You're right, the zuccini's sounded great, but my famous spicy chili was REALLY awesome!

They are about 1.5 ft from the side wall and 3 ft from the back wall. There is a 2' x 4' x 2" absorption panel in each corner.

I believe a port does more than simply add low frequency volume. Isn't it a compromise between low frequency output and distortion (in the form of group/phase delay) near the cut-off frequency? I suspect the response would be better if I unplug the port and just set the HP crossover above the point that the speaker naturally rolls off at.