CONCLUSION

    The JM21 may not be quite as good as the M11S or the M23 (and the M15 of course) but it does come a lot closer than expected by delivering very good audio results across the board. Mids and highs are crisp and precise (for the most part), lows are richer than expected (JM21 emphasizes bass quite a bit) and soundstage is surprisingly wide (for such a budget model). Of course, as always everything depends a lot on what headphones, IEMs or speakers you end up using but with the FT1 Pro and FT5 headsets by FiiO, the 109 Pro headset by Meze and the QR65 speakers by Edifier the JM21 did extremely well and a lot better than I could had ever hoped for. Granted build quality (plastic is not my thing) and even color selection (sky blue wouldn't be my first choice) could be better and the bundled silicon cover is quite thin but all those are offset considerably by the weight and size of the player (easier to carry on you, even compared to the M11S). The TFT screen may not be as good as the one used with the M23 (color reproduction / resolution) but it’s responsive as is the entire custom Android 13 OS FiiO has used here. There are some apps you may do without (bloatware) but nowhere close to what a smartphone would come with so that’s good. As expected, battery life depends largely on volume and mode, so I ended up seeing anything between 8-9 hours while using Bluetooth or the balanced port and around 10-10.5 hours when using the single-ended output (very good results from a somewhat small 2400mAh battery).

     With a current retail price set at USD179.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 228.20Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the JM21 by FiiO/Jade Audio is priced extremely well for what it offers. Yes, it’s not as good as the M23 or even the M11S (in audio reproduction) but it packs many similar features and offers a much better price/performance ratio and well, that’s what many consumers have been asking for quite a while now. Aside the plastic pieces of its enclosure the JM21 is certainly worth the attention of those on a tight budget and since it delivers as advertised the Golden Award is in order.

PROS

- Audio Reproduction (Accuracy, Detail, Wide Soundstage)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 6nm SoC
- Size & Weight
- 3.5mm Single Ended, 4.4mm Balanced & USB
- AAC/SBC/aptX/aptX HD/LDAC/LHDC & AirPlay Wireless Support
- 2400mAh Battery (Up To 12.5 Hours)
- MicroSD Card Slot (Up To 2TB)
- Customized Android v13 OS
- Product Support
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Plastic Enclosure Parts
- Thin Silicon Cover
- USB 2.0 Connectivity