In the current era of digital music, smartphones have become the mainstream audio devices. However, professional music players still attract music enthusiasts who seek personalized and high-quality listening experiences due to their high resolution and pure sound quality. For those new to the “audiophile” community, entry-level music players serve as affordable “guides,” building a bridge to Hi-Fi experiences at a reasonable price. Although these products may not be equipped with high-end hardware, they can meet ordinary users’ expectations for high cost-performance audio quality through clever tuning and precise positioning.
The JadeAudio JM21 is such a product, priced just over a thousand yuan, yet boasting impressive hardware configuration and functional style. Let’s take a look at what kind of musical world it can present to music lovers through practical experience.
JadeAudio JM21 Specifications
Color: Sky Blue
Material: Aluminum Alloy + Plastic
Dimensions: Approximately 120.7mm × 68mm × 13mm
Weight: Approximately 156g (excluding the protective case)
Main Control: Qualcomm Snapdragon 680
Storage: 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM (22GB usable)
Storage Card Expansion: Standard SD card slot, supports up to 2TB
System: Android 13
Working Modes: Android Mode, Pure Audio Mode, USB DAC Mode, Bluetooth Receiver Mode
Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz/5GHz, supports DLNA, AirPlay, Wi-Fi song transmission, etc.
DAC Chips: CS43198 × 2
Operational Amplifier: SGM8262 × 2
Screen: 4.7-inch HD screen (750 × 1334)
Output Interfaces: Single-ended 3.5mm PO/SPDIF + Balanced 4.4mm
USB Interface: Type-C USB 2.0 Data/Charging/USB Audio
Bluetooth Version: 5.0
Bluetooth Transmission: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LHDC, LDAC
Bluetooth Reception: SBC, AAC, LDAC
Local Decoding: 384kHz/32bit; DSD256 (Native)
USB DAC: 384kHz/32bit; DSD256 (Native)
USB Audio: 768kHz/32bit; DSD512 (supports DoP/D2P/Native)
Coaxial Output: 384kHz/24bit; DSD128 (D2P/DOP)
Output Power 1: L+R ≥ 245mW + 245mW (32Ω/THD+N < 1%/Single-ended)
Output Power 2: L+R ≥ 700mW + 700mW (32Ω/THD+N < 1%/Balanced)
SNR: ≥ 130dB
Noise: < 1.5μV
Output Impedance: < 1Ω
THD+N: < 0.0006%
Battery: 2400mAh
Battery Life: 12.5 hours (single-ended), 9.5 hours (balanced)
Charging Time: Approximately 2 hours (5V/2A charging)
Reference Price: 1199 yuan
First ImpressionsEnhancing Entry-Level Product Quality through Design and Material Collision
As a music player priced around a thousand yuan, the JM21 exceeded my expectations in terms of quality presentation. Its designer clearly understands the importance of “first impressions,” skillfully eliminating the common cheap feel of entry-level products through the choice of screen size, shell material, and design elements. The 4.7-inch screen is a highlight, effectively enhancing the overall sense of quality. Although the bottom bezel is slightly wider than the other three sides when the screen is lit, the integrated visual effect of the pure black front panel in sleep mode is still quite good. The dimensions of the JM21 are 120.7mm × 68mm × 13mm, and its 13mm thickness is only slightly thicker than my phone with a case, making it easy to hold with one hand. The rounded back cover contours and smooth edge transitions eliminate any discomfort from sharp edges when held in hand. Weighing approximately 156 grams, combined with its just-right size, this player strikes a balance between being lightweight and not feeling flimsy, making it comfortable to operate with one hand.
The design of the JM21 employs a dual-collision approach in terms of material and color. The front cover is made of sky blue aluminum alloy, providing a sturdy protective frame for the display while establishing the product’s quality tone through its metallic feel. The back cover is made of silver plastic, significantly aiding in the lightweight design while considering cost. The surface of the JM21’s back cover features multiple sets of diagonal stripe textures, arranged at different angles to create a geometric three-dimensional effect. This treatment enhances visual layering and creates an orderly aesthetic through regular lines. Visually, the combination of metallic silver color and three-dimensional texture effectively avoids the cheap feel of the material itself, instead showcasing a visual quality similar to metal.
Plenty of Physical ButtonsMultiple Output Interface Functions
Despite the JM21 being equipped with a relatively large touchscreen, it still has a considerable number of physical buttons. The left side of the body features a round power button and a long strip volume up/down button, with a status indicator light between the two buttons.
The right side features three round buttons for track selection and play/pause, with a concentric circle texture design on the surface of these buttons, giving them a strong metallic feel.
