Port bungs

[hughesfleming]

Just out of curiosity, how often are people using bungs to get floorstanders closer to walls? I have always been of the opinion that speakers should be used as they have been designed. For that reason I almost never consider speakers with a rear port. Nevetheless, I just setup a secondary system basically to put some music in another room using some old floor standers and hated the sound. It took me about 5 minutes to make some homemade bungs and in an instant everything I disliked about the sound vanished.

Still a little bit surprised by what I was hearing I decided to add better amplification so I plugged in an Onkyo A-9000r fed by a Sonos connect. The end result was extremely good given how inexpensive these floostanders were....ok a bit lean but better than bass boom and furniture resonating loudly at certain frequencies.

So my question is.....who has had good results with plugging ports on which speakers?

regards to all

Alex

 

[Frank Harvey]

Hi Alex

i also feel that a speaker should be used at is has been designed too. A ported speaker will have been optimised for use without any bungs, and given optimum room conditions, will sound better than when bungs are used. Of course, some situations may require the bungs to be used, and while not ideal, may give certain benefits that outweigh the negatives.

If you have made your own bungs, I'd recommend trying to make a 'hollow' bung with the centre removed, so you're not negating the effect of the port, just halving its effect, more or less. This may or may not work for you, but is worth trying.

I'm not sure which speakers you have, but the A9000 is quite a dynamic, very well controlled amplifier, and will no doubt have full grip over whichever ones they are. As a result, you'll certainly be getting the best of them.

When I used KEF LS50s and R300s at home, I used the hollow outer bungs that KEF provide to calm down the airflow. This worked really well, but using the full bung just took too much life out of them. B&W also provide these types of bungs, and I usually find them beneficial for demonstrations too.

 

[Tonestar1]

I use the B&W bungs with the centre part removed as my speakers are pretty close to the wall and my room is quite reflective. I know it's not exactly how the speakers were designed to work but I don't have a perfectly designed acoustic space for the speakers to work in, which I’m sure is how they were tested. I find the bungs help a lot. The bungs help reduce a lot of the boom, and I think the speakers are way too bottom heavy with them out.

If I do get the place to myself I will often pull the speakers farther out from the wall and remove the bungs. To be honest I’m not sure there is that much of a difference with the speakers farther out and bungs removed as opposed to close to wall with bungs in. It’s probably more psychological as I know when the speakers are out I’m getting a good few hours dedicated listening time. Thank God my missus works shifts

 

[hughesfleming]

Thanks for the replies. I have always thought of bungs as something you use as a last resort. It seems in reality that they can work very well in certain circumstances.

 

[bluedroog]

I do share your view that a speaker was designed to be used a certain way although I also realise we don’t always live in perfect conditions and as such a port bung at least offers flexibility and the ability to tune to circumstance.

The one time I have gone this route was bunging a sock in a rear port on a centre speaker in an AV set up that was housed on an enclosed shelf, dialogue had been boomy and a sock helped with that, although it left my left foot cold on Tuesdays.

 

[drummerman]

Being that a room contributes a large amount to the end effect I would approach the bung issue with an open mind.

regards

 

[RobinKidderminster]

I have experimented with bungs to little perceived effect. Maybe because they are feont ported? Seems like rear ported speakers are not really a great idea? Cold feet convinced me that foam was a better option.

 

[manicm]

I have experimented with bungs to little perceived effect. Maybe because they are feont ported? Seems like rear ported speakers are not really a great idea? Cold feet convinced me that foam was a better option.

Don't rule out rear-ported speakers, my RX1s are about 17cm from the rear wall and work surprisingly well without the bungs. Some speakers will obviously be more tolerant than others - but that will hold true for front-ports as well.

 

[adamrobertshaw]

If I'm placing speakers close to a wall I prefer front ported like my B&W 685 and PMC Twenty 22.

But the PMC still need to be 40-50cm away from any wall.

I have some MA GX50 about 30cm from a wall but I make sure that they have room to breathe at the sides.

I have had to put the bungs in them in the past. This was when they were a bit closer to the wall side and rear.

It managed to calm down some room resonance with little drop in bass performance.

 

[cannibal_ox77]

My RS6's are about 15cm from the back wall with bungs in, I used to have them about 30cm out but it just looked ridiculous and there was such little difference in sound when i tried pushing them back that it wasn't actually worth them sticking so far out in the room. To be honest i'm not sure if the bungs made that much difference, they're there mainly cause I thought they should be and i just forgot about them. I haven't tried removing them since upgrading the amp, they're pushed too far in to get my fingers round!

