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Is a rear-ported "Bookshelf speaker" a contradiction ?

kappclark

kappclark

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
If a speaker is designed for bookshelf mounting, "or claims it is a bookshelf" speaker,why not place the port in front (like the A-25's ) ? Doesn't placing a rear-ported speaker contradict the setup instructions...

I am looking for a pair of speakers of the bookshelf variety that I an mount on the wall... would consider a set of Kilipsch R-51M, but they are rear-ported ...

Am I reading too much into this ??
 
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i would probably consider a rear ported smaller speaker to be a stand mount speaker. I'm sure there are some that would be fine lined up to the front of a deep bookshelf. All of my ported speakers are front ported and of the floor variety. I don't think you're reading too much into it but haven't dabbled in new speaker shopping for some time.
 
Wall mounting is not the same as placing them on a bookshelf. They don't have to be flush against a wall on a bookshelf.
 
"Bookshelf" speakers is a misnomer in many cases these days. Most of these speakers are intended for stands these days. Front ported and sealed speakers are better up against the wall.

Many modern manufacturers literally include port plugs for wall placement. So consider stuffing back ports and/or EQing a bit if you think you will get too much bass bouncing off of the back wall.
 
Flippo63 said:
Even wall mounting front ported speakers is not ideal in most cases.
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Very true. You see a lot of HT "book shelf" rear ported speakers with spaced out mounting brackets with rubber bumpers at the bottom so they can be hung on the wall. Having that 1 to 2 inch space between the speaker and wall is going to help with the bass. The same type of speaker with the port on the front, not so much. The larger monkey coffins with front ports that were popular years ago do sound better if decoupled from the floor some though. For the smaller speakers with 4" to 6" drivers and rear ports I like to place closer to the wall for better bass if not using a powered sub.
 
Good point, Lavane, on a desk or in a small office or bedroom, one can get good bass out of a small, budget speaker against a wall. Large living rooms are a different matter.
 
Aethelstan said:
"Bookshelf" speakers is a misnomer in many cases these days. Most of these speakers are intended for stands these days. Front ported and sealed speakers are better up against the wall.

Many modern manufacturers literally include port plugs for wall placement. So consider stuffing back ports and/or EQing a bit if you think you will get too much bass bouncing off of the back wall.
Click to expand...
It’s always been sort of a misnomer. Just think about all those “bookshelf” speakers from the 60’s and 70’s with 12” woofers and heavy walnut cabinets!
 
FluxT said:
It’s always been sort of a misnomer. Just think about all those “bookshelf” speakers from the 60’s and 70’s with 12” woofers and heavy walnut cabinets!
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Yes!!!
ESS AMT 5’s
SEALED Woofer
Perfect for TV/Movies
C8A26C59-50CC-40A9-86AA-E0D5A391E333.jpeg
 
1) Many (many) of the current crop of small loudspeakers are purpose-built to be used as "stand mount", not "bookshelf" nor anyplace close to a wall or boundary. Case in point -- the little ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2. I've tried 'em in a lot of different configurations, with a lot of different amplfiers. They ain't great unless they're on stands ca. 28 to 30 inches off the floor and well away from walls. The manual, to ELAC's/Andrew Jones' credit, is pretty explicit about where to put 'em -- and where not to.

DSC_3816 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

2) The A25 is not ported. It uses aperiodic (lossy) 'vents' -- more like a deliberately poorley sealed box with a controlled leakiness.
 
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