Thanks Jim! Is there any significant difference in sound between front and rear porting? I like the idea of the front port for folks like me who don't have a ton of space to work with between the speaker and the back wall.
Technically, I'm sure you can measure a difference as different frequencies will be in and out of phase. But neither is probably superior to the other. The main reason that rear ports are considered a best practice is that any port noise will not be directed straight at the listening position. But we size the ports to minimize port noise. So it is really not an issue.
The benefit of front-porting is more flexible placement. So it is preferred if you can't provide adequate "breathing room" behind the speaker.
The bottom line is that this design works extremely well regardless of the port position.
- Jim