What cheap usb c dac to get for android

[MintSpeak]

Hello, so I recently switched to a s24+ that is sadly missing an aux port and I want to buy a small dac to be able to use my iems with it.

So at first I bought the apple dongle just to discover the EU version is weaker, and the apple dongle is even weaker on android, which leads it to be a little quiet for me when at max volume, so now I'm looking for a more suitable option for me, and the only options on aliexpress that seem available to me are the

Ka11 - which i heard has some problems? And might actually have too much power for iems

Ja11 - which seems great to me but I don't know if it has enough power and if it's actually good

Hiby fc1 - which seems a bit big, but might be a step up from the others for a similar price?

So basically I'm just trying to get some help deciding which one should I get?

 

[JSmith]

Amir has tested these 2, with positive results;

'JCALLY JM20 Headphone Dongle Review'

Nov 24, 2024

This is a review and detailed measurements of the JCALLY JM20 USB-C headphone adapter (DAC and Amp). It is on kind loan from a member and is on sale for US $24.

Not much to say about the construction so let's get into measurements. Speaking of that, I finally have a fix for this class of device that allows me to perform full set of measurements like a desktop DAC.

JCALLY JM20 Measurements
Let's start with max volume driving 600 ohm load:

The CS43131 implementation here delivers excellent, desktop-class performance:

Noise performance is...

• amirm
• Replies: 383
• Forum: Combination Audio DAC and Headphone Amplifiers

• 

'JCALLY JM20 MAX Headphone Dongle Review'

Apr 18, 2025

This is a review and detailed measurements of the JCALLY JM20MAX DAC and portable headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by Crinacle. Cost is anywhere from US $22 to $65 .

The dongle has a bit of style to it with that logo and such. Otherwise it is well, a dongle. Key thing is how it performs.

If you are not familiar with amplifier measurements, please watch my tutorial on it:

[And subscribe to the channel ]

JCALLY JM20 MAX Measurements
I dialed down the digital input to JM20 MAX to get the voltage to be nominal 2 volts...

• amirm
• Replies: 372
• Forum: Combination Audio DAC and Headphone Amplifiers

• 

JSmith

 

[MintSpeak]

Amir has tested these 2, with positive results;

'JCALLY JM20 Headphone Dongle Review'

Nov 24, 2024

This is a review and detailed measurements of the JCALLY JM20 USB-C headphone adapter (DAC and Amp). It is on kind loan from a member and is on sale for US $24.

Not much to say about the construction so let's get into measurements. Speaking of that, I finally have a fix for this class of device that allows me to perform full set of measurements like a desktop DAC.

JCALLY JM20 Measurements
Let's start with max volume driving 600 ohm load:

The CS43131 implementation here delivers excellent, desktop-class performance:

Noise performance is...

• amirm
• Replies: 383
• Forum: Combination Audio DAC and Headphone Amplifiers

• 

'JCALLY JM20 MAX Headphone Dongle Review'

Apr 18, 2025

This is a review and detailed measurements of the JCALLY JM20MAX DAC and portable headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by Crinacle. Cost is anywhere from US $22 to $65 .

The dongle has a bit of style to it with that logo and such. Otherwise it is well, a dongle. Key thing is how it performs.

If you are not familiar with amplifier measurements, please watch my tutorial on it:

[And subscribe to the channel ]

JCALLY JM20 MAX Measurements
I dialed down the digital input to JM20 MAX to get the voltage to be nominal 2 volts...

• amirm
• Replies: 372
• Forum: Combination Audio DAC and Headphone Amplifiers

• 

JSmith

I was planning on buying these, but it seems the jm20 available on aliexpress are fakes

 

[XpanD]

N=1 and all, but I've been happy with the JA11. Gets much louder than a few of the generic dongles I've tried, and zero noise. (unlike those other ones)

Using some old IEMs, brand/make unknown. Might be different if you do have very demanding IEMs (or headphones), but I have a ton of volume left on tap in my setup at least.

 

[JSmith]

I was planning on buying these, but it seems the jm20 available on aliexpress are fakes

What makes you think that though... some evidence to post?

