Listening chairs. What do you have?

[robbbby]

This is probably a question geared more towards those with dedicated listening rooms but would love to hear input from everyone. My 2 channel gear is in my living room so my usual seat is just the center seat on the couch. I'd eventually like to get a nice comfortable single person chair/seat for listening that would blend in well with the rest of my room and not look too peculiar and out of place.

 

So, listening seats, what does yours looks like. Also if you know of any interesting brands even though you may not own it i'd love to see.

[PewterTA]

I want to get a couple Ekornes Stressless chairs...but need to save money up for them. Right now I sit on a couch, nothing fancy to listen to my system.

[integriscdp]

I want to get a couple Ekornes Stressless chairs...but need to save money up for them. Right now I sit on a couch, nothing fancy to listen to my system.

 

 

I have an Ekornes Stressless Atlantic in my listening room, and I love it!

 

 

[lmf22]

I have the Ikea Poang chair, with the leather cushions. It is comfy, looks good, and not expensive.

POÄNG series - IKEA

[integriscdp]

I have the Ikea Poang chair, with the leather cushions. It is comfy, looks good, and not expensive.

POÄNG series - IKEA

 

I also have one of those, and they certainly are a great bang for the buck.

[mwheelerk]

Ekornes Stressless Kensington. Getting a little long in the tooth (13 years) but still great comfort.

[firedog]

What do you guys think of the recommendation that listening chairs shouldn't be higher than shoulder level, as a headreast causes audio reflections around the ears and changes the sound for the worse?

[TheArchivist]

I am would really like to see what everyone else has as well, im looking into getting something for home office/listening room. Right now its just a middle of the road office chair.

[robbbby]

Wow those, Ekornes chairs look lovely (and comfortable). Ikea chair also looks like great bang for the buck. Keep the suggestions coming!

[4est]

They are a no no! Even wearing a baseball cap seems to affect the sound for me. I really wish I could use an Eames chair!

 

What do you guys think of the recommendation that listening chairs shouldn't be higher than shoulder level, as a headreast causes audio reflections around the ears and changes the sound for the worse?

[Jud]

They are a no no! Even wearing a baseball cap seems to affect the sound for me. I really wish I could use an Eames chair!

 

Our leather sofa has a high back, and I can hear a difference if I pull my head slightly forward of that high back. But man, it is just so comfy to settle in....

 

Here's another one, which I never thought of until experiencing the heartbreak of presbyopia: If you wear glasses, do you wear them when listening?

[integriscdp]

What do you guys think of the recommendation that listening chairs shouldn't be higher than shoulder level, as a headreast causes audio reflections around the ears and changes the sound for the worse?

 

I would think that type of issue would depend somewhat on both the listener and acoustics of the room. While another poster has indicated this type of chair as an absolute no-no, I have had absolutely no issues with the Stressless recliner in my room.

 

Trevor

[aljordan]

I have an Ekornes Stressless in my listening room as well, and it is very comfortable. However, comparatively, the high-back leather is not the best for sound. A soft cushioned low-backed chair is better. I measured frequency response at the listening position using both types of chairs, and the high back leather chair really does a job on the smoothness of the response. Still, I am using the Ekornes until I find something as comfortable.

 

Alan

[Priaptor]

What do you guys think of the recommendation that listening chairs shouldn't be higher than shoulder level, as a headreast causes audio reflections around the ears and changes the sound for the worse?

 

I couldn't agree more. I see people with 200-300k worth of equipment with speakers shoved against the back wall and high backed chairs and i just shake my head.

 

Believe it or not I have gone full circle on this. First it is important to ensure what seat height works best with your speakers. Chairs range anywhere from 14-21" which can make a huge difference depending upon ones speakers. Recliners for me also effect sound and not in a good way. Lastly a good music chair MUST not extend above ones shoulders.

 

If it is a "big chair" it will have an effect on sound.

 

I have tried many different chairs and ultimately have (for serious listening) chosen a minimalist "directors" chair from McIntosh in their 18 " seat height.

 

Funny how little attention is paid to what may be the most important component in your stereo.

 

I purchased a Varier Peel and removed the headrest and is a good TV chair but not a great sound chair.

 

Eames IMO the most overrated sound chair with a large footprint high back with tilt not great for serious listening. It's comfortable and has a place in my TV room but not for my listening.

