all else being equal the more narrow the front baffle (and the shorter for that matter) the better the speaker will image, have less cabinet resonance, less diffraction and phase issues, better dispersion and be less demanding to position.
the goal is to minimize the surface area of the front baffle and by doing so minimize the amount of frequencies that is reflected back to the listener. mixing direct and reflected sound causes phase distortion, frequency imbalances and requires more complicated crossovers to manage.
the goal is to minimize the surface area of the front baffle and by doing so minimize the amount of frequencies that is reflected back to the listener. mixing direct and reflected sound causes phase distortion, frequency imbalances and requires more complicated crossovers to manage.