 

[steve_1979]

I have experimented with bungs to little perceived effect. Maybe because they are feont ported? Seems like rear ported speakers are not really a great idea? Cold feet convinced me that foam was a better option.

Don't rule out rear-ported speakers, my RX1s are about 17cm from the rear wall and work surprisingly well without the bungs. Some speakers will obviously be more tolerant than others - but that will hold true for front-ports as well.

I think it varies from speaker to speaker.

My Neutron Five's are rear ported and are placed about 11cm from the rear wall. They sound great and are not boomy at all. In fact I think they sound better when placed close to the wall than when they're pulled out into open space.

 

[danrv]

Don't rule out rear-ported speakers, my RX1s are about 17cm from the rear wall and work surprisingly well without the bungs.

I'm surprised at that. Are they near side walls also? I had all sorts of trouble trying to reduce the bass with the RX1's. Maybe the sound wasn't actually boomy in that it affected midrange clarity but I found the bass overpowering with these. Mine were 18'' from rear and side walls. I tried port bungs but these seemed to rob some of the midrange and affect bass precision.

Lovely speakers but found they're more suited to being in free space which isn't where most hifi speakers go.

 

[ID.]

My front ported B&W 685s liked 30-40 cm from the back wall. I tried various bung variations, but none were really satisfactory. FUll bunging was the worst because it completely robbed the life from the speakers. Using my tone controls to turn the bass down one notch seems to work best for me now with my DB1i closer to the back wall than is ideal.

 

[steve_1979]

My front ported B&W 685s liked 30-40 cm from the back wall. I tried various bung variations, but none were really satisfactory. FUll bunging was the worst because it completely robbed the life from the speakers. Using my tone controls to turn the bass down one notch seems to work best for me now with my DB1i closer to the back wall than is ideal.

When I heard the DB1 in a shop it boomed when close to a wall but sounded fine when pulled out. I guess it varies depending on the room.

 

[manicm]

Don't rule out rear-ported speakers, my RX1s are about 17cm from the rear wall and work surprisingly well without the bungs.

I'm surprised at that. Are they near side walls also? I had all sorts of trouble trying to reduce the bass with the RX1's. Maybe the sound wasn't actually boomy in that it affected midrange clarity but I found the bass overpowering with these. Mine were 18'' from rear and side walls. I tried port bungs but these seemed to rob some of the midrange and affect bass precision.

Lovely speakers but found they're more suited to being in free space which isn't where most hifi speakers go.

18 inches and they were boomy? Surprising. My location isn't even ideal, the left speaker is about 40cm from a cupboard, the right about 30cm from curtained windows - with a wall overhang of about 30cm.

My system is currently in a spare bedroom.

 

[manicm]

My front ported B&W 685s liked 30-40 cm from the back wall. I tried various bung variations, but none were really satisfactory. FUll bunging was the worst because it completely robbed the life from the speakers. Using my tone controls to turn the bass down one notch seems to work best for me now with my DB1i closer to the back wall than is ideal.

I miss my 685s *sob*

 

[gramps23]

I've always been a bit sceptical about using port bungs in a box that has been designed to be reflex loaded, because of the effect it will have on the behaviour of the drive unit. Ported boxes are of larger internal volume than a sealed box would be for any given driver (as a general rule of thumb). When you put a bung in the port you're effectively turning the cabinet into a sealed box, which does a number of things, some good, some bad.

In theory it will roll the bass off more gradually, and from a higher frequency, which is a good for reducing lumpy bass if the cab is placed close to a wall. On the flip side it could cause an uneven response at certain points, which might interfere with things, but bass is so dependant on room response that you may not notice anyway..

The big problem is with driver over-excursion. In a ported box, cone movement at the lowest frequencies is kept to a minimum by the port itself, which over it's operating range (just below that of the driver itself, in the lowest regions of the 'speakers response) actually serves to damp the movement of cone. In a normal sealed box, the smaller volume of the box serves to keep the excursion in check. In a sealed box, which is too large to mechanically damp the movement of the cone, like one that's got a foam bung in the port, the power handling of the drive unit will be reduced quite drastically.

What I guess all of the above leads to (and please excuse the long rant!), is that foam bungs can work, but only in the right acoustic environment and if you keep an eye on the bass cones

 

[JoelSim]

I have experimented with bungs to little perceived effect. Maybe because they are feont ported? Seems like rear ported speakers are not really a great idea? Cold feet convinced me that foam was a better option.

Don't rule out rear-ported speakers, my RX1s are about 17cm from the rear wall and work surprisingly well without the bungs. Some speakers will obviously be more tolerant than others - but that will hold true for front-ports as well.

