Skip to main content

I would like some advice from members on the topic of blocking the bass ports on nearfield speakers.

I have a set of KRK Rokit 5 Gen2 (I know, I know, before you get started they were cheap and I was on a budget at the time and have'nt upgraded yet) pictured below, which have a front bass port below the driver at the front.
Although the pic does not show it, I have them sitting on neoprene mouse pads to isolate them from my desk, I do plan to pick up some speaker feet early next week to replace said el cheapo isolation option.

These are situated around 6 inches from the wall behind and I have acoustic tiles which are 2 inches thick behind said monitors.

I have read differing opinions on whether or not blocking the bass ports is a good idea, bad idea, better /worse, so I experimented with a piece of high density memory foam cut and placed into the front port to see if I could hear any difference.

To my ears the difference is very minimal, but I would like to know the following from those in the know:-

a) does it tighten up the bass sound ?

b) Does it effect the driver response by restricting the air pressure / flow thereby limiting the driver travel or slew the response?

c) Would using something like the HD memory foam I have used allow air pressure to escape as opposed to something more solid such as, dare I say it, styrofoam?

c) What effect would this have on say EQ and the overall sound / how it translates?

d) Any other thoughts or considerations I would need to take into account?

Thanks in advance for any advice on the matter.

Edit - I am not running a subwoofer with these as the room is not that large (11ft x 15ft)

Attached files

Comments

Brother Junk Sat, 08/20/2016 - 05:54

DonnyThompson, post: 440623, member: 46114 wrote: I appreciate that... it was a nice diversion for us, especially since the RNC rolled into town two weeks later, LOL. Then again, the Browns lost to the Falcons last night, so I can already here people saying "well, guess we'll get 'em next year..."

;)

Before it all happened, I watched a documentary on Netflix called BelieveLand. Being from Boston, one of the most prestigious sports cities in the world, I remember the Sox in 04,05. The Pats I can't remember how many, the Bruins did it, and my precious Celtics did it so many times, and again in 08 with one of my favorite players of all time on our team, Kevin Garnett.

Then I watched Believeland. Wow, that is a hell of a lot of drama. And I never thought about what it must be like for the cities that get SO close, yet never win. We went through that for, almost my whole lifetime with the Red Sox, but we had the Celtics pulling some in, we had the Pats pulling some in. Plus, and I'm not kidding, up here in the North East, so long as we beat the Yankees, we can be pretty content. The year we broke the "Curse of the Babe," I don't know a single person who was more more excited over beating, was it the Cardinals? We could have lost to the Cardinals, we just want to beat the Yankees, and LA (NBA). So anyway. as a sports fan, I actually felt for the people in Cleveland, I didn't realize how blessed we are up here. So then to win it all, with the, currently, best basketball player in the world, who is FROM Cleveland...loved it.

Brien Holcombe, post: 440629, member: 48996 wrote: Surely not in pre Season...

lol....old habits die hard.

Brother Junk Sat, 08/20/2016 - 09:27

Brien Holcombe, post: 440643, member: 48996 wrote: Pre season does not count...

I don't think that is what he means. It gives you a look at your team. I don't think they (Cleveland-ers) are worried about making the playoffs because of their record, but because they might be that confident their team can't compete this year. I dunno, I don't live there. But with a city that has been through that, hard core sports fans that haven't won any pro championship for almost 60 years, but come so close, so many times, I can see how they would look at a pre-season game and decide to get the heartache over with now.

They have been starved for so long, I think the fans will be content with the Lebron win (and possible future wins) for quite a while.

If it wasn't for the 58 year drought, I would have been rooting for Golden State. I was more rooting for the people of Cleveland, than the Cavs. While I recognize that he is one of, if not the best, to ever do it...I never really liked Lebron. I couldn't even tell you why, I just didn't.

But ending the Cleveland drought, all of a sudden I like him.

Sports fans are a weird people.