Listening chair suggestions

I replaced my existing chair with a CostPlus World Market Kendall chair. Absolutely comfortable and nothing behind the ears to distort the sound. This is in suede fabric. And the color matches my GIK panels as well.

Russ69: What height is that ??? !!!
So we want the right height of the listening chair, and thus our ears, relative to the speaker heights.
But you didn't say what that height was!!
Anyone know?

Check out www.ki.com

A basic chair can be comfortable, functional, and nice looking,
and doesn't have to come from a garage sale (or look like it did).
I custom ordered mine by picking the right style and colors.

I first saw the STRIVE chair at a health club, so I knew what
to expect when I placed my order. The seating surfaces are nicely
padded. A great company to work with.

07-14-13: Sgordon1
"My solution? The kind of chair you find in the waiting room of a professional office. Four thin legs, a supportive back, and armrests."

"I don't know about anyone else, but given the amount of time I listen to music, if I spent it in a waiting area chair I'd be dead by now."

+1

Go for the Jappling chair from IKEA, with the matching footrest. I replaced my Poang with this one and I love it. But I do understand that it is not available at every IKEA store. But you also have other IKEA chairs that are very close to the Jappling style and are equally comfortable - without breaking the bank!

07-14-13: Sgordon1
My solution? The kind of chair you find in the waiting room of a professional office. Four thin legs, a supportive back, and
armrests.

I don't know about anyone else, but given the amount of time I listen to music, if I spent it in a waiting area chair I'd be dead by now

A chair that puts your ears at the proper height is the key. Take a tape measure and get the seating height right.

IMHO, "comfort" is over-rated, here.
I want comfortable shoes, in the sense that I don't want to
feel pain, I don't want my attention drawn to discomfort in my feet
when I stand or walk. When I am paying attention and listening
seriously to music, I don't want to be uncomfortable in my seat,
BUT I am not seeking detachment, either.

When I listen to music in a dedicated
room, I actually want to feel a certain "tension" as I listen to
music. I want to pay attention to details, to be involved
in the listening experience. While my mental focus is the music,
"comfort" to me is the absence of sensations that can
interfere with this.

There are practical considerations, too.
Here is my personal criteria, regarding my listening chair:

1) minimal interaction of the seat (influencing the sound) with
absorbing sound waves. This leads to concerns about the size,
composition material, and mass of the chair.

2) ability to support my lower back and encourage a
natural neck/ head position

3) ability to raise/lower the height of the seat to vary the listening
position in relation to speakers

4) ease of entry and exit from the seat and ability to keep both feet
flat on the floor

I have Ekornes furniture elsewhere, but for me it doesn't
"fit" in my dedicated listening room. The physical
"isolation" of a recliner/lounge chair is at odds with the mental
participation that I am seeking when I listen to music intently.

My solution? The kind of chair you find in the waiting room of a professional office. Four thin legs, a supportive back, and
armrests. Moderately priced, efficient, and sonically neutral.

Yes, I have more respect for "wallflower" functional furniture and
am less attracted to upscale pieces that seem to call attention to
themselves rather than serve the music...

Regarding the Ikea Poang chair, I noticed that when I took the chair out of the room, and I'm not joshing, the sound was noticeably better, more open, less congested and more natural. I suspect the foam in the chair is adversely affecting the sound. Kinda like Sonex, actually.

What about this one?
http://www.la-z-boy.com/Product/51-3471/Carlyle-Low-Recliner/

A friend have this same exact model.

You have to ask yourself, Do I want to be comfortable every time (I) listen or sacrifice some sonics for the best possible sound. Trade-offs suck!

I have been using the Ikea Poang chair and ottermen for years now. I love it. It has a soothing rocking motion that I find comforting as I grow older, with that in mind, it is time for a more mature chair, one with the style and design to accent my listening room not overwhelm it. Some of the above suggestions hit the nail on the head but a 4k chair is not in my future. Not that I wouldn't want one but I could buy an amp for that amount of money.

Hevac1 is right. I have experienced the same thing. High back leather chairs will cause reflection problems much like having your chair against the wall. With a high back chair made of leather it's best to throw a blanket over the back.

Budget no issue, I suggest having a look at the Stressless series. I thought they were heavenly.

On a budget, the IKEA Poang recliner and footstool are hard to beat.

Another for Ekrones or Eames. When buying my current "Listening Chair" I took height measurements and identified the optimal location for my head. Also, the headrest was a issue. I wanted one but preferred adjustable so I could keep it low. The Ekrones fit the bill but I was not prepared for the cost. My wife talked me into it. She is a Safety Engineer and performs Ergonomic assessments for employee work stations among her other duties. Our discussions came down to the following. I spend a lot of time in a chair so don't cheap out. Dam woman knows me all to well.

Good Luck

The thing that turned me off when considering Ikea Poang chair was that just about any slight movement on my end was followed by these tiny vibrations. So if you sit like a zombie in a chair, not an issue but otherwise not good.

An electric chair "old sparky" might just do the trick.. Now that will really make your jaw hit the FLOOR...LOL

It's a pretty personal thing, both for comfort (body size and shape) and aesthetics. I have all kinds of chairs in the house- I use an Eames lounge and ottman- I'm a little over 6 ft tall these days (shrinking in height) and used to be heavier 230, now under 190- what appears to be a headrest really just comes up behind your shoulders- as to height relative to drivers, you just have to figure it out - there are usually measurements for most commercially available chairs that will give you seat height. FWIW, there is typically a considerable industry discount on chairs like this, so don't go into sticker shock when you see the retail (but buy a real one, not a counterfeit). Resale value of a real one makes up for the considerable price difference between it and a copy.

Ekornes or if you have money an Eames.

I had the Ikea chairs and yes, great value and comfy. But my elbows started to hurt after a while because of the wood arm rests. Doesn't seem to be a problem for a couple of friends that also own them.

I ended up with Paliser brand "Mellow" chairs. They cost more than $100 though.

http://4seating.com/palliser-home-theater-seats/palliser-theater-seat-mellow.htm

I use leather recliners in my room. The only issue I know of is you want the back of the chair not be any higher that your shoulders other wise it will be like cupping your ears with your hands.

Probably the best way to go would be to get one of those medical chairs that doctors bolt your head into so it dosen't move. You'll get the sweet spot every time. If you go this way, though, it would probably be best to get gear that has remote comtrols.

I have a chair and ottoman from Ikea. It was $99 total, what a deal. Its comfortable and looks nice.

Eames Lounge chair and ottoman from herman miller if the sitting height is right for you. Very cool looking and covered in leather with cherry molded plywood. Circa 1956