of course you can block it, but you will get a very bass heavy sound. Since they are for rear use you can probably get away with it though. If possible leave a 4-5" between the wall and speaker and that will help.
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can i block my speakers port?
I recently got new LCR and sub, so i'm using my tower speakers for my surround. the problem is that they are rear ported speakers, and are sitting close to the rear wall and corners. Currently i have acoustic panels straddling the corners behind them to minimilize the reflections, but i was wondering:
can i block the speakers ports? and how will this effect their sound quality?
can i block the speakers ports? and how will this effect their sound quality?
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i thought that if i blocked it, i would get a less bass heavy sound? i thought that thats what a port emphasized was bass? and moving it closer/further from a wall could emphasize the bass?
so would i be better of to block the ports? or to do as i'm doing (6" from the wall with acoustic panels behind)?
so would i be better of to block the ports? or to do as i'm doing (6" from the wall with acoustic panels behind)?
Plugging your ports should do no harm, so try it both ways and see which you like better.
You are correct that plugging the ports will generally result in a les bass-heavy sound. The port is there to create extra bass energy via resonance - plugging the port eliminates the opportunity for that resonance, and thus no added bass.
Also, ported cabinets tend to be larger than what is optimal for the same speaker driver in a sealed enclosure, so you may want to experiment with adding some more poly to the inside of the cabinet when you have the port plugged.
-Tweak
You are correct that plugging the ports will generally result in a les bass-heavy sound. The port is there to create extra bass energy via resonance - plugging the port eliminates the opportunity for that resonance, and thus no added bass.
Also, ported cabinets tend to be larger than what is optimal for the same speaker driver in a sealed enclosure, so you may want to experiment with adding some more poly to the inside of the cabinet when you have the port plugged.
-Tweak
add something inside ur cabinet but dont use polyfill. Polyfill is used to make the speaker think its in a bigger enclosure than it actually is.
Some manufacturers actually provide port blockers and or different size ports to tune your bass. I would check with the manufacturer or your speaker.
but generally speaking, plugging the ports will do minimal damage to the audio quality, especially given that these are now being used for surround anyway (thus less emphasis on LF anyway). opinions?
Quote:
I may be wrong here, but one of the reasons ported enclosures became popular was to achieve low-bass response without the huge cabinets required to do so in a sealed "acoustic-suspension" design.
| Originally Posted by Tweak Also, ported cabinets tend to be larger than what is optimal for the same speaker driver in a sealed enclosure, so you may want to experiment with adding some more poly to the inside of the cabinet when you have the port plugged. -Tweak |
Quote:
This is exactly backwards. Acoustic suspension was developed to allow more bass from relatively small cabinets.
| Originally Posted by jdcrox I may be wrong here, but one of the reasons ported enclosures became popular was to achieve low-bass response without the huge cabinets required to do so in a sealed "acoustic-suspension" design. |
You are so correct, I found this article with a simple google search:
"Tip: Acoustic Suspension Speaker Cabinets
Have you ever wondered how Acoustic Suspension Speaker Cabinets work?
• A speaker mounted in a small box will compress the air inside when the cone moves inward
• The air then pushes on the cone harder than the air on the outside
• The speaker will expand the air in the box when it moves outward
• The outside air will be pushing harder than the inside air
By using this pressure to restore the speaker cone to neutral, a much smaller box can be used to get deep bass. The trade off is efficiency (it is lower). Acoustic suspension dominated the speaker designs of the 1960's and 1970's as big, solid, state amplifiers were being developed to provide the needed power. "
"Tip: Acoustic Suspension Speaker Cabinets
Have you ever wondered how Acoustic Suspension Speaker Cabinets work?
• A speaker mounted in a small box will compress the air inside when the cone moves inward
• The air then pushes on the cone harder than the air on the outside
• The speaker will expand the air in the box when it moves outward
• The outside air will be pushing harder than the inside air
By using this pressure to restore the speaker cone to neutral, a much smaller box can be used to get deep bass. The trade off is efficiency (it is lower). Acoustic suspension dominated the speaker designs of the 1960's and 1970's as big, solid, state amplifiers were being developed to provide the needed power. "
Some of you guys need to boneup on your TS theory.
