JBL One Series 104-BT

Sources split. Most reviewers hear a broadly balanced or neutral sound for the size — Sound & Vision and DJcityTV call it accurate, PCMag relatively balanced, Estrada i Studio correct in its band balance — and Napier Lopez's measurement shows a listening window that tends towards flat. Audio Science Review's measurement and listening, a German forum measurement and two detailed Reddit reviews find it coloured: boosted bass, a hollow midrange and an irregular, bright top end. TechRadar likes the sound but says a low-mid boost rules it out as a reference.

Sources split. MusicRadar, MusicTech, Sound & Vision, delamar and Estrada i Studio find surprisingly full, punchy and tight bass for a 4.5-inch speaker (Estrada: everything from about 50 Hz is reproduced). TechRadar, PCMag, Tom's Guide and two Reddit reviewers find it light, with no real sub-bass and no subwoofer output; one Reddit owner heard it boomy and hollow in the upper bass on their desk. Tape Op found the result depends on distance from the wall.

Sources split, and the split tracks listening angle. MusicRadar, PCMag, Tom's Guide and Curtis Judd (for spoken word) hear a full, forward midrange. delamar found the mids strongly damped at the usual desk angle — ears about 30° above the drivers — but balanced when the speakers are raised; MusicTech heard some weakness on strings and pads, and two Reddit reviewers and another owner describe a hollow midrange with thin male vocals.

Sources split, unevenly. Sound & Vision, TechRadar, Tom's Guide and Headliner hear crisp, clean highs that don't tire. Audio Science Review, MusicRadar, What Hi-Fi, Tape Op and several owners hear the top end as bright, coarse or sibilant — worst on female vocals and at higher volume — and one Reddit owner replaced theirs over sibilance in films. PCMag, unusually, found the top treble subdued.

Strong agreement that the stage is wide and stable for such small speakers: Napier Lopez credits the coaxial driver with a soundstage that stays put as you move, TechRadar was most impressed by it, and Sound & Vision, PCMag, Tom's Guide, delamar and several owners describe width and front-to-back depth.

“But the coaxial driver helps it present a solid sound stage that remains stable no matter where you’re listening from, being particularly strong in the vertical plane relative to other speakers.”

Napier Lopez, The Next Web

“On the plus side you get a very good soundstage and image and good bass and spl for such a small speaker.”

test1223, Audio Science Review

Broad agreement that imaging is the 104's best trait: a locked phantom centre for voices (TechRadar, PCMag, Sound & Vision, Reddit reviewers) and clear left-right placement. delamar wanted the centre a little more present, and smackdaddies found the effect fades quickly off-axis.

“With the JBL 104-BT, that center channel felt like it was right in front of me to the point that I kept checking the speakers on the laptop to make sure they weren’t also getting in on the action (they weren’t).”

James Holland, TechRadar

“There is a very strong center image, with the rest of the performance happening all around.”

polypeptide147, r/BudgetAudiophile

Mostly positive: Sound & Vision, MusicTech, Tom's Guide and Headliner find it clear and detailed, Tape Op found it revealed hum and tracking buzz in video transfers, and Reddit reviewers call it unforgiving of poor recordings. Napier Lopez finds the upper frequencies messy enough to cost some detail against better speakers.

“There was a striking sense of clarity to the sound, along with precise imaging that allowed me to easily sort out individual instruments in the mix.”

Al Griffin, Sound & Vision

“there’s some messiness in the upper frequencies that prevents them from being as detailed as the other speakers”

Napier Lopez, The Next Web

Sources split, roughly evenly, and the split tracks distance. Within arm's length PCMag and Tom's Guide found it loud and punchy (Tom's Guide measured 98 dB at full volume without distortion), and DJcityTV had more than enough at about 50 cm. Estrada i Studio, Tape Op, What Hi-Fi and several owners say it doesn't go especially loud, won't fill a room, and either loses sparkle at low volume or strains when pushed.

