Front port vs Rear port

The reasons given are correct, but one reason that ports are put on the rear of speakers is that, at high levels, port turbulance can be audible and having the sound exiting the back of the speaker can be better than having it aiming right at you.

Viridian that is one reason the other reason is for room coupling, giving you a better bass performance vs front ports..

Regards,

..and then there's the ol" bottom port...

A fair number of speakers are designed to be "near wall" compatible. The VSA VR-33 is a recent example. Front and rear (and bottom, I think) can be made to work. You might try searching here for "near wall," and also companies like North Creek and Guru who make speakers specifically designed for this application.

Personally, I'd find the moving speakers out for critical listening a PITA -- much of my listening is background punctuated by occasional "stop and listen" breaks. But as Schipio says, it's a way to go, if a "free field" speaker is best for you in other respects. You have to be OK with some tape on the floor, though; Meiwan is right that placement is a game of inches.

John

Also, consider sealed designs, such as Merlin monitors. Prior to my current setup, I was using Tyler acoustic monitors that were front ported. They were very good, but I could never elimnate a degree of "bloom" in the lower frequencies in my 11 x 20 room. On a whim I plugged the ports and found that they integrated a lot better with my room. Based upon results of the experiment, I replaced the Tylers with the Merlin monitors, which are sealed, and they are excellent in my room. I've even added a pair of sealed subs with great success. YMMV.