FORUMS
I know virtually nothing about speaker design and didn't do that well in Physics, to boot. That being said, I'm wondering what advantages and disadvantages there are to speaker designs incorporating bottom-firing bass ports, versus rear-firing and front-firing designs. Advertising literature from manufacturers and reviews generally don't go into much depth on this. Hence, my curiosity. From a layman's approach, it would seem to me that pushing air out the bottom of a speaker cabinet, straight down at the floor, would pose more design problems than the other two design approaches if this is, indeed, what a port does. By way of example, I offer this:
(I won't mention any name brands here so as not to risk offending delicate sensibilities.) I recently spent considerable seat-time with two different pairs of speakers both incorporating bottom-firing bass port design, from the same manufacture, under relatively well controlled critical listening conditions (e.g. similar sound rooms; similar source components; same music; similar speaker placement; etc.). The pair that was one step above the other in this same model line sounded absolutely divine, to my ears. I did not A/B these with any other speakers. I listened to them only.
In another sound room, I then A/B'd the pair one step below that same model line with a pair of comparably priced contenders, in a comparable model line echelon, from another manufacturer that incorporates a front-firing port design. I and a friend I was with concluded the pair with the front-firing ports performed a tad better in bass response. We both thought the bottom-firing design speakers were a tad bit more muddy, less accurate, less detailed and just a smidge more boomy in low bass. Both sound rooms involved had thin carpeting on top of either hardwood or plywood subfloors. Both speaker manufacturers involved are highly regarded, have won many awards and have graced the pages of this and many other audiophile publications for years.
Relying exclusively on audio memory, I'd have to say the upper model line speakers from both competing manufacturers sounded absolutely wonderful in every way. I thought they both performed outstandingly well in bass response. Since I did not A/B these in the same room, with the same equipment, etc. there's no way I could honestly say if my ears might have preferred the front port design, however slightly. That would be pure conjecture. Again, I have no clue what the function of a bass port is. I'm assuming the purpose is to either push air or expel residual sound waves from the cabinet, out into the sound room. If so, there have got to be advantages and disadvantages to bouncing these sound waves off the floor, a wall behind speakers or expelling them straight out into a sound room. All things being equal, is this just something that comes down to targeting listener preference? This is very intriguing, to me.
Thoughts?
