bishopdante wrote: Thu Dec 30, 2021 6:35 pm

scrotescape wrote: Thu Dec 30, 2021 5:45 pm no, the range that the ports involve is non-directional

I would disagree profoundly. Depends on how big your driver is, but subwoofers most certainly can be directional, so long as the environment is large enough - ergo cardioid subwoofers / phased arrays.

This involves a pair of drivers spaced, delayed and one out of phase with the other. A port cannot achieve cardioid sub on it's own in my experience.

However, in the case of a small monitor, where the radiating area is so much smaller than the wavelength in question, the directivity of most of the low frequencies is omnidirectional. That's directivity - the *center* of this omnidirectional output from the port will not be the same.

IMO A few inches offset when you are talking about the range where wavelengths are multiple feet, it will not be in issue for 90% of listening.

The "low frequencies are non-directional" fallacy very much applies to subwoofers, and there is a mistaken idea that you can put a subwoofer anywhere in the room, because the frequencies are non-directional, rather than simply very large. It's very much true that most of the directional cues used by the human ear are not related to subwoofers, but I will always hear where the subwoofer is coming from, especially if you let me walk around the room. I've never heard a perfectly integrated subwoofer that wasn't sitting right next to the fullrange loudspeaker, or at least somewhere in the front and center of the listening position. Low frequency localisation is much less important, the wavelengths and delay times are large, but it's not inconsequential.

I agree. Keeping the low end symmetrical and in phase with your high end is favorable. Subs still live and die by square inverse, so if they are far offset, you can tell. Again, a few inches is going to make very little difference in the real world. moving left and right in your chair a few inches will make a bigger difference as you move around in the field of octaves with much shorter wavelengths.

Certainly in terms of human ability to hear the position of a port relative to a loudspeaker in a bass-reflex design, I've never been able to hear much of a difference, particularly in the case of a few inches to the left or right of the speaker.

Than WTF are you going on about?

There might be a detectable performance difference, but you'd have to get out some instruments and put the device in an anechoic chamber.

What is wrong with you?

It doesn't matter much, but it could matter under some circumstances, particularly if you're putting the speakers into the corner of a room (again... WTF are you talking about?)- the phase / group delay discrepancy between reflection and direct sound could be significant enough to influence performance. Putting bass reflex speakers next to wall is a big problem in terms of them deviating from their advertised performance, and it can get quite complicated. There's lots to be said for sealed cabinets and large loudspeakers to get precise low frequency output. Bass reflex is a bit of a dodgy / cheating piece of design.

thecr4ne wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 12:02 pm Since my room's not really set up yet, and they sound fine so far, it'll stay as is. If I let the asymmetry bug me enough I can drill a hole and flip one with like, an hours work to see if it matters. I'm not expecting it to.

If anyone cares what they actually are, these are the B&W Matrix HTM. Designed to be a center channel version of the 805s ,same tweeter, slightly different woofer, longer landscape cabinet. (yes I saw electrical had the 805s and went down a rabbit hole) I did end up with a pair of 805's, but it looks like I'll make the HTMs work and sell the 805s for the going rate that would cover the total investment in these . In my listening the sound is indistinguishable, but I don't have a proper A/B setup going. Also worth noting, the these are a bitch to come by with intact tweeters/tweeter housings. I've got 3 805s and 3 HTMs with 5 intact tweeters and 4 tweeter housings (only 2 with tab intact) among them. I had a friend whip up a 3d model of the housing to 3d print, but I haven't had the chance to print one yet. HTMs can be found for reasonable prices, intact. In my setup the HTMs will sit with the tweeter closer to ear level than the 805s, so that's another point in their favor.

bishopdante wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 9:08 pm I wouldn't put them too close to a wall. Couple of meters distance away from the wall would be the ideal.

You basically don't want to put bass reflex speakers too near to walls anyway.

Kniferide wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:17 pm
before I would drill, I would just look for the correct single speaker on ebay, and sell the one you have.

thecr4ne wrote: Tue Jan 04, 2022 11:27 pm
They don't make it, they're center channels