I was told front ported monitors are better if the monitor is close to a wall. Is this true and how much room do I need between the wall and the monitor?
part of the reason some speakers are ported from the rear is it filters out some of the upper bass from the ports (you don't here it because it's facing away from you)
The ports give the bass a boost but reduce the slew rate of the speaker. That is why NS10s are so popular - fully enclosed! When the signal is cut, the NS10 stops moving within 20ms. But a ported speaker like the Behringer Truth takes over 100ms to stop flapping about!