Chair


I’ve been thoroughly bitten by the couch. My listening chair that is. 
I’m forced to cut my listening sessions short due to lower back pain (chronic, result of an old injury). Looking to get something that would be comfortable enough to not aggravate the nerve in my tukhes and align properly with my speakers in a sweet spot. 
Eames replica in leather? Ikea Poang? Anything else? What do you use?

audphile1

In a 1978 cycling accident I suffered an spinal injury known as sponodylothesis at L5.  It is inoperable.  For years I had an Eames Chair, which I recently had refurbished and then gave to my son in-law.  It was OK, but never great for me, but it served for many years.  I also have an Ekornes Stressless, which I believe is somewhat better.  Somewhat.  About 8 or so years ago I bought a Zero Gravity chair from a company called Relax Your Back.  Serious money.  It is somewhat better than the Stressless.  Somewhat.  All three of those chairs are leather.  Leather is the bane of music, it reflects, it just affects the sounds.  About 5 years ago I bought a reclining sofa from LAZY BOY, kinda ugly, over stuffed cloth thing.  It is so comfortable there are nights when I leave the bedroom and come out to the music room to sleep in it.  And the bonus is, cloth chairs/sofas absorb sound, they don't reflect it, so it is possible to work them into the room treatment scheme.  As an added bonus, LAZY BOY is competitively priced.

I had back trouble for two years after a car accident. Chairs became a huge concern. The best thing I did was read a short book by John Sarnos M.D. called Healing Your Back Pain. It was a life changer. Soon, the comfy recliner became a luxury, not a necessity. Good luck!

Ekornes Stressless recliner and ottoman… there’s a reason why they are relatively expensive.

Extremely high quality.  I buy them in pairs for my wife and I.   We are on our fourth set, top of the line now.  They wear like iron. Thick, full grain leather and the very best foam of different densities throughout the chair.  I often sleep in mine and weigh 290 lbs.  You can find them used at reasonable prices.  It’s very clear if they are in good shape.  Go to a Stressless dealer and try out the various models.  They sit a bit differently.  Also, a good dealer can repair them if needed.  Sometimes they go on an attractive sale when models change.   My current pair are about 12 years old and still perfect.  Way better made than Eames which is basically  just leather, foam and plywood.   Good luck.  

On my 2nd Ekornes stressless. 1st one lasted about 15 years and would still be perfectly good except I cleaned the head part with an abrasive sponge stupidly and it created a minor line hole. I liked the chair so much that I had a custom fabric created to slip over the bad area even though the issue was only noticeable if you knew about it (like the cashmere sweater with the red dot George bought for Elaine for her birthday). Chair is still in excellent condition.

When I got the new one I could not believe they make the exact same model. Got a non standard/stocked color and it took like 6 months to get it (it was in 2000 during the pandemic). US stocked colors are available quickly I beleive. Not sure what the tariffs will be with Norway.

The only problem is that it is so comfortable I am always falling asleep in it. I'm amazed that even after 3-4 hours I have absolutely no pain or stiffness when I get up. Before this chair I went through a couple others that I still have but if you sit in them for a while you get back pain.

Yeah they are very expensive and dealers can't discount around here. Maybe you could get a small discount on a demo model, but then your color selection would be limited. I wouldn't buy a used couch or recliner. Just spring for it and forget about it. You'll be glad you did.