine today! :) Here it is alongside the FiiO KA15 (Space Touch SPV5048pro Bridge/MCU/DSP > dual CS43198 > dual SGM8262), and my new Shanling M0S (single CS43131. It's a DAP but compact enough to also be used as a "super-dongle" :p):

IMG_2299.jpg

Forgot to include the JM20 in the family picture...:oops:

The module has both 3.5 SE and 4.4 Bal heaphones ports.
The 3 buttons are: Vol+ (short or long press supported), Play/Pause & Previous/Next track (double/triple click), and Vol-. I have tested this very briefly.
The module can also be started in UAC 1.0 mode, instead of the default UAC 2.0 (not tested).

TTGK's 'TTGK Station' app reported a FW update, which I did (update was super-fast!). Then I downloaded the latest version of 'Walk Play' app: it is updated almost once a week, so it's hard to keep up.
All the feature reported in @myy0222 above post are there: PEQ (8x PK filters), DAC digital filters, Class AB/H mode, and low/high gain setting. That last one, I'm not sure how it works, as there is also a high/low gain switch on the module itself.
 
This problem cannot be related to H mode because the CS43131 amplifier's power-down activation has a hysteresis of 5.5 sec, which is explicitly stated in the datasheet (page 35, fig. 4-5).
The nature of this clipping is related to the CS43131 modulator gain change when the signal level is lowered from -12dB to -36dB. Here is the measured change in CS43131 noise level relative to the signal level (BW90kHz). The CS43198 behaves in a completely similar manner.
View attachment 419375
The CS gain change has a low hysteresis and if the signal frequency is low, it instantly causes clipping. I tested CS43131, CS43198, Apple (Cirrus Logic 46L06) - everywhere on a signal down from 9Hz clipping appears.
View attachment 419376
CS43131 8 Hz FFT
View attachment 419377
So no firmware can change this. Only a HPF maybe.
Can you measure with the filter of Neutron Player? They have an sub and ultra sonic filters, will good to know that
 
Can you measure with the filter of Neutron Player? They have an sub and ultra sonic filters, will good to know that
I tried Neutron HPF. To completely eliminate clipping at low frequencies with it, you need to have at least 36 dB of filter suppression at 8 Hz. For this purpose you need to set the cutoff frequency not lower than 70 Hz... well, it is not worth fighting with hard to notice defects with such a truncation of the frequency range.
LPF filter can't help, ultrasonic noises are formed in the chip, they are not present in the digital signal. BTW CS43131/43198 always suppress frequencies above about 100 kHz.
 
I have not been brave enough to try firmware tinkering with the JM20 (or the Max).

However, I got myself one of them JM12-dongles and upgraded it to the JA11 firmware version 2.1. It sort of works but I had to use the browser tool to set it to an USER1 EQ mode before I could use the Fiio Android app to make EQ changes.

But the best improvement is that USB audio player pro does not hog the device, so I can listen to music from other apps just by switching between apps. I don't have to reconnect the dongle anymore!

That is huge! It's my first dongle to work like that!
 
But the best improvement is that USB audio player pro does not hog the device, so I can listen to music from other apps just by switching between apps. I don't have to reconnect the dongle anymore!
Is this even with the “USB exclusive” mode selected (or whatever the term UAPP uses)?
There is a similar discussion in the Chu-II thread, related to phone calls “interrupting” hi-res playing. I thought it was mostly UAPP issues, but there might be a dongle FW aspect as well…
 
Is this even with the “USB exclusive” mode selected (or whatever the term UAPP uses)?
There is a similar discussion in the Chu-II thread, related to phone calls “interrupting” hi-res playing. I thought it was mostly UAPP issues, but there might be a dongle FW aspect as well…
Indeed it works.

There are some mildly annoying clicks and pops when the UAPP releases the driver when playback starts in another app. And when you go back to the UAPP you'll get the same clicks and pops (luckily not loud but audible), accompanied with the "USB device initialized" pop-up.

It's just funny, when listening with UAPP I am using the hardware volume option. And I set it quite low in UAPP (sensitive iems and ears).

When I switch to another app, android apparently does software volume only and the volume is reasonable even if I max the Android volume.

If I need it louder I have to go back to UAPP to increase the hardware volume.

I must say I thoroughly enjoy this dongle-noodling around even with the challenges. Or perhaps *because* of the challenges.

EDIT: I have not tried phone calls yet, just switching between UAPP and various other apps that play sound of any kind. And obviously UAPP won't play simultaneously with anything else, it's just that for the first time ever at least I can somewhat smoothly switch apps.
 
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EDIT: I have not tried phone calls yet, just switching between UAPP and various other apps that play sound of any kind. And obviously UAPP won't play simultaneously with anything else, it's just that for the first time ever at least I can somewhat smoothly switch apps.
That's functionality natively built into UAPP by now:
Screenshot_20250115-220324_USB Audio Player PRO.png

(Settings->System)

Are you sure that this behavior is unique to your JM12 dongle?
 
That's functionality natively built into UAPP by now:
View attachment 421358
(Settings->System)

Are you sure that this behavior is unique to your JM12 dongle?

Indeed I am, I started doubting myself and double checked with the JM20 and JM20 Max - does not work, and I have those three enabled.

And it did not work with the JM12 before the Fiio Firmware either. I have no idea how or why this is happening, but I am sure glad it is.

I think the last sentence "Depends on the Andoid device..." is relevant somehow. I have a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.
 
I tried Neutron HPF. To completely eliminate clipping at low frequencies with it, you need to have at least 36 dB of filter suppression at 8 Hz. For this purpose you need to set the cutoff frequency not lower than 70 Hz... well, it is not worth fighting with hard to notice defects with such a truncation of the frequency range.
LPF filter can't help, ultrasonic noises are formed in the chip, they are not present in the digital signal. BTW CS43131/43198 always suppress frequencies above about 100 kHz.
I mean, on the common use, that artifact can damage some speakers? or can have other issues?
 
I mean, on the common use, that artifact can damage some speakers? or can have other issues?
Only direct current or loud high-frequency content can harm your speakers. Neither of these things are generated by the CS43131 or others by themselves. The artifacts discussed may (or may not) be heard as features of the sound, but nothing more.
 
Is this even with the “USB exclusive” mode selected (or whatever the term UAPP uses)?
There is a similar discussion in the Chu-II thread, related to phone calls “interrupting” hi-res playing. I thought it was mostly UAPP issues, but there might be a dongle FW aspect as well…
Maybe the UAC 2 protocol used makes a difference, just a wild guess.
 
Maybe the UAC 2 protocol used makes a difference, just a wild guess.
Uapp has a setting 'allow other apps to use dac when not in use ' but I think it's both dac and android build dependant .

EDIT Static beat me to it.
 
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I picked one up for $7.99 and free shipping. Now it's up to $19.99 still good but wow.
Screenshot 2025-01-16 at 8.33.52 AM.png
 
@amirm Whats the output impedance?
I asked customer service whether it pairs well with a 4ohms IEM (Elysian Diva), and they said no. So I guess either the OI is not so small or they simply don't know.
In fact, they cannot recommend any of their dongles for my Diva (I appreciate their honesty tho
 
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