Agree on this, it's always going to be different depending on the room acoustics and placement. Best to try with and without on a rear ported speaker and go with what you prefer.

 

[plastic penguin]

Never used my bungs, although have experiemented a couple of times. Personally I think it knackers whole of the frequency range - sounds stifled to me.

Agree about room size and acoustics, though.

 

[danrv]

On the flip side it could cause an uneven response at certain points, which might interfere with things, but bass is so dependant on room response that you may not notice anyway..

Exactly what I found when bunging the port's on the RX1's. Some bass notes would be loud and others would sound quite weak. I'm not a fan of port bungs.

 

[danrv]

Don't rule out rear-ported speakers, my RX1s are about 17cm from the rear wall and work surprisingly well without the bungs.

I'm surprised at that. Are they near side walls also? I had all sorts of trouble trying to reduce the bass with the RX1's. Maybe the sound wasn't actually boomy in that it affected midrange clarity but I found the bass overpowering with these. Mine were 18'' from rear and side walls. I tried port bungs but these seemed to rob some of the midrange and affect bass precision.

Lovely speakers but found they're more suited to being in free space which isn't where most hifi speakers go.

18 inches and they were boomy? Surprising. My location isn't even ideal, the left speaker is about 40cm from a cupboard, the right about 30cm from curtained windows - with a wall overhang of about 30cm.

My system is currently in a spare bedroom.

I just think they're not designed for room corners. Maybe the bass traps I now have would have helped. Really would have liked to have kept the RXs. I now have slightly bass light, front ported Dali Lektor 2s. Much more suited to corners. They're still 18" out like the RX1s were though.

 

[Niglets]

Many of the speakers in the 70s and 80s that I used were sealed boxes, and one that used a passive radiator. Of ported speakers I've owned, the more recent models seem to include BUNGS, where previously they did not. I think it's more of a convenience offered by manufacturers to widen the possibilities of use/placement. The difference will vary depending on the size and air output of the port. The rx1 doesnt put out much air, whereas the ls50 and emit 10s have a pretty healthy air flow. Experience Using them on rear ported models reduces bass, makes them quicker or more energetic, but also makes them more shut in and tonally sporadic, and also with a reduction of soundstage depth. In short I think the downside outweighs the upside.... better to find a speaker that works as the intended design in your room. BUNGS are a convenient stop gap measure, but usually produce sub-optimal results. If ports cause problems you may try a Sealed box, a smaller port, or a larger room.

 

[insider9]

Many of the speakers in the 70s and 80s that I used were sealed boxes, and one that used a passive radiator. Of ported speakers I've owned, the more recent models seem to include BUNGS, where previously they did not. I think it's more of a convenience offered by manufacturers to widen the possibilities of use/placement. The difference will vary depending on the size and air output of the port. The rx1 doesnt put out much air, whereas the ls50 and emit 10s have a pretty healthy air flow. Experience Using them on rear ported models reduces bass, makes them quicker or more energetic, but also makes them more shut in and tonally sporadic, and also with a reduction of soundstage depth. In short I think the downside outweighs the upside.... better to find a speaker that works as the intended design in your room. BUNGS are a convenient stop gap measure, but usually produce sub-optimal results. If ports cause problems you may try a Sealed box, a smaller port, or a larger room. 

Very interesting but this thread is 4 years old...

 

[Al ears]

Many of the speakers in the 70s and 80s that I used were sealed boxes, and one that used a passive radiator. Of ported speakers I've owned, the more recent models seem to include BUNGS, where previously they did not. I think it's more of a convenience offered by manufacturers to widen the possibilities of use/placement. The difference will vary depending on the size and air output of the port. The rx1 doesnt put out much air, whereas the ls50 and emit 10s have a pretty healthy air flow. Experience Using them on rear ported models reduces bass, makes them quicker or more energetic, but also makes them more shut in and tonally sporadic, and also with a reduction of soundstage depth. In short I think the downside outweighs the upside.... better to find a speaker that works as the intended design in your room. BUNGS are a convenient stop gap measure, but usually produce sub-optimal results. If ports cause problems you may try a Sealed box, a smaller port, or a larger room.

Very interesting but this thread is 4 years old...

Beat me to it..... ;-)

 

[Niglets]

Yea but if you Google port bungs today, this is the #1 result, no need to create a new thread.

Re the rx1 user that posted I'm surprised he found the port problematic, it's port output is minimal in comparison to any other ported speaker I've used. Though I did sometimes plug up with certain recordings on the rs3, but overall it made the speaker more stifled.