just found the time to test the loopback hack with java apps on my laptop: it works

I just used some simple audio file players. Some did not even show a "preference" menu where you could choose your device (I have the loopback device defined in .asoundrc set up as the default device while jack is running on the real hardware). Ah yeah, actually I tried the Room EQ Wizard as well, no problem either.
Every time I disconnected the alsa2jack bridge from the connection window in qjackctl, sound would not be heard. When I stopped jack, the app continued playing unaffected. When I restarted jack (and bridge automatically started), sound was back just as expected.
I also tried very low latency for fun ... yeah, not really usable ... but my laptop is kinda weak.