Sealed enclosures used to dominate high end speakers; ported speakers were often dismissed as "frat boy" speakers. However, over time things reversed.
Sealed enclosures may roll off at a gentler 6 dB/octave, but they start rolling off at a higher frequency than a properly tuned ported speaker of similar size. For a small tower, a sealed enclosure starts rolling off at 100 Hz. A ported one is more likely to be flat to 45-50 Hz, which translates into a *much* more realistic tonal balance as it's linear down to the bottom fundamental of a kick drum or bass guitar.
I had a pair of ADS L1090's, a small tower with twin 7-1/2" woofers in a sealed enclosure. For being about 40" tall with twin woofers and as much as it cost me, it sure didn't have much bass. I replaced the L1090's with a pair of Mirage M5si's with dual 6-1/2" woofers and two large diameter ports. It was linear to the mid-30s with clearly audible bass down to the mid-20's. There was no "one not bass," no boominess. Bass is clean, tight, and full.
I also have a pair of petite Mirage floorstanders, the OMD-15. It doesn't have the bass output of the M5si, but it still smokes the L1090 in tonal balance and bass extension. And ports and all, it gives up nothing to the ADS in bass tightness and clarity.
Another cool thing about ported speakers is that you have more ways to match the speaker to the room. Wilson's new Alexandria XLF is made so you can direct the port to the front or the rear. Monitor Audio and PSB both offer several twin-ported models with foam plugs so you can damp the bass alignment four different ways. I used to view ported speakers with disdain, but not anymore. Once designers figured out how to get the bass extension while damping the resonant frequency, you got more and better bass in a smaller enclosure for less money.
Sealed enclosures may roll off at a gentler 6 dB/octave, but they start rolling off at a higher frequency than a properly tuned ported speaker of similar size. For a small tower, a sealed enclosure starts rolling off at 100 Hz. A ported one is more likely to be flat to 45-50 Hz, which translates into a *much* more realistic tonal balance as it's linear down to the bottom fundamental of a kick drum or bass guitar.
I had a pair of ADS L1090's, a small tower with twin 7-1/2" woofers in a sealed enclosure. For being about 40" tall with twin woofers and as much as it cost me, it sure didn't have much bass. I replaced the L1090's with a pair of Mirage M5si's with dual 6-1/2" woofers and two large diameter ports. It was linear to the mid-30s with clearly audible bass down to the mid-20's. There was no "one not bass," no boominess. Bass is clean, tight, and full.
I also have a pair of petite Mirage floorstanders, the OMD-15. It doesn't have the bass output of the M5si, but it still smokes the L1090 in tonal balance and bass extension. And ports and all, it gives up nothing to the ADS in bass tightness and clarity.
Another cool thing about ported speakers is that you have more ways to match the speaker to the room. Wilson's new Alexandria XLF is made so you can direct the port to the front or the rear. Monitor Audio and PSB both offer several twin-ported models with foam plugs so you can damp the bass alignment four different ways. I used to view ported speakers with disdain, but not anymore. Once designers figured out how to get the bass extension while damping the resonant frequency, you got more and better bass in a smaller enclosure for less money.