JCALLY JM20 Headphone Dongle Review

[Barrelhouse Solly]

Another 43131.

 

[mc.god]

The bug is finally fixed in the latest version of ASIO4ALL! I had updated in the past when each version came out and it was never fixed. And sometimes things broke so I stopped doing that. A member suggested in the last review that the latest revision may have fixed this bug so gave it a try and indeed it has!

Thank you for the explanation, so finally Asio4all fixed it, better later than never!

 

[Ecaroh]

Hi

Is there a lighting version, now that Apple will no longer sell the Lightning to Headphones adapter?


Pece.

There's a Lightning version of the JM30, called the JM30L. On Ali, HiFiGo has it at a Black Friday price of $10.

 

[MC_RME]

Does it have a lightbulb? Or is it 'Lightning'?

 

[fordiebianco]

I have never tried a dongle, it seems like they would stress the USB-C port if you were walking around while using it...has anyone had issues with the port due to using one?

Have a few of them, used them with various iPhone pro maxes over the years, never had an issue apart from the extra battery drain.

 

[wwenze]

"If you plug in your headphones before you power up the JM20, then the dongle will measure the headphone impedance on startup and limit output voltage accordingly"

High sensitivity high impedance drivers (i.e. BA IEM) are going to have fun with this

 

[cronos]

Can this be used with Tidal from the phone?

 

[Tell]

Can this be used with Tidal from the phone?

It can be used for anything that makes sound on your phone.

 

[Ismapics]

By the way it is available for $16.99 ($19.99 + $3.00 coupon) here (at least for me in the States):

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804954664778.html

I got this unit that was reviewed for this price back in June so it seems to be often on sale.

Thanks, Just ordered one.

 

[Acerun]

Ali Express says there is a premium upgraded version

 

[CedarX]

Ali Express says there is a premium upgraded version
View attachment 409507

JM20 Max has an additional output opamp (SGM8262), not unlike the FiiO KA11.
More power (if one needs it…), higher battery usage, and potentially slightly lower THD and/or N performance.

 

[WalterW]

It’s $15 more expensive. Brown bag it one day instead of going out to lunch and you’ve paid the delta.

It depends on how you put it, it is almost 3 times the price is another way of seeing it (if one is a poor student, for example).

 

[Tell]

JM20 Max has an additional output opamp (SGM8262), not unlike the FiiO KA11.
More power (if one needs it…), higher battery usage, and potentially slightly lower THD and/or N performance.

You know how much more power? I got the JM20 atm and while I do enjoy it very mich with my Zero 2 I still sometime long for a bit more gain. Would it be worth it?

 

[mc.god]

You know how much more power? I got the JM20 atm and while I do enjoy it very mich with my Zero 2 I still sometime long for a bit more gain. Would it be worth it?

No information around, anyway I'm pretty confident you can take as a reference the specs of Fiio KA11 that uses the very same chips configuration. They claim for it 2x200mW @ 32 ohm, 1% thd/n, so get your conclusions.
Anyway it seems strange you feel the need for more gain on the Zero 2, did you try the trick to force the JM20 into high gain mode? Just need to make the dongle startup with nothing attached and plug the iems after it's on.

 

[CedarX]

You know how much more power? I got the JM20 atm and while I do enjoy it very mich with my Zero 2 I still sometime long for a bit more gain. Would it be worth it?

No I don’t… The JM20 Max should be similar to the FiiO KA11 (on sale at $25.49 at AliExpress):

Now if it was me, I’ll pick the KA11 over the JM20 Max (I actually have one): not that I am a FiiO fanboy… but they publish some specs, they have an app to configure the settings, and their ASIO driver appears to work fine.

With JCALLY, you get low prices, reasonably good quality, but you’re on your own

 

[Tell]

No information around, anyway I'm pretty confident you can take as a reference the specs of Fiio KA11 that uses the very same chips configuration. They claim for it 2x200mW @ 32 ohm, 1% thd/n, so get your conclusions.
Anyway it seems strange you feel the need for more gain on the Zero 2, did you try the trick to force the JM20 into high gain mode? Just need to make the dongle startup with nothing attached and plug the iems after it's on.

Yeah I've understood that my ears are weird, I have a friend of mine has the exact same stuff and he won't go over 50% volume while I still want MOAR at max.
I've been at SO many raves over the years, have had big and loud speakers at home and headphones always at max, but yet I've still have barely any tinnitus at all. Am I pushing my luck?

But yeah I did read that you could force it to give you a bit more gain, just haven't had the time to try it yet. If it's still not enough I'll just try the Max version ^^

No I don’t… The JM20 Max should be similar to the FiiO KA11 (on sale at $25.49 at AliExpress):
View attachment 409558
Now if it was me, I’ll pick the KA11 over the JM20 Max (I actually have one): not that I am a FiiO fanboy… but they publish some specs, they have an app to configure the settings, and their ASIO driver appears to work fine.

With JCALLY, you get low prices, reasonably good quality, but you’re on your own

Yeah I've seen the KA11, it's just that it's also a bit bigger, and want as much as possible from as little as possible
And I don't care that much for the app unless it's got a PEQ (which the KA11 don't afaik).

 

[Aperiodic]

Not on A***** so went looking and found multiple devices under the same name that are clearly not the same device. What's a reliable source to be sure you're getting this particukar device? Only dealer name I recognized was Aliexpress.

 

[mc.god]

but yet I've still have barely any tinnitus at all. Am I pushing my luck?

please be cautious, ears are the only not replaceable pieces of our audio reproduction chains

 

[tccalvin]

Am I pushing my luck?

Definitely.

 

[Tell]

Not on A***** so went looking and found multiple devices under the same name that are clearly not the same device. What's a reliable source to be sure you're getting this particukar device? Only dealer name I recognized was Aliexpress.

What makes you sure it's not the same device?

please be cautious, ears are the only not replaceable pieces of our audio reproduction chains

Thanks! I do of course very much know this, but it's just so hard not to crank it louder, and when it sounds so clean as the JM20 and Zero2 combination does even at very loud volumes it's even harder not to push it!