Sources split on how fussy it is. JBL voiced it to sit on a desk: Napier Lopez found it balanced there, and MusicRadar and DJcityTV found the sweet spot wide. delamar, MusicTech, Curtis Judd, Headliner and owners say it sounds best raised and aimed at the ears — the cabinets can't be tilted, and the round base is wobbly on stands — and Tape Op warns about desk reflections and the rear port's distance from the wall (best about 6 inches out in that room; MusicRadar: about 12 inches).

Sources split, unevenly. Estrada i Studio, Curtis Judd (whose measurements found the 104-BTs not substantially different from their Focal monitors in their room), PCMag, DJcityTV and an ASR member who mixes on them say mixes made on the 104 hold up elsewhere, below the deep bass. What Hi-Fi and TechRadar say it lacks the clarity or flatness for music production; Tape Op and MusicTech would use it as a second reference rather than the only one.

Sources split. Napier Lopez found hiss low for something this cheap, and ASR owners say it stays inaudible with the volume knob below about 12 o'clock. Other owners hear tweeter hiss once the knob goes up — one found it too loud at 70 % and keeps it at 30–40 %. DJcityTV heard hum from the headphone output in some setups and suspected a ground loop.

Broadly praised for the price: balanced TRS, RCA and front aux inputs, Bluetooth 5.0, a front input selector with an all-inputs mode, a front volume knob and a headphone jack that mutes the speakers, and a built-in power supply. The common complaints are no subwoofer output, no USB or optical input, no tone or room controls, no aptX or other advanced codecs, Bluetooth latency (up to 400 ms in Estrada i Studio's test) and a headphone output that sounded sibilant with sensitive IEMs to two Reddit reviewers.

“On the front is a clever selector which allows you to select any one of the inputs individually, but also a setting for receiving them all simultaneously”

Rick Dickerson, Headliner

“Unfortunately, there’s no sub out – a fateful omission as we’ll discuss later.”

James Holland, TechRadar

Mixed. Setup is simple and most Amazon owners find it easy. The irritations: an automatic standby after about 20 minutes that can clip the start of audio or fail to wake on quiet signals, and that can only be disabled with a headphone-jack sequence at power-on; a loud guitar chime at every start-up and Bluetooth connection; the power switch on the back; a quiet front aux input; Bluetooth dropouts for some owners; and light cabinets that heavy cables can topple. delamar and DJcityTV found the standby unobtrusive.

“They wake up when they receive a signal, but it can take a few seconds, so your audio may get clipped.”

Mark Knapp, PCMag

“the cables were heavy enough that they actually toppled the speaker over”

Curtis Judd (YouTube)

“Mine do have the annoying startup noise a few other people mentioned and it does suck.”

Amazon owner review

Reviewers rate the build highly — solid, heavy for its size, with a metal grille and a rubber base (MusicRadar, What Hi-Fi 5/5, MusicTech, delamar, DJcityTV, Audio Science Review). The weak point owners report is the spring speaker-wire terminal: an Amazon owner's broke after a few months and JBL Pro Support sent them to a dealer, and two Reddit owners had to open their speakers to repair the same clip. Amazon's reliability mentions run 24 positive to 18 negative.

“The monitors are very well made and finished, and the moulded ABS cabinet incorporates a rubberised base, which is ideal for desktop positioning, keeping the monitors nice and stable.”

Jon Musgrave, MusicRadar

“However, after just a few months of ownership, the clip on the back of the powered speaker that holds the wire connecting to the second speaker broke.”

Amazon owner review (1★)

Mostly rated excellent value — Sound & Vision calls it a steal, PCMag nearly unbeatable, MusicTech and DJcityTV astonishing for the money — though most of those verdicts were written when a pair cost $129–169, and today's price is about $199. Dissent comes from Reddit reviewers who found it hard to recommend at around $140 against rivals such as the Edifier R1700BT and MR4, and Audio Science Review recommends it only with caveats.

“Either way, at $129, the 104 is a steal, especially if you want basic, no-frills powered desktop speakers that deliver accurate sound.”

Al Griffin, Sound & Vision

“However, at the ~$140ish that they regularly are, it would be hard for me to recommend them.”

polypeptide147, r/BudgetAudiophile