I love having a decent pair of speakers on my desktop. Not only for streaming music while I work, but having decent sound from your computer is great for videos and editing audio or video. These desktop monitors from JBL may be compact but they create a mighty sound that’s genuinely impressive.
Of course, you can’t always use a pair of speakers, especially if you are in a shared office, but the JBL 104-BT also include a headphone jack so you can indulge in private listening if you don’t want to disturb others or need to have a private voice or video call. But assuming you can use speakers at your desk, then these little beauties deserve a closer look.
Like most desktop monitors, the JBL 104-BT consist of a main powered speaker that goes on the left and a satellite speaker on the right that connects to the main speaker via a length of speaker wire.
The cabinets are made from ABS and the main speaker has a choice of four inputs: RCA line in, 6.35mm TRS balanced, 3.5mm stereo, plus Bluetooth wireless. Sadly, there’s no USB input for connecting to a computer so you’ll just have to use the computer’s headphone output into the RCA or the front-mounted 3.5mm aux input or connect over Bluetooth.
The speaker wire that connects the two speakers attaches via old-school, spring-loaded speaker clips. There’s a length of cable provided in the box and although it’s long enough for desktop use, if you want to place the speakers further apart, you can source your length of cable. I’d like to have seen banana plugs for connecting the two speakers.
The JBL 104-BT are sold as reference monitors which suggests they have a flat-response that you might use for editing audio. However, these mini speakers are anything but flat response. They have a big fat bass and a meaty forward sound that could be a bit lively for mixing use, so take that monitor claim with a pinch of salt.
Each of the two-way speakers features a coaxial driver design with a 4.5-inch / 118mm woofer and a 0.75-inch / 19mm soft-dome tweeter for the upper frequencies. The output is 30W per channel and the amplification is Class D. The frequency response of the JBL 104-BT runs from 60Hz up to 20kHz. There’s no subwoofer output unlike the Edifier QR65, which also has a USB input.
Once the speakers are out of the box and connected to their source, turn them on with the power switch on the back of the main speaker and you will be rewarded with a lively and dynamic sound that is far bigger and bolder than you might expect. These gorgeous-looking oval speakers punch well above their weight and are fun to listen to. I wouldn’t say the JBL 104-BT are uncolored or neutral, but that’s part of their attraction.
The detail expressed by the JBL 104-BT is more than adequate but not quite up to the finesse offered by something like a pair of Kanto Ora. However, considering their price, these superbly solid little speakers offer sound value for money and if you want to drive them from the balanced output of a USB audio interface, you can.
Turning up the JBL 104-BT cranks up the bass and midrange, although the upper frequencies will start to fray a little if you push it too far, especially over Bluetooth as the codec on offer is just the basic SBC. I think these speakers could carry a better audio codec but I guess it’s a matter of price.
Verdict: I love the design and shape of these cute speakers. They are surprisingly well-built and they look great on a desk. The overall sound has plenty of bass considering their size. I’d like to have seen a USB input and maybe banana plugs for the speaker cables but I am probably being unreasonable considering their price. If you want a great-sounding pair of speakers for your desk, then the JBL 104-BT offer a big sound and great value for money. They will certainly set your foot tapping.
Pricing & Availability: The JBL 104-BT Studio Monitor speakers are available now and cost $129 / £175 / €199.
Tech Specs
- Woofer 120mm.
- Tweeter: 19mm.
- Sensitivity: 87dB
- Power: 60W (30W per channel), Class D.
- Frequency range: 60Hz – 20kHz.
- Dimension (HxWxD): 247 x 153 x 124mm.
- Weight: 2.06kg (main); 1.73kg (satellite).
- Power: Mains cable 100 – 240V AC.
