Should I Buy Ported Or Sealed Monitors?

Here is an infographic I made up to help you choose between ported or sealed enclosures. There are not many choices so the decisions are cost dependent. Sealed speakers have a more accurate response and no "bass leakage" but may require a subwoofer to provide bass extension. Ported near-field speakers provide extra low end but may introduce acoustic problems (what I call bass leakage). In a home studio with little space, ported speakers can be a good option. Most people listening at home will have ported speakers so it makes sense to mix on them from a certain perspective. Also, most home studios will not be acoustically treated to receive full benefits of a higher end monitor.