FiiOxJadeAudio KA1/KA11,JadeAudio JA11 Compact Portable DAC and Amplifier Discussion & Impressions Thread

[ddlo]

Just bought the JA11 today as the price seems so low and the diminishingly small size is great. yet very disappointing the dongle give constant static noise with my vivo xfold3 pro. i tried A18s, tz700 and air2 and all have the same problem. it sounds ok for the first few seconds but the static noise kicks in and remains there for all the streaming apps i tried. i googled a bit and seems a lot of people complaining similar issue. the fiio app shows the firmware is already the latest v1.7 which claims to improve noise issue but sadly this is not the case. a very big disappointment even it's bargain price.

 

[Billyak]

Just bought the JA11 today as the price seems so low and the diminishingly small size is great. yet very disappointing the dongle give constant static noise with my vivo xfold3 pro. i tried A18s, tz700 and air2 and all have the same problem. it sounds ok for the first few seconds but the static noise kicks in and remains there for all the streaming apps i tried. i googled a bit and seems a lot of people complaining similar issue. the fiio app shows the firmware is already the latest v1.7 which claims to improve noise issue but sadly this is not the case. a very big disappointment even it's bargain price.

Same with me. Shame because I love the form factor.

 

[FiiO Kang]

In stock mode (no EQ or gain settings) the JA11 is too loud for any of my iems. I have to first lower the system volume to its absolute lowest setting and then apply -15dB in the music players pre amp to get it anywhere near comfortable listening levels.

IEMs I have tried so far are
IE600
CCA Trio
CA Andromeda 2020 (basically can't use due to sensitivity)

You can set the appropriate volume in the Control APP. That's why we do this feature.

 

[FiiO Kang]

Just bought the JA11 today as the price seems so low and the diminishingly small size is great. yet very disappointing the dongle give constant static noise with my vivo xfold3 pro. i tried A18s, tz700 and air2 and all have the same problem. it sounds ok for the first few seconds but the static noise kicks in and remains there for all the streaming apps i tried. i googled a bit and seems a lot of people complaining similar issue. the fiio app shows the firmware is already the latest v1.7 which claims to improve noise issue but sadly this is not the case. a very big disappointment even it's bargain price.

I'll send you a private message for more information

 

[Billyak]

You can set the appropriate volume in the Control APP. That's why we do this feature.

I can not adjust volume without introducing major distortion as I have a said in previous posts.

 

[FiiO Kang]

I can not adjust volume without introducing major distortion as I have a said in previous posts.

You adjust the volume in the CONTROL APP. Not GAIN. It's not about distortion

 

[Billyak]

You adjust the volume in the CONTROL APP. Not GAIN. It's not about distortion

I done it in the control app so you can stop being condescending. I know how to gain stage. This is the only DAC that I have had this issue with.

 

[jeromeoflaherty]

@FiiO Kang - Any idea when a fix might be made for the EQ setting issue? E.g. If I set a PEQ filter for say 1K in reality it applies to to 2K - so any Frequency value entered in the Fiio Control App for this dongle has to be effectively 1/2 to get it to set the right frequency? Not sure if it's Dongle Firmware or the Fiio Control App but I have the latest of both 1.7 firmware and 3.24 of the Fiio Control App.

I also get terrible noise (which I both hear and can see the measurements for) about 1 in every 2 times I plug in the dongle - so its a process of connecting it - listening to some track if I near audible noise I have to disconnect and reconnect and try again until the noise disappears.

 

[medrivia]

@FiiO Kang - Any idea when a fix might be made for the EQ setting issue? E.g. If I set a PEQ filter for say 1K in reality it applies to to 2K - so any Frequency value entered in the Fiio Control App for this dongle has to be effectively 1/2 to get it to set the right frequency? Not sure if it's Dongle Firmware or the Fiio Control App but I have the latest of both 1.7 firmware and 3.24 of the Fiio Control App.

Guess that confirms why my JA11 sounds brighter or different when using built-in PEQ (I usually increase treble a lot). From now on, I should remind myself to apply presets with half the frequency (beside negating automatic gain reduction) so it adjusts the sound correctly, or FiiO could simply fix this issue.

@jeromeoflaherty Glad that you discovered it.

 

[jmwant]

Is she wearing the jt1?

 

[The Walrus]

I'll get my KA11 within a few days. I bought it to drive my 80 ohms headphones. But I also have a Beyerdynamic T1.G2 (600 ohms) which I use with my good old FiiO E12. So I need a dongle with two functions really: Is there a line in mode in KA11 where I can use just the DAC and bypass the op-amp? Is it possible with the FiiO's app (for android of course)? If not, what happens if I plug it into E12 as it is? Any recommendations for a USB-C dongle that's JUST the DAC? (44.1kHz is just fine; I'm not looking for high Res or DSD...)

 

[Vladsp]

I'll get my KA11 within a few days. I bought it to drive my 80 ohms headphones. But I also have a Beyerdynamic T1.G2 (600 ohms) which I use with my good old FiiO E12. So I need a dongle with two functions really: Is there a line in mode in KA11 where I can use just the DAC and bypass the op-amp? Is it possible with the FiiO's app (for android of course)? If not, what happens if I plug it into E12 as it is? Any recommendations for a USB-C dongle that's JUST the DAC? (44.1kHz is just fine; I'm not looking for high Res or DSD...)

1. There is no such mode
2. It is not possible
3. It will work well
4. There are no dac only dongles. Anyway if you connect any dongle to high resistance load (1000+ Ohm I think) it will work just as voltage source which is functionally same as pure dac

 

[The Walrus]

1. There is no such mode
2. It is not possible
3. It will work well
4. There are no dac only dongles. Anyway if you connect any dongle to high resistance load (1000+ Ohm I think) it will work just as voltage source which is functionally same as pure dac

Thanks.

 

[FiiO Kang]

Is she wearing the jt1?

Yes

 

[Z Saber]

Update your Control app and there should be a pop-up in the app to update the JA11 firmware to 1.8.