Monitor 40, close to the wall: turn them upside down
Mon40CSMM10
Posts: 161
As the subject says, if Monitor 40 speakers are going to be placed close to the wall--for example, on speaker stands, toed in, but six inches or less away from the wall--turn the speaker upside down and then reinstall the speaker grill in the normal position (Polk Audio logo on the bottom).
To my ears, this seems to take away some of the otherwise boomy sounding bass when the port is on the top. In a way, it almost sounds like a 3-way speaker because the ported driver is on the bottom, the non-ported driver is at the top, and the tweeter is in the middle. (Some actual 3 way speakers do have an arrangment where the midrange is above the tweeter and the tweeter is above the woofer.) I should also comment that the rear bass port is reflecting the bass into drywall type walls.
Too far away from the wall, bass response is poor at low volumes--this may explain the lack of bass comments in reviews. Close to the wall but bass port on top--bass is too boomy, and this may explain the comments in reviews about boomy bass. Inverted and close to the wall, good bass response without being too boomy--play some dance type music with a heavy bass drum and it still does not overpower the music.
To my ears, this seems to take away some of the otherwise boomy sounding bass when the port is on the top. In a way, it almost sounds like a 3-way speaker because the ported driver is on the bottom, the non-ported driver is at the top, and the tweeter is in the middle. (Some actual 3 way speakers do have an arrangment where the midrange is above the tweeter and the tweeter is above the woofer.) I should also comment that the rear bass port is reflecting the bass into drywall type walls.
Too far away from the wall, bass response is poor at low volumes--this may explain the lack of bass comments in reviews. Close to the wall but bass port on top--bass is too boomy, and this may explain the comments in reviews about boomy bass. Inverted and close to the wall, good bass response without being too boomy--play some dance type music with a heavy bass drum and it still does not overpower the music.