Hi ajb,
Actually, I like a port with a nice cheese after dinner. Ha, ha.
Seriously, the front and rear ports have nothing to do with ease of postioning. If the speaker had only one front port, it would be just as subject to "boundary effects" from the floor, wall behind it, and the side of the ent. center. That's because bass isn't very directional. When it emerges from a front woofer and port or ports, it spreads out around the speaker and the nearby surfaces. So even an acoustic-suspension (sealed box) design is just as susceptible to placement effects as any other speaker.
I'll get back to you on the sealed vs. ported center issue.
Regards,
