Ports with radiused entry and exit help reduce turbulence through the port. In general, I think I prefer having a larger port so that airspeed isn't excessive in the first place. But it certainly doesn't hurt to radius the ends, and sometimes looks cool. It will usually raise the Helmholtz frequency slightly compared to a straight port with no radius.You can put a grille over the port, but again, one should concern themselves with port airspeed and the possibility of choking the port. About the width of the front baffle and what effect it has on port length, the port length should be considerd to be the distance from entry to exit. If the port is glued on the back of a 3/4" baffle, then consider it to be 3/4" longer. Total length is all that matters, not what materials are used to make the duct.