Plugging rear ports of "bookshelf" speakers?


I did a search here on A'gon to try to find out what the reason for this would be, and I take it to tame unruly bass?  Would plugging the rear ports make a speaker less particular about placement?  I would think that if anything, plugging the rear ports would mean the speaker could be moved closer to the wall, but I find that I am often mistaken about my preconceived notions.

immatthewj

You are correct..Many ported speakers get a bloated,boomy bass when moved close to a rear wall..Plugging the port creates a quasi sealed enclosure,reducing bass output..

Hence why I prefer sealed designs. Easy to place them in my bedroom system- I put my ATC 7’s on cork and rubber feet directly on my 72” low dresser about a foot from the wall, and they image really well with no bloat in the bass.

Think of plugging a port as a tuning option.  The options lets achieve good bass in a variety of situations compared to a speaker that did not have a port.

@noromance is correct, you ARE altering it's sonic signature so that it sounds better in whatever location you place it in. 

Speakers aren't golden cows to be worshiped and rotate our lives around them.  If you need a speaker on a bookshelf and it sounds better plugged then do that. 

@erik_squires +1

Exactly. Speakers + Room = most of the acoustics. Optimize both and you optimist the situation.