At the bottom of the right side frame, there is a TF card expansion slot designed for direct insertion without a card holder, supporting a maximum capacity of 2TB. Although the JM21 has 32GB of built-in storage, the actual usable capacity is about 22GB, so the expandable TF card design provides users with a flexible music storage solution.
The JM21’s interfaces are concentrated at the bottom of the body. The center features a USB-C interface, which serves dual functions for charging and data transmission, enabling USB storage, charging, USB Audio, and USB DAC functionalities. On either side of the USB-C interface are the 3.5mm single-ended interface and the 4.4mm balanced interface, which can serve as headphone output interfaces and also have LO output functions, easily adapting to different audio devices whether connecting headphones or pairing with power amplifiers or active speakers. In terms of digital output, the JM21 supports coaxial output functionality in addition to the previously mentioned USB digital audio output, allowing users to connect via a 3.5mm to RCA cable. After this connection, the JM21 can achieve a maximum sampling rate of 384kHz and output audio specifications of DSD128.
Although a 2400mAh battery was used to maintain the 13mm thin body, the JM21 has good power consumption control, providing over 9 hours of continuous music playback time (12.5 hours for single-ended output, 9.5 hours for balanced output) on a full charge, meeting daily usage needs. In terms of accessories, the JM21 comes with a custom protective case and a pre-applied PET protective film, allowing for immediate use out of the box. The included USB data cable serves both charging and data transmission functions.
It is worth mentioning that JadeAudio is currently offering a promotion where purchasing the player comes with a gift package that includes a leather protective case and a tempered glass film. The color of the leather protective case closely matches the player’s frame, enhancing the product’s user experience and protection.
From Main Control to Clock: Professional Audio Architecture is Not to be Taken Lightly
One of the core highlights of the JM21’s hardware configuration is the application of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 main control chip in an entry-level music player. Compared to many mid-to-high-end music players on the market still using the Snapdragon 660, this chip achieves a comprehensive upgrade in process technology and architecture: a 6nm process paired with an 8-core Kryo 265 architecture, with a frequency boost to 2.4GHz, enhancing performance while keeping power consumption at a better level. This energy efficiency balance design allows the JM21 to maintain good battery life even with a 2400mAh battery.
In terms of decoding, the JM21 uses two Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chips, paired with dual SGM8262 operational amplifier chips, constructing a fully balanced audio architecture. This also gives the JM21 impressive output capabilities, with a balanced output power of up to 700mW at 32Ω, and a single-ended output power of 245mW. Its power supply system adopts a hierarchical design, achieving signal isolation through an independent power supply architecture for digital and analog signals. The analog section employs a three-tier power supply design for DAC, voltage amplification, and current amplification, combined with a four-channel headphone amplifier circuit with independent LDO precision voltage regulation modules for each channel, ensuring stable and pure power support for audio signals during transmission. In terms of circuit layout, the main control chip, DAC module, and headphone amplifier circuit are arranged in separate zones, with each functional module equipped with independent shielding covers for electromagnetic isolation. This design effectively reduces signal crosstalk between different circuits while resisting external electromagnetic interference, providing physical assurance for high-fidelity restoration of audio signals.
The JM21 is equipped with a deeply customized Android 13 open system, allowing users to install various streaming apps and other applications through the app market. The self-developed DAPS digital audio purification system integrates a fifth-generation FPGA and a custom dual femtosecond crystal oscillator, constructing a high-precision digital clock management system. By selecting 10ppm low-temperature drift crystal chips, ceramic gold-plated bases, and ultra-low phase noise oscillation chips, a miniaturized active crystal oscillator that meets femtosecond-level precision standards is created, ensuring long-term stability of clock signals through multi-dimensional collaborative optimization. In the digital signal transmission chain, a unified high-precision clock source covers the entire digital signal processing process. Therefore, the JM21 can effectively solve the common SRC (sample rate conversion) issues in traditional audio systems, maintaining the original sample rate of audio signals during transmission, whether playing locally through apps like Apple Music, QQ Music, or outputting through USB external decoders, ensuring lossless restoration of digital audio signals.
In terms of wireless audio transmission, the JM21 is equipped with a Bluetooth chip based on the Bluetooth 5.0 standard, supporting bidirectional Bluetooth transmission functionality. In transmitter mode, it supports mainstream high-definition codec protocols such as SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX-HD, LHDC, and LDAC, ensuring audio signals are transmitted to Bluetooth headphones or speakers with higher quality. In receiver mode, it supports SBC, AAC, and LDAC formats, allowing efficient connections with mainstream smartphones, tablets, and other devices, meeting users’ diverse wireless listening needs.
