I've been using a Ames lounge chair for years, it looks and feels good ...but it's a little low...l was ready for an upgrade. I was reading you should avoid chairs that are higher that the shoulder, but l will choose comfort first,nothing too bulky,no theater seats.I recently purchased a Human touch pc610 (optioned out).So far its been fantastic.Any input or ideas on this subject would be appreciated.
I bought a pair of bonded leather chairs and ottomans from Dania Furniture in 2008, and other than the bonded leather absolutely failing and now flaking off in palm-sized sheets, these have been perfect for my listening chair:
- comfortable enough to sit in (or fall asleep in) for hours
- the back is just below my shoulder-blades, so my ears have unencumbered ability to receive all of the reflections from all around the room.
- kicking my legs up on the matching ottoman is very relaxing, and provides lots of body parts accessible for my trio of cats to fall asleep on me (though they get annoyed when I'm up every 15-20 mins for vinyl LP listening sessions!)
I searched and could not find photos of these chairs + ottomans anywhere, and hardly anything comparable (a few months ago, we did find a gorgeous pair of this design from Italy once, in full-grain leather and made in the '70s, but they were over $4,000 including shipping so regrettably we passed and they sold to someone else).
So imagine this photo of the sofa from Dania (Bogart is the name of the line) as a single-seat chair, with a matching ottoman.
I'm strongly considering having a local furniture-maker completely re-do this pair of chairs and ottomans in full-grain leather, I love them so much...
A family friend has the Gamut "hifi" Lobster chair and I've sat in it a few times. It is quite comfortable, but at 6K cdn, I can buy alot of records for that price, or a couple of gallons/litres of premium gasoline.....
@ghdprentice+ 1 - Totally agree - I used to have a stressless zero-gravity chair where the back went above my head, and it was terrible for listening to music - it sounded so different when I moved my head forward away from the seat back. I eventually got rid of it and got an Eames chair and ottoman and am much happier with that for music listening. It does make a HUGE difference whether the sound bounces off something immediately behind your ears, like a chair back, or whether there is nothing there to bounce the sound.
I have a Gamut Lobster chair myself. Cost as much as a major system component but my thinking was that the listening position is as important as a component so why not spend as much? The justifications of an audiophile ... 🙄
The chair is comfortable and the head rest is sound absorbent so there's less reflection to the ears (based on what the marketing materials say). To my ears, I hear more details in tracks that I am familiar with. The more important lesson I have learnt is that you need to sit at the height of the tweeters. I learnt this the painful way as I recently upgraded my main speakers, and found that the chair was no longer in the sweet spot as the tweeters were not at ear height. Unfortunately the height of the chair is not adjustable. 😣
I had to relocate the Gamut Lobster chair to my second set up. Now I am on the hunt again for another chair. It is probably going to be height adjustable this time around.
juanmanual - a few days ago, I was in an office waiting and sat on this exact mid century modern chair for about 45 minutes and couldn’t believe how comfortable it was! I would’ve never thought from looking at it that it was so comfy.
A clapped out semi overstuffed recliner, complete with camouflage duct tape. (Camo because it disappears and doesn’t effect acoustics in any way). If I posted a picture, I’d have to add a viewer warning.
Very comfortable, it’s mine and no one else sits in it because it’s in the mancave/listening room/gun room/think tank.
Would I enjoy something like the Eames? Of course I would. But then I’d be taking money away from my next upgrade.
p.s. @vinnydabully I’m with you there brother, UGG slippers should be standard issue for all of us on AG.
No part of the chair must extend near the ears, unless the damping/blanking effect of a headrest is a planned part of your room treatment which it shouldn't be unless you have the most awful room. So Eames is out unless you remove the headrest.
Spouse & self have a pair of Poäng chairs with ottomans in leather for some time now. Pretty much our seats of choice, good to go with a shared surface betwixt.
Some chairs would be more at home on the command deck of the Enterprise, your choice of version. ;) Butt, to each backside...*G*
First of all, it's Eames, not Ames. Thirdly, if you haven't had your chair treated cryogenically, you're not going to get the best sound while sitting in it.
My dentist has an old chair with a narrow headrest...
Yes, I can clearly hear a difference when sitting on a loveseat with my head too low. If I use a pillow behind my head, it matters.
I am still a bit tempted to try sitting on the floor and adjusting the speakers to 'aim' at me. I remember Mapleshade (Pierre Sperry?) offering some of that advice.
Most commercial listening rooms employ a padded backless bench. There are no sound reflections around the listener's ears and it has the added effect of being uncomfortable enough that the listener will not linger there.
Stressless are good...but very expensive and not as adjustable. In addition to that, they don't stay put because of that round base, and always need to be adjusted. I know because I had another brand of chair that looked just like a Stressless.
Finally, at least in my 11x13 listening room, the separate footrest was always in the way. Now, if I'm not reclining the chair is just a chair.
Aesthetics aside, I've found the Steel Case Leap V2 (version 2. The V1 is no good) is a remarkably comfortable and offers the most adjustable chair I've used. I have purchased them for home office / listening, personal office, etc. I like the cloth better than leather which I found too firm. Add an ottoman of your choice and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Madison Seating offers great prices and service although shipping can be complicated. But, they sell for significantly less than Steel Case dealers. https://www.madisonseating.com/leap-chair-v2-by-steelcase-sale.html If you want to spend a bit less, the Steel Case Think is good but does not offer as many adjustments.
This is by far the best I’ve ever had. It’s super comfortable, stays put, has touch controls at your right-hand fingertips, and the adjustable headrest lands in exactly the right place on the back of your neck. It is really ideal when you want to recline but also support your head for reading. I love it.
You can also charge your phone, and there are big storage areas underneath the hinged armrests.
With all do respect Mr.Lavorgna can keep that red chair...lm extremely sore from lifting all day at work .When l come home and listen to Sade l want to feel like I'm in heven...not in a Jame Bond movie getting torchered...
Sorry for my spelling...yes they are spelled Eames..
Some of the expensive replicas are considered as good or better than the originals....they are used on Shark Tank.The top tier Norwegian leather arm chairs are also very nice...
I have, for over 20 years now, been listening in a lounge chair made by the Norwegian company Hjellegjerde. Outstanding support, etc. It is similar to this one.
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