Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Effects of blocking port on M22ti

Well I'm ready to take the leap to Axiom ownership but have a couple of questions that I'm hoping someone can help me with.

Q1: I would like to use the M22ti's for my L/R mains but have a WAF factor to consider. They would be placed in a entertainment center with little or no clearance to the rear firing port. What will be the affect on the speakers accoustics by blocking the port? Can I leave clearance (3+") behind the port, but none on the sides, top, bottom without significant performance loss?
Answers to this question will determine whether these speakers will be a go/no go.

Q2: Has anyone had any experience with the HTD speakers or know how they compare to the Axioms? This is a speaker I am considering because they have the tuned front firing ports.

Q3: Would the QS8's be a timbre match with the HTD's or is it a critical concern to timbre match the surrounds.

The system would be for a 13'x16' home entertainment system with 90/10 movie/music usage anchored with the Yamaha RX-V1400. The reason for the constraint on the main speakers is because they will be on each side of a 106" Da-Lite screen that is part of the entertainment center. This leaves me unable to uncover the rear ports.

Thank you in advance for any assistance. I have been following everyone's posts for the past few weeks and am impressed with the professional and courteous replys on this forum, a credit to Axiom and all users!

CM, welcome. The rear port won't be a problem if a little "breathing" room is allowed, and the 3" you mention is adequate, assuming that you don't mean that there would be a tight seal at the front edges. The front would be a bit more of a problem(with any speaker) if you recess it into the entertainment center so that the sound diffracts(bounces off the edges of the e.c.)on the way out. It would be helpful if you could bring it out far enough so that it extended at least a fraction of an inch.

Don't know anything about the HTD speakers, but the front port has no advantage over the rear port, as described above, so go with the excellent M22s.

JohnK, thanks for the response. I really want to go with the Epic Grand Master, but was concerned about the positioning of the M22's. Does the port contribute to the bass sound at all, or is it a relief for the pressure developed inside the cabinet? I do plan on positioning the speaker forward a couple inches of any obstructions (ie. walls) with enough room to aim it at the listening position.

Hi chilleymack,

There is another option available to you if the space for the M22s is as restrictive as you describe. What you could do is remove only that portion of the back panel of the entertainment system behind the M22s or use a 3" to 4" hole saw to make a penetration directly behind the port. Now if cosmetics are an issue you could always insert a frame the same size as the opening for the 22s covered with black speaker grill material at the back of the entertainment center you could also use this same concept if you make a hole behind the ports.

Good luck,

Jim