Short answer: the Kali LP-UNF for better sound quality, the JBL One Series 104 for the lower price. The Kali LP-UNF ranks #8 of 60 powered bookshelf speakers at $349. The JBL One Series 104 ranks #58 at $129, $220 cheaper.
What the Kali LP-UNF offers: 1” dome tweeter on a waveguide crossed unusually low at 1.9kHz to a 4.5” ported midwoofer, giving wide vertical dispersion (about ±30-40° off the tweeter/mid reference axis) for a two-way design - well beyond the typical ±10-15°. Extensive dip-switch tuning covers desk vs. free-standing placement, near-wall (<0.5m) compensation, and ±2dB treble/bass adjustment. Distortion stays below 3% at 86dB; the reviewer calls it the best-measuring powered desktop monitor he’s tested, ahead of competitors like the PreSonus Eris E3.5 2nd Gen and Fosi SP3, which he describes as having one-note bass and roughly a 7dB midrange suckout. USB-C, RCA, TRS, and Bluetooth inputs; the secondary speaker is powered through a link cable from the primary unit rather than needing its own separate power connection. At $300/pair, called a no-brainer recommendation for a compact desktop monitor. Watch for: F3 of 54Hz and F10 of 39Hz mean bass rolls off quickly below about 40Hz, bottoming out around 50Hz in-room. No dedicated subwoofer output - pairing with an outboard sub (routing its own crossover back through the mains) is the only way to extend bass further. A built-in limiter caps real-world maximum output around 91dB/1m per speaker, about 5dB below the 96dB target used in compression testing, and distortion climbs past 3% beyond that point. Designed strictly for near-field use (about 0.8m recommended listening distance), not for filling a larger room at volume.
What the JBL One Series 104 offers: Heavy internal EQ from the amplifier meaningfully compensates for otherwise poor raw driver measurements, and casual listening on undemanding content sounded like a scaled-down JBL 305P Mark II - well above typical computer-speaker quality for the price. Solid build quality for a $90-130 powered pair with dual built-in amplifiers. Watch for: Measuring the passive drivers alone (bypassing the amplifier’s EQ) showed “no bass, no low mids, and highly irregular highs” - a disaster by the reviewer’s description. Even with the amplifier’s correction applied, there’s an on-axis cancellation around 7.4kHz from the coaxial driver design, and JBL’s own published frequency-response graph uses a compressed 95dB vertical scale that hides real deviations the reviewer’s 50dB-scale CEA-2034 measurement reveals. Female vocals and “lisping” content became bright and annoying; the reviewer’s verdict was “can’t recommend it though if you want a true hi-fi experience.”
Buy the Kali LP-UNF if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the JBL One Series 104 if the price matters more than sound quality.
If sound quality matters at all to you, skip the JBL One Series 104. It ranks near the bottom of the 60 powered bookshelf speakers, so look higher up the list instead.
Specifications Side By Side
| Kali LP-UNF | JBL One Series 104 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $349.00 | $129 |
| Ranked | #8 of 60 in Medium Size Powered Bookshelf Speakers | #58 of 60 in Medium Size Powered Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 35Hz with the amplifier’s DSP bass boost active (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 54Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 45Hz with the amplifier’s DSP bass boost active (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Inputs | Bluetooth, USB-C (digital), RCA, TRS | - |
| Drivers | 4.5" woofer, 1" Textile Dome tweeter | 4.5" coaxial low-frequency driver, 0.75" soft dome tweeter |
| App | No | No |
| Bluetooth | No | - |
| EQ | No | Yes (fixed, amplifier-applied) |
| Weight | 17.2 lbs / 7.8 kg | 4.5 lbs / 2.06 kg (master), 3.8 lbs / 1.73 kg (slave) |
| Sensitivity | 88.1dB (measured at 0.3V/1m, Erin’s Audio Corner) | - |
| Dimensions | - | 9.7H x 6W x 4.9D in (per manufacturer, 104-BT) |
| Frequency Response | - | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Output Power | - | 60W total Class D (30W per speaker) |
| DSP | - | Yes |
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- Kali Audio IN-5 vs JBL One Series 104
- Edifier MR4 vs Kali LP-UNF
Prices on this page were last checked August 24, 2026 at 6:53 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Kali LP-UNF: $349.00 Amazon eBay
Pros: 1” dome tweeter on a waveguide crossed unusually low at 1.9kHz to a 4.5” ported midwoofer, giving wide vertical dispersion (about ±30-40° off the tweeter/mid reference axis) for a two-way design - well beyond the typical ±10-15°. Extensive dip-switch tuning covers desk vs. free-standing placement, near-wall (<0.5m) compensation, and ±2dB treble/bass adjustment. Distortion stays below 3% at 86dB; the reviewer calls it the best-measuring powered desktop monitor he’s tested, ahead of competitors like the PreSonus Eris E3.5 2nd Gen and Fosi SP3, which he describes as having one-note bass and roughly a 7dB midrange suckout. USB-C, RCA, TRS, and Bluetooth inputs; the secondary speaker is powered through a link cable from the primary unit rather than needing its own separate power connection. At $300/pair, called a no-brainer recommendation for a compact desktop monitor.