If you're worried, just grab one direct from here;

JCALLY JM20 CS43131 Audio DAC Type-C To 3.5MM Earphone Adapter

Buy JCALLY CS43131 Audio DAC Type-c To 3.5MM USB C 32Bit 384KHz DSD256 Decoding Headphone Amplifier For Smartphone PC Sound Card AMP on HiFiGo, and you can enjoy a year warranty and the best after-sales service.

hifigo.com

JSmith

 

[MintSpeak]

What makes you think that though... some evidence to post?

If you're worried, just grab one direct from here;

JCALLY JM20 CS43131 Audio DAC Type-C To 3.5MM Earphone Adapter

Buy JCALLY CS43131 Audio DAC Type-c To 3.5MM USB C 32Bit 384KHz DSD256 Decoding Headphone Amplifier For Smartphone PC Sound Card AMP on HiFiGo, and you can enjoy a year warranty and the best after-sales service.

hifigo.com

JSmith

The example images usually look a bit iffy, the packaging doesn't match the official one, and if i go to specifications I see there the brand name is something weird like xugonr.

Here is one for example
You can see in description they actually say the model name is JCally jm20 (jcally included in model name) and the actual brand name is kankeirr

 

[MintSpeak]

What makes you think that though... some evidence to post?

If you're worried, just grab one direct from here;

JCALLY JM20 CS43131 Audio DAC Type-C To 3.5MM Earphone Adapter

Buy JCALLY CS43131 Audio DAC Type-c To 3.5MM USB C 32Bit 384KHz DSD256 Decoding Headphone Amplifier For Smartphone PC Sound Card AMP on HiFiGo, and you can enjoy a year warranty and the best after-sales service.

hifigo.com

JSmith

The shipping costs sadly bump this up to 33$ for me
This coupled with them already being a bit expensive makes me want to check out alternatives more, seems like the ja11 might be a good choice

 

[jkim]

The shipping costs sadly bump this up to 33$ for me
This coupled with them already being a bit expensive makes me want to check out alternatives more, seems like the ja11 might be a good choice

I would not consider the JA11. See here. The FiiO JA11 shares essentially the same hardware with the JCally JM12.

 

[MintSpeak]

I would not consider the JA11. See here. The FiiO JA11 shares essentially the same hardware with the JCally JM12.

I see, I also seen you recommend the Hi-Max CB1200AU which a legit version is also not present on ali.

Im starting to wonder if it really matters if it's real or not if it uses the same chip, can anybody that bought these supposed fakes give some feedback?

 

[jkim]

I see, I also seen you recommend the Hi-Max CB1200AU which a legit version is also not present on ali.

Im starting to wonder if it really matters if it's real or not if it uses the same chip, can anybody that bought these supposed fakes give some feedback?

IMO, there's no reason for people to sell fake versions of these cheap dongles. For the Hi-Max, here's a link to the item I actually purchased and tested.

 

[mc.god]

For almost all iems a generic CX-Pro (CX-31993) dongle like this is more than enough:

https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005006390190411.html

Hi-Max also is a nice device with the PEQ added value but it gives me background hiss wth super sensitive iem that i don't get with CX-Pro, so it depends on which iem do you own.

I think too that fakes of these already super cheap devices are very unlikely, Aliexpress descriptions, specs and naming are always a big mess that can make you uncomfortable, just don't give them too much thinking.

 

[MintSpeak]

I ended up going with the JC20, mostly because of the sleeker design to be honest, and because there's more talk about them in the audio world and supposedly they'll work with iems aswell as harder to drive headphones.

 

[fws]

The example images usually look a bit iffy, the packaging doesn't match the official one, and if i go to specifications I see there the brand name is something weird like xugonr.

Here is one for example
You can see in description they actually say the model name is JCally jm20 (jcally included in model name) and the actual brand name is kankeirr

I've bought my JM20 from the exact seller you linked to and it is fine, it is the original. It is common for sellers on AliExpress to use their own brands when selling various products. Sometimes they also use Chinese words for like "DIY" or "premade" which people think are brands (I think "Fengru" was such case in earphones) or just enter whatever in the forms when they create the listening for products. Actually "Kankeirr" kind of reminds me of "Kankenai" which means "doesn't matter" in Japanese

 

[MintSpeak]

I ended up going with the JC20, mostly because of the sleeker design to be honest, and because there's more talk about them in the audio world and supposedly they'll work with iems aswell as harder to drive headphones.

JM20*