For a given f3 and efficiency a vented system compared to sealed can have a smaller box.
One has a number of choices actually but the above is one.
For a given f3 and efficiency a vented system compared to sealed can have a smaller box.
One has a number of choices actually but the above is one.
When you block the port of a ported speaker, are you not raising the F3 point? Also, if a traditional ported speaker uses a 24db/octave slope at the F3 point, I believe by blocking the port you create a 12db/octave slope at a higher F3 point. Is this right? If yes, is there a forumla that would give you the new F3 point?
Regardless, if you were to run the speakers "small" and crossed over well above the F3 point, would any of this matter?
Regardless, if you were to run the speakers "small" and crossed over well above the F3 point, would any of this matter?
ok, not sure where all this f3 talk is going, but are you saying it is going to sound bad? ruin the sound? be hardly noticeable?
not sure what the port is tuned to either, and can't find any info. the speakers are signet sl280b/u .
My Mission speakers came with foam plugs to block the rear ports if i wanted to. They sound boomy in my corners where they are placed, so I have blocked the ports with the provided foam and find the bass to be much tighter and less boomy. You will defintely notice a difference if you plug the ports, there will be less bass output. Whether it "ruins" the sound or not is up to your ears of course.
"When you block the port of a ported speaker, are you not raising the F3 point?"
You are.
" Also, if a traditional ported speaker uses a 24db/octave slope at the F3 point, I believe by blocking the port you create a 12db/octave slope at a higher F3 point. Is this right?"
Yes
"If yes, is there a forumla that would give you the new F3 point?"
Yes
"Regardless, if you were to run the speakers "small" and crossed over well above the F3 point, would any of this matter?"
Maybe, maybe not. Probably not.
You are.
" Also, if a traditional ported speaker uses a 24db/octave slope at the F3 point, I believe by blocking the port you create a 12db/octave slope at a higher F3 point. Is this right?"
Yes
"If yes, is there a forumla that would give you the new F3 point?"
Yes
"Regardless, if you were to run the speakers "small" and crossed over well above the F3 point, would any of this matter?"
Maybe, maybe not. Probably not.
What type of material would one use to block the ports?
I recently mounted my Ascend 170's to the wall on either side of my projection screen and the ports are now about 4" away from the wall.
My bass is a bit "boomy" and I would like to try and see if blocking the ports improve things but am not sure what to stick in them?
I recently mounted my Ascend 170's to the wall on either side of my projection screen and the ports are now about 4" away from the wall.
My bass is a bit "boomy" and I would like to try and see if blocking the ports improve things but am not sure what to stick in them?
really anything to stop the air flow will work...use an old sock, it may be easier than trying to find the proper sized foam bung 
I may be wrong here, but I dont think the OP is actually asking about stuffing something into the ports, he just want to know if its ok if they arent very far from the back/side walls....do as you are, if you think its adversely affecting the sound, try adjusting their locations until you dont think it is anymore...
What I would do is use (actually do use) is a rolled up sock. This actually provides a bit of an acoustic suspension design, not a sealed design as there is some controlled leakage through the sock, which reduces the impedance hump at resonance of the woofer (yes, I do sit around and test for proper sock rolling. I'm a nerd )
I would almost always seal any ports that are in HT setting with a subwoofer. A sealed 2nd order roll off almost always integrated better with a subwoofer than a 4th order lower roll off, especially considering the high group delay that a port adds.
I have never moddeled a system that had ported mains and a subwoofer that worked out well. Just my 2 cents.
)I would almost always seal any ports that are in HT setting with a subwoofer. A sealed 2nd order roll off almost always integrated better with a subwoofer than a 4th order lower roll off, especially considering the high group delay that a port adds.
I have never moddeled a system that had ported mains and a subwoofer that worked out well. Just my 2 cents.
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