Cons: F3 of 54Hz and F10 of 39Hz mean bass rolls off quickly below about 40Hz, bottoming out around 50Hz in-room. No dedicated subwoofer output - pairing with an outboard sub (routing its own crossover back through the mains) is the only way to extend bass further. A built-in limiter caps real-world maximum output around 91dB/1m per speaker, about 5dB below the 96dB target used in compression testing, and distortion climbs past 3% beyond that point. Designed strictly for near-field use (about 0.8m recommended listening distance), not for filling a larger room at volume.
Full Kali LP-UNF review and specifications →
| App | No |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 54Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Bluetooth | No |
| Drivers | 4.5" woofer, 1" Textile Dome tweeter |
| EQ | No |
| Inputs | Bluetooth, USB-C (digital), RCA, TRS |
| Sensitivity | 88.1dB (measured at 0.3V/1m, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 17.2 lbs / 7.8 kg |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Erin’s Audio Corner Review Measurements More from Erin’s Audio Corner →
- Erin’s Audio Corner: The Perfect Desktop Speaker? Kali LP-UNF.
- Erin’s Audio Corner: The Best Budget Desktop Speakers, Tested & Rated
- Erin’s Audio Corner: My Absolute Favorite Products of 2024 Revealed
- Erin’s Audio Corner: 10 Great (and Terrible) Speakers Under $300!
- Erin’s Audio Corner Measurements (spinorama.org)
- Reddit Search for Kali LP-UNF Review
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
JBL One Series 104: $129 Amazon eBay
Pros: Heavy internal EQ from the amplifier meaningfully compensates for otherwise poor raw driver measurements, and casual listening on undemanding content sounded like a scaled-down JBL 305P Mark II - well above typical computer-speaker quality for the price. Solid build quality for a $90-130 powered pair with dual built-in amplifiers.
Cons: Measuring the passive drivers alone (bypassing the amplifier’s EQ) showed “no bass, no low mids, and highly irregular highs” - a disaster by the reviewer’s description. Even with the amplifier’s correction applied, there’s an on-axis cancellation around 7.4kHz from the coaxial driver design, and JBL’s own published frequency-response graph uses a compressed 95dB vertical scale that hides real deviations the reviewer’s 50dB-scale CEA-2034 measurement reveals. Female vocals and “lisping” content became bright and annoying; the reviewer’s verdict was “can’t recommend it though if you want a true hi-fi experience.”
Full JBL One Series 104 review and specifications →
| App | No |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 35Hz with the amplifier's DSP bass boost active (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 45Hz with the amplifier's DSP bass boost active (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| DSP | Yes |
| Dimensions | 9.7H x 6W x 4.9D in (per manufacturer, 104-BT) |
| Drivers | 4.5" coaxial low-frequency driver, 0.75" soft dome tweeter |
| EQ | Yes (fixed, amplifier-applied) |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Output Power | 60W total Class D (30W per speaker) |
| Weight | 4.5 lbs / 2.06 kg (master), 3.8 lbs / 1.73 kg (slave) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- JBL One Series 104 vs NHT Pro M-00
- JBL One Series 104 vs Kali Audio IN-UNF
- JBL One Series 104 vs Edifier S1000MKII
- JBL One Series 104 vs Edifier S1000W
- JBL One Series 104 vs Dynaudio LYD 5
- JBL One Series 104 vs Pioneer DJ VM-50
- JBL One Series 104 vs Klipsch The Fives
- JBL One Series 104 vs Audioengine A5+ Classic
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