I had the N802s for a long time and the bottom port interacts with the room differently than most speakers. In my experience it decreases room resonance problems pretty dramatically. The port bass comes out in all directions under the speaker and this makes a huge difference. I replaced some N804s with N802s and I was amazed that while the 804s had very large room interaction problems the 802s measured very close to spec. I've got a Behringer Ultracurve and measurement mic I used to do measurements with.
I think the downside of the bottom ports is that they are a little bit indistinct. I'd guess that is just an inherent tradeoff.
I think the downside of the bottom ports is that they are a little bit indistinct. I'd guess that is just an inherent tradeoff.