(Unofficial) Review of JCALLY JM20 MAX: USB-C Headphone Dongle with High Unbalanced Output Power

[VicSh]

A quick update about the JM20 Max with Fiio KA11 firmware. The hardware volume control, or the impedance sensing circuit is partially broken by this firmware. I hooked up the JM20 Max to my phone and got audio on one side only. At first I thought that the IEMs I used were broken. Then I opened the Fioo app and looked at the volume control and it was all the way down to zero. I started adjusting the volume and the one side that was initially dead came back, but the L/R balance was all over the place. Resetting the USB connection temporarily fixed the volume, but when I disconnected the IEM from the dongle and inserted an impedance adapter, the volume and the balance went haywire again. I never had this issue with the original firmware.
I don't think the JM20 Max is 100% compatible with KA11. They use the same hardware, but it might not necessarily be configured with the same options. These ICs have pins that can be either shorted or loaded that enable certain functions, and I suspect they are configured differently on the JCally hardware than on the Fiio hardware. That's why things don't behave exactly the same.

Flash on your own risk.

I don't see anything like that. Neither in HibyMusic nor in FIIO Music.

 

[JanL]

I sometimes experienced brief interruptions (more like fading) when I launched another program while listening, i.e., at the moment of launch. When simply listening, such problems did not occur. But it seems to me that the main purpose of devices such as the JM20 MAX or KA11 is to work with mobile devices—smartphones or tablets. For a laptop or desktop PC, something like the SMSL D10 or a combination of a stationary DAC and a headphone amplifier is more suitable. I had a set like this: Topping E30 + Topping L30. But alas, I had to sell it.

I experienced the same issue and I suspect that this happens when you have two clients assigned to it, one might be using the ASIO driver, the other generic Windows sound. The crossfading is how the driver handles it.
When using the dongle on my laptop I had Qobuz output set to Fioo ASIO, and Fioo also set to be the default Windows sound output. I heard stuttering and fading in. When I set Windows to use the internal speakers as default audio output, the fading of music in Qobuz stopped.

 

[Ahmonge]

When using the dongle on my laptop I had Qobuz output set to Fioo ASIO, and Fioo also set to be the default Windows sound output. I heard stuttering and fading in. When I set Windows to use the internal speakers as default audio output, the fading of music in Qobuz stopped.

Have you tried to set the Windows volume to zero istead of assigning the output to a different audio device?

 

[VicSh]

I experienced the same issue and I suspect that this happens when you have two clients assigned to it, one might be using the ASIO driver, the other generic Windows sound. The crossfading is how the driver handles it.
When using the dongle on my laptop I had Qobuz output set to Fioo ASIO, and Fioo also set to be the default Windows sound output. I heard stuttering and fading in. When I set Windows to use the internal speakers as default audio output, the fading of music in Qobuz stopped.

Regarding the gradual increase in sound in your case. Have you tried setting the following in the Fiio asio driver settings: Options - Streaming - Always On

 

[JanL]

Have you tried to set the Windows volume to zero istead of assigning the output to a different audio device?

It's the same master volume, so there would not be any sound on the ASIO driver output.

 

[JanL]

Regarding the gradual increase in sound in your case. Have you tried setting the following in the Fiio asio driver settings: Options - Streaming - Always On

I tried, I'm not sure it makes a difference. That said, on the laptop the dongle behaves much better than on the phone.

 

[JordiMB]

I bought the JM20 max and I hear clics and crackle when I use it with my phone (android). I don't hear these issues when connected to my PC (windows). I compared it to my Fiio ka11 and the Fiio has the same problem connected to phone, though I hear less clicks and noise. Is there a way to get rid of them? I really like the sound of the Jcally dongle, I find it to be better than the Fiio (clearer and more powerful).
Thank you!

 

[VicSh]

I bought the JM20 max and I hear clics and crackle when I use it with my phone (android). I don't hear these issues when connected to my PC (windows). I compared it to my Fiio ka11 and the Fiio has the same problem connected to phone, though I hear less clicks and noise. Is there a way to get rid of them? I really like the sound of the Jcally dongle, I find it to be better than the Fiio (clearer and more powerful).
Thank you!

I have a JM20 Max, which I reflashed to Fiio KA11. I listen to lossless and high-resolution recordings on my POCO F7 smartphone in TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero via HibyMusic or FiiO Music, but there are no clicks or crackles. Unfortunately, Spotify does not provide access to lossless recordings in Ukraine, but I don't hear any defects there either. Just in case, I have attached screenshots of my settings in HibyMusic.

 

[JordiMB]

I have a JM20 Max, which I reflashed to Fiio KA11. I listen to lossless and high-resolution recordings on my POCO F7 smartphone in TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero via HibyMusic or FiiO Music, but there are no clicks or crackles. Unfortunately, Spotify does not provide access to lossless recordings in Ukraine, but I don't hear any defects there either. Just in case, I have attached screenshots of my settings in HibyMusic.



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Thank you for your answer. I forgot to say that I only do streaming, through the Amazon Music app, which unfortunately doesn't have many setting options...