I bet it now sounds really clean and crisp
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JCALLY JM20 MAX Headphone Dongle Review
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
I bet it now sounds really clean and crisp
Huang Jerry
Member
Just bought this - Sounds perfect to me with truthear hexa.
Though my nothing phone has compatibility issue with it, making it a bit less useful.
Check if your phone is compatible before buying!
I've tested with laptops and those worked fine.
Though my nothing phone has compatibility issue with it, making it a bit less useful.
Check if your phone is compatible before buying!
I've tested with laptops and those worked fine.
wavetechie
Member
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- Jul 21, 2023
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How can I check if my phone is compatible before buying?
The "magic link" for compatibility is USB UAC 2.0 (or 1.0 for some USB audio dongles) standard: JM20-Max is allegedly compliant with USB UAC 2.0 so, if your phone is also claiming compatibility with USB UAC 2.0 audio devices--most phones are--it should work !!!
Now, if it does not work (it happens...
), one of the party is lying or, most likely, has missed some fine prints in the UAC 2.0 section of the USB Standards... That's where the hell starts for us, users: who is to blame, and how to convince hem that they must fix their compatibility issue?
Did you check having otg enabled? Some phones don't enable it by default but you have to enable it from phone toggles, and it goes off automatically if nothing is connected after a predefined time.
multiformous
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So is anyone else experiencing a very brief 'fade in' when starting to play content with the JM20 Max? Mine exhibits this behaviour on both Windows and on Android (exclusive mode in UAPP).
Hi dears,
what should I buy? JM20 or JM20 Max?
I will mostly use it for IEMs, like the Xenns Top Pro connected to iPhones (16 pro max).
Is the JM20 Max an overkill for IEMs? Where I'll be stuck to very low volume settings on my phone and drain too much battery?
Or is it worth it over the JM20 for audio quality improvements of any sort?
what should I buy? JM20 or JM20 Max?
I will mostly use it for IEMs, like the Xenns Top Pro connected to iPhones (16 pro max).
Is the JM20 Max an overkill for IEMs? Where I'll be stuck to very low volume settings on my phone and drain too much battery?
Or is it worth it over the JM20 for audio quality improvements of any sort?
staticV3
Grand Contributor
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- Aug 29, 2019
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Yes, easily.
When level-matched with a multimeter and listening blind, even dongles like the JM20 sound identical to a stationary Amp (at least my HD600 does so).
Maybe it is my iPhone that is the bottleneck... Anyway, the JM20 Max is phenomenal!better in what sense?
Wow, incredible, we wonder what the point of an amp is in 2025
staticV3
Grand Contributor
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Estats, and challenging planar headphones like the DCA Aeon and Modhouse Tungsten.
DSJR
Major Contributor
With my iems, I've gone back to the Apple dongle (US spec is almost overkill here). The JM20 Max can easily drive an amp 'Aux' input though and 'sounded much the same' as the DS2 I usually use. I needed to use adaptors though and it looked more unsightly than the DS2 box alone, which just sits round the back doing its thing. Others won't be as hobbled as I, so if connecting straight to a sound system, should find the low cost and general neatness an advantage if playing a phone or laptop into a main system (thirty quid for the dongle and a 3.5 - RCA cable from Amazon...).
It's crazy. Well, you have to be very careful with the Windows volume then? Because sometimes when you plug in a USB audio, the volume goes to 100% - at first '
I have the JM20 Max and it works great with my full size headphones, but for IEMs it's counter productive. Way too much power for the average IEMs. I end up with the main Windows or phone volume at two or three clicks above zero and sometimes I even turn down the individual application if the audio coming from it is very loud. I end up just giving up the resolution.
The regular un-aided CS43131dongle is plenty powerful for IEMs. I could never max it out without hurting my ears.
Where the JM20 Max shines is driving a desktop headphone amp. Plenty of clean output to get great S/N and the convenience of a big volume knob within reach. It is dead quiet, much better than my Motu M2, which has a ground loop buzz when attached to the same headphone amp. It's weird as both the JM20 Max and the M2 are attached to a USB port of the same computer. The inexpensive dongle handles the grounding better than the supposedly professional audio interface.
The regular un-aided CS43131dongle is plenty powerful for IEMs. I could never max it out without hurting my ears.
Where the JM20 Max shines is driving a desktop headphone amp. Plenty of clean output to get great S/N and the convenience of a big volume knob within reach. It is dead quiet, much better than my Motu M2, which has a ground loop buzz when attached to the same headphone amp. It's weird as both the JM20 Max and the M2 are attached to a USB port of the same computer. The inexpensive dongle handles the grounding better than the supposedly professional audio interface.
So apart from these two references which require power, we could quite easily be satisfied with a JCALLY JM20 MAX and no longer need topping DX3 for example
If you install the walkplay app you can try the gain switch function. But I get the frustration, and you shouldn't need to jump through hoops like that. This is why it's a shame that 2V dongles are pushed aggressively by default when 1V dongles are better optimized for IEMs and have a very good objective metrics. Although I won't be surprised if someone take this as an invitation to contradict me on some minor points as this is an emotionally charged subject, oddly.
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