 

I am always open to suggestions but I have found a minimalist comfortable chair to be best and the search continues

[Blake]

Eames IMO the most overrated sound chair with a large footprint high back with tilt not great for serious listening. It's comfortable and has a place in my TV room but not for my listening.

 

Perhaps, but in terms of aesthetics, the Eames Lounge chair is easily one of the best designs of all time!

 

Barcelona Chair for me (but looking for other options with a higher comfort factor):

 

[Priaptor]

Perhaps, but in terms of aesthetics, the Eames Lounge chair is easily one of the best designs of all time!

 

Barcelona Chair for me (but looking for other options with a higher comfort factor):

 

 

Absolutely. Just not a great chair for listening. Just about everything one would want to eliminate in a listening environment is included in the Eames.

 

I have one but use it strictly for TV.

 

The Barcelona you show looks pretty good although it would be nice to have arm rests. .

[AudioDoctor]

I knew we had this conversation before, perhaps you want to take a look through this:

 

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/listening-chair-10391/

[integriscdp]

I have an Ekornes Stressless in my listening room as well, and it is very comfortable. However, comparatively, the high-back leather is not the best for sound. A soft cushioned low-backed chair is better. I measured frequency response at the listening position using both types of chairs, and the high back leather chair really does a job on the smoothness of the response. Still, I am using the Ekornes until I find something as comfortable.

 

Alan

 

Hi Alan;

 

In my listening room, I actually changed from a small, low-back soft fabric couch to the Stressless chair, and did not experience the same effect. However, I think room acoustics and acoustic treatment panels can play an important role to help balance out the room's frequency response, such that changing the chair may not have such a noticeable effect.

 

Before changing the listening chair in my room, I had already installed RPG Skyline Diffusor panels on the wall directly behind the listening position, as well as on the ceiling directly above the listening position. When the chair change occurred, I did not notice any negative impact on the sonics. In fact, by removing the extra absorption provided by the fabric sofa, my room actually improved to some extent, leaving the acoustic treatments to perform the intended room adjustments.

 

Of course, all room setups are different. What works for one may not work for someone else. All I can say from my experience is that the Stressless Atlantic chair is not a huge, reflective obstruction, in any way.

 

Trevor

[djvitamind]

Came across this Morgon chair and ottoman at CB2. Sitting in it now and really like it:

 

[bluesman]

I really wish I could use an Eames chair!

 

We bought my Eames chair in 1972 and moved it from apartment to apartment to house over the years - I really loved it. Sadly, my wife decided it didn't go with our last redecorating effort, so she gave it to a friend. Not only was it very comfortable, but it was also a pretty good listening chair (especially when leaning back a bit). Bolt upright, the headrest may have affected ambient acoustics by some miniscule amount, but the relatively soft, padded leather surface didn't reflect or absorb enough sound to make an appreciable difference to me.

 

For the last 8 years or so, I've used my leather "library couch" - the center is also the sweet spot for my system, and the back is well below my shoulders.

It's remarkable how the sense of touch in and around the ears affects the perception of sound. A cotton ball loosely placed in your ear canal makes it feel as though your hearing is attenuated. But unless you really jam it in, pure tone thresholds are not affected on audiometry. The feeling of a hat around your head or a headrest against the back of it has the same effect - and if it feels "off", it is.

[wgb113]

I use my Eames knock-off:

 

 

Bill

[jrisles]

Just resurrecting a relatively old thread and in my search for the ultimate listening chair i came upon this thread and i also came upon this chair

 

 

I can't vouch for it's comfort as i have never sat it in. But it sure looks like it would fit the bill of a good music listening chair?

[Le Concombre Masqué]

barber armchairs such as the Belmont allow height control

[miguelito]

This is probably a question geared more towards those with dedicated listening rooms but would love to hear input from everyone. My 2 channel gear is in my living room so my usual seat is just the center seat on the couch.

See my system pics in my signature. I have the feeling listening couches with leathery surfaces are probably worse than cloth, as they likely produce a fair amount of first reflections.

[mwheelerk]

Just resurrecting a relatively old thread and in my search for the ultimate listening chair i came upon this thread and i also came upon this chair

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13222[/ATTACH]

 

I can't vouch for it's comfort as i have never sat it in. But it sure looks like it would fit the bill of a good music listening chair?

or for torture