Front port, in and of itself, does not necessarily mean loss of "punch," and certainly not with PMC. So the GB1i might make you happy, but other posters are correct that only a home test will tell for sure. That said, it looks like you do not have much flexibility on speaker placement, so if the PMC wanted to move around to sound its best in the bass, query if you have the space. Also, that particular PMC, although a floor stander, has a pretty small driver, so I'm guessing bass has its limits in any event (I am not experienced with that particular model). All of that said, have you considered adding a sub? Can be very effective indeed when integrated correctly with monitors (but does take a bit of work). To me as I look at your system, I'm thinking add a sub with the monitors, or, get floor standers with more muscle power than the GB1i. How about OB1i?
front vs rear ported speakers and punch
Did a search and could not find anything close, so I will ask away.
Can a front ported speakers ever keep up with the punch of rear ported speakers when they are close to the wall (10 to 15 inches)?
I have a pair of Tekton 6.5t larger monitors (not the largest I've seen) and they are rear ported. I have them 12" from the rear wall and bolted to good rigid metal stands (you can see system details and a picture of the setup in my system link). Overall, I think they do quite a good job for a $650 pair of monitors with a good amount of bass extension, PRAT and imaging.
Recently, I've been thinking I can do better for maybe 2x the amount of what I've spent. I tried some Tekton Mini Lores on rigid metal outriggers. These were more refined with a little more bass extension and have a front port. Overall, I liked the sound but I really missed the punch of my monitors. I sold the Mini Lores to a friend and went back to the 6.5t monitors.
Now I have a chance to pick up a very nice pair of PMC GB1i in cherry. I have heard similar / newer PMC speakers to the GB1i footprint. They are a transmission line with front port design. I liked how they imaged plus the extra bass extension was nice.
With that said, with the port being on the front, can I expect to keep my punchy characteristic I like or will I be coming close to the more refined sound of the Mini Lore? A couple of reviews mentioned that the GB1i needed to be played with a lot of wattage and with a little higher volume to create the PRAT and bass these are known to reproduce.
Can a front ported speakers ever keep up with the punch of rear ported speakers when they are close to the wall (10 to 15 inches)?
I have a pair of Tekton 6.5t larger monitors (not the largest I've seen) and they are rear ported. I have them 12" from the rear wall and bolted to good rigid metal stands (you can see system details and a picture of the setup in my system link). Overall, I think they do quite a good job for a $650 pair of monitors with a good amount of bass extension, PRAT and imaging.
Recently, I've been thinking I can do better for maybe 2x the amount of what I've spent. I tried some Tekton Mini Lores on rigid metal outriggers. These were more refined with a little more bass extension and have a front port. Overall, I liked the sound but I really missed the punch of my monitors. I sold the Mini Lores to a friend and went back to the 6.5t monitors.
Now I have a chance to pick up a very nice pair of PMC GB1i in cherry. I have heard similar / newer PMC speakers to the GB1i footprint. They are a transmission line with front port design. I liked how they imaged plus the extra bass extension was nice.
With that said, with the port being on the front, can I expect to keep my punchy characteristic I like or will I be coming close to the more refined sound of the Mini Lore? A couple of reviews mentioned that the GB1i needed to be played with a lot of wattage and with a little higher volume to create the PRAT and bass these are known to reproduce.