System and Operating Experience
After powering on, the interface of the JM21 looks no different from our familiar Android smartphones.Connecting to Wi-Fi and entering Settings – System, selecting System Upgrade allows for online upgrades to the latest firmware version, which is very convenient.The latest system version is 1.0.5, and we updated the sample machine to this version for experience.Through the “About Device” information in the system, we can see that the JM21 runs on Android 13.At the same time, it has also been deeply customized based on the native system.
The 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 750 × 1334 has good display detail, with the bottom black frame slightly wider and the other three sides narrower. I usually use Android smartphones and am accustomed to gesture operations without the three virtual buttons at the bottom, and I can directly use the JM21 with smooth operation and quick app opening and closing speeds. The JM21 has five working modes, including Android Mode, Pure Audio Mode, AirPlay, USB DAC Mode, and Bluetooth Receiver Mode.
In Android Mode, it can not only install apps like Apple Music, QQ Music, and NetEase Cloud Music but also install various apps from third-party app markets. It also provides low, medium, and high gain options, which can be switched with one click in the drop-down menu. Each corresponds to an independent volume curve, enhancing the listening experience for different impedance headphones and better adapting to various in-ear or over-ear headphones.
Listening Experience
In Pure Audio Mode (EQ off), I listened through the 4.4mm balanced output with FD15 in-ear headphones, FT1, and HD600 over-ear headphones.The JM21 exhibits a neutral to warm tonal characteristic.Its background purity is excellent, with proper noise control, presenting an overall balanced and delicate tuning style, particularly notable in vocal interpretation and mid-low frequency atmosphere creation.At the same time, its driving power is sufficient, allowing users to enjoy a good listening experience even with high-impedance headphones like the HD600.
I particularly like its performance in mid-frequency vocals—solid and full imaging with ample density, carrying a warm texture. Female vocals are especially captivating, retaining necessary details of the singer’s voice without letting sibilance interfere with the listening experience, making emotional expression vivid. At the same time, the thickness of the vocals is moderate, with good separation from the accompaniment, not being overshadowed by background reverb, making pop and folk tracks with a vocal focus more impactful.
The low-frequency presence is moderate, with sufficient depth. The impact of drum beats in music is clear, elastic, and quick to respond. Although it lacks some of the “punch” compared to higher-end players, the overall low-frequency atmosphere is well created, ensuring rhythmic intensity while avoiding fatigue from excessive rendering.
Its high-frequency tuning clearly prioritizes listenability over brightness enhancement.Strings present a moderate gloss, with harmonic details clearly discernible, but the extension into very high frequencies is relatively conservative, lacking some airiness and penetration.This approach, while sacrificing some flamboyance, effectively ensures comfort during long listening sessions.
The JM21 has impressive soundstage performance for a music player in the thousand-yuan range. Whether paired with earbuds or over-ear headphones, it can create a soundstage with a certain scale, with excellent layering. When playing live music, the audience’s applause and instrument sounds are clearly positioned, with natural and smooth transitions between near and far. However, when faced with larger orchestral compositions, the boundaries can still be distinctly felt; although the lateral extension is relatively broad, the overall space remains compact. This performance makes it more suitable for interpreting chamber music, jazz trios, and other medium to small-scale music. Those seeking a grand orchestral stage or a concert hall-like expansive soundstage may find its performance somewhat restrained. However, at this price point, it has already done well in balancing soundstage scale and positional accuracy.
Conclusion
The JadeAudio JM21, as a thousand-yuan music player, with its 13mm ultra-thin body and lightweight of 156g, becomes an ideal choice for commuting and daily use; the configuration of dual independent DAC chips and 700mW balanced output power presents resolution and driving capabilities that surpass similar devices; its neutral to warm tuning style aligns with the preferences of the target audience—maintaining solid low-frequency depth and restrained transparency in high frequencies, while achieving precise vocal imaging and instrument separation, making it a “good partner” for pop music. Beyond sound quality, the JM21 also offers a smooth interactive experience brought by the Snapdragon 680, along with a battery life of up to 12 hours and an affordable price, providing a new option for entry-level music enthusiasts seeking a “one device for multiple scenarios.”
Friendly Reminder
MCers please note, due to adjustments in the recommendation mechanism of WeChat public accounts, if you find it difficult to see articles pushed by the Microcomputer public account recently, but do not want to miss the exciting review content of the microcomputer, you can take a moment to set Microcomputer as astarredpublic account!