Listening chair?

An Ekornes Stressless Recliner has worked well for me, but I have a long torso which puts my ears at the top of the back. OTOH, my much 5'6" spouse and listening partner sits very happily in a second identical chair when we listen together, and she's a more astute listener than I. (We use an older model most similar to the current "Ambassador" model.) Some models have taller backs than others. Still, it's one of the most comfortable chairs I've ever had and members of our local audio group always enjoy sitting in that chair in the sweet spot when visiting. Downside is that it will run over you $1k limit. Nonetheless, a great chair.
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I wouldn't worry about HF absorption, since you can use room treatments, drapes, etc. for that purpose. I would focus on comfort. You should consider things like the length of your listening sessions since you may want more support and less cushioning if you sit for hours, and also what you do when listening, do you read, write, work on the computer, eat, drink, etc. Most speakers are designed for a normal range of seated ear height, so I would probably stay away from speakers that require your head to be at a precise level for them to sound good. Are you going to need a pair (or more) of these chairs to provide seating for your spouse or visitors? Personally, leather would be my first choice because it is cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and good leather is much more stain resistant and durable than fabric. Leather can be had economically, as I just picked up two leather chairs for our office entryway (at Furniture Row) for around $1K (for both). They are nothing special, but the leather seems durable and they are comfortable. My current favorite is a Stickley Eastwood Chair with leather pads on the seat and back. Next to that, my favorite chair was a fabric covered chair I purchased from Goodwill in college that appeared to be from the 50's. It was very sturdy, very comfortable, I could study in it for hours, and the arms were wide so you could sit a beer, books, and other stuff on them.

I only have space for one chair in the room. I'll check out the Ekornes site. Thanks.

I VERY HIGHLY recommend the Ekornes chair also. I have the "Kensington" model and they will have to probably bury it with me :-)

Theoretically, a high-backed chair puts the back in play as a reflective surface that will adversely affect sound. The reflections will cause all kinds of cancellations and reinforcement of different frequencies, and so, it is best to use something with a low back.

In reality, I personally like my high-backed reclinging chair, which is similar to the Ekornes chair. I have no problem with the sonic effect of using that chair -- the sound actually seems more focused when I use that chair.

Yeah MoFimadness, just as soon a someone makes a casket big enough for the Maggies as well!

i own three Ekones Stressless chairs. they are comfortable and nicely built. i used one for three years in my listening room (1996-1999). the only issue is that the back rests are broad and somewhat cupped. they will definitely effect the sound to a significant degree.....depending on how tall one sits. as Rushton mentions above, if the backrest top is above your ears there will be issues.

i do recommend the Ekones Stressless as a great chair but only marginally as a listening chair.

if the sonic performance is a priority but you want a headrest then seek out a chair with a narrow back and headrest that has no 'cupping' effect. a headrest in and of itself is not a problem.

btw, i also own a chair similar to the Stickley Eastwood Chair called a Morris Bow Arm chair. quite comfortable and really great looking chair. the backrest is not cupped so even though it is wide it would be better for listening than the Ekones. unfortunately it is not as comfortable as the Ekones. i don't use this as my listening chair. you can see my listening chair on my system page.

there are always trade-offs.

I copy-catted Mike's chair and it is very comfortable.
It is also on the Relax the back retail store website.
I just love the chair, also comes in suede type cloth
with options like viscose ( Temper-Pedic type) elastic. BTW, there is also a competing brand to Mike's Delta and I believe this one is called "Perfect Chair." It does have the high back which is above ear level. I am not sure how bad this is, but I do know that it is something I no longer think about. Thanks Mike.

Those Ekornes look nice. Thanks for the tip guys. Until I save a few more bucks though, I'm quite happy in my IKEA Poang for $100 and a bit.

I second for THE PERFECT CHAIR call also ZERO GRAVITY chair.
The only bad thing with that chair is that you could fall a sleep while listening to music
Second choice might be the IKEA POANG in leather...
Good listening and rest !!!!

I started using the Ekornes Stressless for listening in 1968. I paid $199 for it. It is still used by my daughter. I presently have a crappy copy but seldom use it. I do use a handmade cherry rocker which has my ears just above the headrest. But I seldom have my head back that far. It is very good for my back but no better than the Stressless, except that I fall to sleep less in it. I don't like the wooden base on the new Stressless chairs. Mine was the chrome steel base.

Fjn04, I cannot find the Morris Bow Arm chair on Relax the Back. Did you buy it long ago?

I love my Ekornes Stressless chair. There are very many styles and sizes to choose from. Unfortunately, some stores only have a small sample of the styles and sizes.

The two that Relax the back retail store had were:

1)Backsaver Zero gravity (Mike and I have the Delta model)
recliner. There is also an Alpha model as well as a
powered version. MY Delta has the viscose fill option.
Its so comfortable I would set an alarm before each side
of your record ends.
2)The competing brand is the Interactive Health
perfect chair. I pulled both of these out of my
2003 relax the back retail catalog. I checked out
their website and they only seem to list the Perfect
chair so they may no longer carry the Backsaver ZG.

Fjn04, I found the Backsaver, but is Mike's chair not the Morris Box Arm chair?