Sealed vs. Ported Speakers

4 of 5 pair of speakers I run are ported.

In order (largest to smallest):

OHM Walshes: bottom port
Dynaudio monitors: rear port
Triangle monitors: front port
Realistic Minimus 7s: no port

They are all very good, within their specific limits. Performance levels achievable happen to correspond directly to the relative size.

"Are ported speakers inherently inferior to sealed speakers?"

No.

Like most things, it all depends the devil is in the details. Generalized conclusions will generate debate but not hold water in all cases. The best/right speaker in any particular case may be ported or not.

The key value of porting is to extend bass extension in a smaller cabinet than otherwise. If that does not matter in a particular case, then there is no reason to go for a ported speaker but expect a bigger product and additional cost to achieve similar results with low end extension if needed. Room acoustics play a big part in regards to what will sound best.