Front ported

Blackdawn

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Do you think front ported speakers will become more common any time soon? Looking through dealers websites there are only a hand full of these available- e.g. MA Bronze 2, Proac Response D2, B&W 685S2 etc for standmounts. Rear-ported speakers seem much more common, I guess due to aesthetics more than anything and so that the speaker doesn't have to be as tall with the port under the drivers. However, for the average smaller room a front ported design seems a better solution to allow closer placement to the rear wall. Any thoughts as to whether front porters will come back into fashion?
 

luckylion100

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are all front ported. I had the original Twenty 23's and they worked really well backed up close to a rear wall in a medium sized room. I'm sure there's plenty of other brands offering similar. I don't view it as a fahion thing but more based on individual company's design or line brief.
 

Vladimir

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CnoEvil said:
People more knowledgeable than I, have said that the position of the port has no bearing on speaker positioning.

Especially small boxes have audible port chuffing. Can be annoying in smaller listening distances.
 

CnoEvil

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Vladimir said:
CnoEvil said:
People more knowledgeable than I, have said that the position of the port has no bearing on speaker positioning.

Especially small boxes have audible port chuffing. Can be annoying in smaller listening distances.

That is a good point, but (being pedantic), it is a good reason to put the port at the back, rather than assuming it impacts positioning.
 

Deliriumbassist

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The output from a front facing port can also interact with driver output. Not much of a problem with PMC floorstanders, for example, where the port is a fair distance away from the drivers, but in, say, B&W standmounts, it's a conceivable issue.
 

Native_bon

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CnoEvil said:
People more knowledgeable than I, have said that the position of the port has no bearing on speaker positioning.
I think I found transmission speakers much better when compared to ported ones. Works very well in my rooms. Much cleaner and defined bass.
 

Vladimir

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CnoEvil said:
Vladimir said:
CnoEvil said:
People more knowledgeable than I, have said that the position of the port has no bearing on speaker positioning.

Especially small boxes have audible port chuffing. Can be annoying in smaller listening distances.

That is a good point, but (being pedantic), it is a good reason to put the port at the back, rather than assuming it impacts positioning.
Bass is omnidirectional, spreading like a sphere. Where the port is makes no difference. Keep the back port 4" from the wall so it has room to blow air out. That's pretty much it.
 

Vladimir

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Deliriumbassist said:
The output from a front facing port can also interact with driver output. Not much of a problem with PMC floorstanders, for example, where the port is a fair distance away from the drivers, but in, say, B&W standmounts, it's a conceivable issue.

In a BR two-way it can mess up the midrange, you may hear resonances, reflections etc. And to be pedantic, you want your front baffle strong and sturdy, avoiding additional large holes in it certainly helps with that.

Smaller we go in speaker box size, more issues we may get with the port hole. However, the benefits of going BR in small box outweigh the negatives so it ends up a compromise. At least you put the garbage pipe on the back, not in your face.
 

Vladimir

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Al ears said:
Vladimir said:
CnoEvil said:
People more knowledgeable than I, have said that the position of the port has no bearing on speaker positioning.

Especially small boxes have audible port chuffing. Can be annoying in smaller listening distances.

Isn't this why a few care now designed with slots?

Slots, dual ports, diffusor grills, flare shapes etc.
 
Vladimir said:
Al ears said:
Vladimir said:
CnoEvil said:
People more knowledgeable than I, have said that the position of the port has no bearing on speaker positioning.

Especially small boxes have audible port chuffing. Can be annoying in smaller listening distances.

Isn't this why a few care now designed with slots?

Slots, dual ports, diffusor grills, flare shapes etc.

Exactly, if you need to design a speaker, whatever the size, unless you are very cunning and build an infinite baffle, you need a port, and usually one small circular one isn't ideal. And I think chuffing is doing a rare red-legged bird of the crow family an injustice. :)
 

Vladimir

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Al ears said:
Vladimir said:
Al ears said:
Vladimir said:
CnoEvil said:
People more knowledgeable than I, have said that the position of the port has no bearing on speaker positioning.

