What exactly is a speaker box sound?

Some designers remain, errr, heretical.

@twoleftears 

Well, we shant have it!  Heresy, indeed!  Off with their, uh, feet!

@roxy54 

Like I posted, everyone has their own opinions.  Buy what YOU like.

@secretguy 

Thank-you!  Everyone likes to be agreed with.  I had the good fortune to LISTEN to many brands of gear played through many brands of speakers when I had my shop.  We also had real musical instruments present, and were able to compare them to (processed) recorded sound.

I come by my OPINIONS through many hours of listening to many, many "high-end" products in my shop.  Whether others find the combo I believe to be most accurate to their liking is why there are about 500 manufacturers of home audio "stuff" around at any given time.  Makes it all fun, I guess...

Cheers!

Cabinet resonance and buzzing of course let one know the speaker is in a box but I'm not sure that's what we're talking about here. More like the 'closed-in' box sound some may or may not exhibit. I think modern boxes are far better and money seems to buy a more open sound regardless.

I've heard Magnepans for over forty years and owned Martin Logan electrostats as mains. If you enjoy 'large' singers and images, great. I sure don't feel they are more accurate.

I went to a good pair of ported boxes and will never, ever go back as they reproduce music far more accurately IMO. And that's after a lifetime of listening and attending shows, so...to each his own opinion.

Listen to some Magnepans or Martin Logan electrostats playing music you know well. Your music, not someone else's. Take a CD or thumb drive with you. Listen carefully. If you don't hear a better version of you music, stick to what you have and be happy you saved a bunch of money.

@boomerbillone 

"If you don't hear a better version of you music, stick to what you have and be happy you saved a bunch of money."

That is by no means necessarily true as many "box" speakers cost far more than Maggies or most Martin Logans.