JPLAY

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is a set of networking protocols that simplifies device discovery and communication over a local network. Founded in 2009 by Poland's Marcin Ostapowicz, JPLAY initially gained recognition as an audio player designed to improve sound quality by reducing background processes and minimizing latency in Windows-based computers (PCs).

JPLAY's underlying philosophy is that a streamlined software architecture can improve both digital audio performance and system responsiveness. As dedicated audiophile music servers have become increasingly popular, thus reducing the need for PC-based playback, JPLAY expanded its offerings. In 2022, the company introduced JPLAY for iOS, a separate application for iPhones, iPads, and Apple Silicon Macs which is designed to minimize network traffic between those control devices and compatible streamers or DACs. Today, JPLAY for iOS is said to work with nearly every UPnP network streamer on the market.

JPLAY for iOS offers a free two-week trial, followed by a $49 USD annual subscription or a $199 lifetime membership. Current annual subscribers can upgrade to a lifetime membership for $149. JPLAY for Windows is sold separately.

JCAT

Ostapowicz isn't the type to put all his eggs into one basket. In 2013, he founded JCAT, the hardware side of his business, which shares JPLAY's emphasis on optimizing digital audio performance through reduced latency, noise suppression, and precision clocking. JCAT's products include several music servers and a network switch under the company's XACT brand, PCIe USB and network cards, a master clock, linear power supplies, and cables.

JPLAY for iOS

JPLAY for iOS integrates several music streaming services and allows users to play files stored on a NAS running UPnP/DLNA media server software. JPLAY recommends MinimServer , although I prefer AssetUPnP. Both offer sophisticated metadata management. In addition, Wikipedia-sourced artist biographies and album notes are available for music stored in users' local libraries.

JPLAY for iOS app supports bit-perfect playback of high-resolution PCM and DSD files, including PCM in FLAC, WAV, AIFF, and ALAC formats. Unsurprisingly, the playback of any given file type is subject to the streamer's ability to play it. (DSD is not supported when playing on the iPhone or iPad itself.)

JPLAY for iOS integrates Qobuz, Tidal, and HIRESAUDIO (subscriptions required), allowing users to search streaming catalogs and locally stored music through a single interface. Searches can be conducted by artist, album, composer, and other parameters. The app's Qobuz Labels feature lets users view a record label's history, explore its popular tracks, play or queue selections, and save favorite labels in a "My Labels" collection.

Additional JPLAY for iOS features include support for Signalyst's HQPlayer Control API, which enables advanced upsampling and filtering, and Apple CarPlay, which allows users to browse their music libraries, access playlists, and control playback from their car's dashboard. For offline playback through CarPlay, albums from the user's local library must first be downloaded to the iPhone using JPLAY for iOS. Qobuz and TIDAL stream directly. JPLAY Radio recommends music based on users' selections, whereas internet radio provides access to broadcast-style stations and streams.

JPLAY for iOS invites comparisons with Roon, although the two take different approaches. Roon offers an extremely comprehensive set of features, including enhanced metadata, staff-created artist biographies, editorial content, multi-room control, DSP, and room correction. It relies on resource-intensive centralized server software to manage music libraries, process audio, and distribute playback through its proprietary RAAT streaming protocol. By contrast, JPLAY for iOS employs a simpler, decentralized architecture that does not require a Roon-like central server, an approach that Ostapowicz asserts contributes to superior sound quality.

At home

To evaluate JPLAY for iOS, I initially used a stereo pair of Devialet's Phantom Gold all-in-one wireless active speaker ($3,399 when sold) to stream through Qobuz Connect and play music files from a NAS. An iPhone served as the controller.

With NAS playback, JPLAY for iOS sounded marginally crisper and cleaner than I was accustomed to. When streaming high-resolution music, the differences were slightly more apparent, with JPLAY delivering a touch more coherence and clarity, along with less perceived digital glare and compression. Still, I don't want to overstate the differences. On the Devialet, JPLAY's sonic advantages were subtle. OK, I thought to myself, is this the end of the story? As I would soon learn, it was not.

At the Listening Chair's Sound Lab

I reported my findings to The Listening Chair's Howard Kneller, who seemed a bit perplexed. After some back and forth, Howard invited me to audition JPLAY for iOS in The Listening Chair's new Sound Lab, which contains a high-end stereo system costing many hundreds of thousands of dollars. That system contains components from Esoteric, and speakers and cabling from Audio Group Denmark's Børresen Acoustics and Ansuz brands, respectively.

Given its price tag, which is several hundred times that of the Devialet, the Sound Lab's system operates in an entirely different league when it comes to resolution, transparency, and virtually every other measure of sonic performance. So, I traveled about 30 minutes from my home to audition JPLAY for iOS on this far more revealing system.