Especially small boxes have audible port chuffing. Can be annoying in smaller listening distances.

Isn't this why a few care now designed with slots?

Slots, dual ports, diffusor grills, flare shapes etc.

Exactly, if you need to design a speaker, whatever the size, unless you are very cunning and build an infinite baffle, you need a port, and usually one small circular one isn't ideal. And I think chuffing is doing a rare red-legged bird of the crow family an injustice. :)

No ports in sealed enclosure cabs.

It's not just port chuffing. Depends how the speaker is compromised it could be a myriad of issues.
 
Vladimir said:
No ports in sealed enclosure cabs.

It's not just port chuffing. Depends how the speaker is compromised it could be a myriad of issues.
I wish there were more sealed boxes, small or large.

If you must have a port, on floorstanders I like the ones where there is a bottom exit with a defined gap. This avoids the vagaries of floor distance and whether carpet, wood or tiles are below.

And ABR when well implemented can work well too.
 

Blackdawn

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Maybe the sound quality with front ported designs isn't any worse? The speakers I mentioned all got 5 star reviews along with the Pmc range and new B&W 805d3, Focal 906 etc. Manufacturers surely wouldn't make this type of speaker if it noticeably worse? The down firing port with the plinth seems like a good compromise, like Wharefedale use.
 

ErwinC

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Vladimir said:
Front porting is worse in every possible way.

I certainly do not agree.

After owning and testing many front and back ported speakers, it is my experience that front ported speakers sound better than back ported speakers when placed close to the back wall (less than 25 cm).

It is not only bass quality but also bass quantity that is important. Back ported speakers placed close to the back wall result in an amplication of 3-4 dB of the lower frequencies because of the reflection from the wall. In most cases this results in a sound with too much bass.

I currently own a back ported KEF ls50 wireless with dsp correction. When i set the distance of the speaker from the back wall to 25 cm, i see that there is a correction of -4dB on the lower frequencies. For me the only back ported speakers that sound good when placed close to the back wall are speakers with dsp correction for the placement of the speakers. Or amplifiers with dsp correction. Most other back ported speakers produce too much bass when placed close to the back wall.
 

chebby

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My rear-ported speakers are placed in corners and as close to the wall behind them as stands and cables/connectors allow (about 3 inches). This is what the manufacturers suggest and - as it turns out - is correct for our room. (Optimal performance in corners was one criteria when buying them.)

The two corners in question are half made up of book cabinets (full of books) to their sides*, and half made up of emulsion painted, plastered brick wall to their rear.

* Just enough distance from the book cabinet's shelves [about 8"] to pull out and replace a book without moving the speakers/stands.
 

Vladimir

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ErwinC said:
Vladimir said:
Front porting is worse in every possible way.

I certainly do not agree.

After owning and testing many front and back ported speakers, it is my experience that front ported speakers sound better than back ported speakers when placed close to the back wall (less than 25 cm).

It is not only bass quality but also bass quantity that is important. Back ported speakers placed close to the back wall result in an amplication of 3-4 dB of the lower frequencies because of the reflection from the wall. In most cases this results in a sound with too much bass.

I currently own a back ported KEF ls50 wireless with dsp correction. When i set the distance of the speaker from the back wall to 25 cm, i see that there is a correction of -4dB on the lower frequencies. For me the only back ported speakers that sound good when placed close to the back wall are speakers with dsp correction for the placement of the speakers. Or amplifiers with dsp correction. Most other back ported speakers produce too much bass when placed close to the back wall.

Unless you have two exactly same speakers, with only difference being orientation of port - front or back, tests wont be valid.
 

ErwinC

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Vladimir said:
Unless you have two exactly same speakers, with only difference being orientation of port - front or back, tests wont be valid.

For me, my extensive experience is valid enough.
wink_smile.gif
 

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