When it was time for the rubber to hit the sonic road, Howard used his iPhone to play several songs with Qobuz Connect and then with JPLAY for iOS. Now stark and immediate, the performance differences between the two control apps did not require repeated A/B tests to be noticed.

First up was "Birds" by Dominique Fils-Aimé's Nameless album (Ensoul Records, 2018; 24-bit/88 kHz Qobuz). Fils-Aimé's music is characterized by unconventional time signatures and a powerful, dysrhythmic flow. Compared with Qobuz Connect, JPLAY for iOS revealed more low-level detail, sharper imaging, a larger soundstage, and a greater sense of rhythmic precision. Qobuz Connect, however, lent Fils-Aimé's voice a bit more midrange bloom.

Next was Jon Batiste's album WE ARE (Verve, 2021; 24-bit/44.1 kHz Qobuz). Batiste is something of a Renaissance musician. His versatility with orchestration and his virtuosity on the piano always makes for a unique and enriching musical journey. With JPLAY for iOS, instruments emerged from a noticeably quieter background, bass notes were tighter and less bloated, and piano notes took on a more crystalline quality. Several tracks that had sounded overly bass heavy and congested in the midrange with Qobuz Connect became considerably more enjoyable with JPLAY for iOS. On the other hand, Qobuz Connect delivered a weightier presentation, perhaps reflecting JPLAY's more scalpel-like approach.

After a few more tracks, JPLAY for iOS's sonic signature was easy to discern. It excelled in accuracy, transient attack, imaging, soundstaging, and overall clarity. By comparison, Qobuz Connect delivered a rounder, weightier presentation with more midrange bloom, albeit at the expense of some precision and control. While some audiophiles may prefer Qobuz Connect's sonic signature, I suspect many others will favor JPLAY for iOS. Of course, because JPLAY for iOS functions as a control application rather than an audio processor, the fact that there are differences between it and Qobuz Connect is, to say the least, intriguing.

Sonics aside, whether using JPLAY for iOS at home or in The Listening Chair's Sound Lab, I found its interface to be clean, refreshingly simple, and very responsive. This made it easy to move between local libraries and streaming content without disrupting the flow of my listening sessions. As noted, JPLAY for iOS lacks the deep editorial content and music discovery features of some other platforms such as Roon. But I imagine that the folks who prefer JPLAY value sonic performance above all else.

[Howard's note: JPLAY's sonic signature, as aptly set forth above, was not only evident on the audio system in the Sound Lab, but also several mid-fi systems that are in my home, including one with an Audio Group Denmark Axxess Forté 1 streaming amplifier and PMC speakers.]

On the road

Having thoroughly tested JPLAY for iOS on two home audio systems, I was eager to take it on the road. There, it more than held its own against the likes of Roon (Roon ARC) and Qobuz CarPlay. It let me search my local music library, jump into playlists, glance at what was currently spinning, and steer playback right from my car's dashboard with no fumbling with a phone at red lights. Sonically, the music retained JPLAY for iOS's clear, precise sonic signature, although its traits were not as evident as they were on the Sound Lab's audio system and assumedly would be on most accomplished home systems.

Does anyone really need another control app?

With no shortage of music control apps available, does the world really need another one? After spending time with JPLAY for iOS, my answer is an emphatic yes. Through whatever minimalist wizardry Ostapowicz has summoned, JPLAY for iOS delivers impressive clarity, precision, and musical detail, while its clean, responsive interface made it a pleasure to use both at home and on the road.

Although some listeners may prefer Qobuz Connect's particular sonic flavor or Roon's extensive feature set, JPLAY for iOS makes a compelling case for itself. For sufficiently resolving audio systems, JPLAY for iOS has the potential to deliver a meaningful sonic upgrade at a modest cost, and there's a free two-week trial. In a hobby where performance improvements can cost thousands, that's quite an accomplishment.

JPLAY for iOS music player

Price: $49 USD per year, $199 per lifetime membership, $149 per lifetime membership for current annual subscribers

JPLAY

Wrocław, Poland

www.jplay.app

Associated Equipment:

Home system

• Speaker: Devialet Phantom Gold speaker (stereo configuration)

• Devialet Arch external audio interface

• Control Device: Apple iPhone 17 Pro

• Custom NAS

Sound Lab system

• Electronics: Esoteric Grandioso

• Speaker: Audio Group Denmark Børresen M2

• Cables and power products: Audio Group Denmark Ansuz

• Control Device: Apple iPhone 16

• Component stands and platforms: Symposium Acoustics