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Best Chair for Listening

T

Tom6to1

Active Member
I have a big Chippendale wing-back chair that I use for listening now. I find that the wings on either side reduce the available high-end and reduces the width of the sound stage. There is a very audible difference if I lean forward and get my head in front of the wings. Of course, that is not comfortable.

So I want to replace it. What is the best type of chair for listening?

I am guessing I need: 1) an appropriately sized armchair with matching ottoman or the equivalent in lazy-boy with an extending foot-rest, but that is just my guess. 2) A small a headrest area as possible is what I think is the other requirement (based on the effect of the wingback chair). But that's just my guess. What do all of you think?

(I note there is a thread about the Eames Chair out there. After reading that, I think the size of the headrest rules out the Eames Chair, but again, I don't know).

NB: The chair is positioned at one end of a rectangular room near the wall with 2 tower speakers about 12 feet away with the speakers 7 feet apart. The tweeter is 38" off the floor.
 
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I have an Eames chair. The head rest is no problem. If your back is flat across the back of the chair, and you are not slouching down in the chair the head rest comes up to the middle of your neck. If you are a tall person, they have a bigger one for you as well. Head rest never an issue.
 
I’ve suffered chronic back pain for more than half my life, so a comfortable chair is important to me. I purchased a “Hale Aircomfort Zero Gravity Recliner” from a store called Relax The Back. I love the fact that this power operated chair is heated, but the massage function is too aggressive for my spine. Overall, I like the chair. In this pic of my TV room, it’s the chair on the right.

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100_2224

  • Media owner robert_kc
  • Date added

When I bought my chair several years ago, it was the top-of-the-line from Relax The Back. I see that they now have a more expensive chair called the GRAVIS ZERO GRAVITY RECLINER WITH AIR MASSAGE BY HUMAN TOUCH®. Relax The Back sells several other power-operated zero-gravity recliners.

I also bought my Mom a power-operated heated lift chair from Relax The Back.

If I were in the market today, I’d shop at Relax The Back again.

https://relaxtheback.com/collections/zero-gravity-chairs

I think that it’s extremely important to spend some time sitting in a chair to find one that’s comfortable for you.
 
Tom6to1 said:
I have a big Chippendale wing-back chair that I use for listening now. I find that the wings on either side reduce the available high-end and reduces the width of the sound stage. There is a very audible difference if I lean forward and get my head in front of the wings. Of course, that is not comfortable.

So I want to replace it. What is the best type of chair for listening?

I am guessing I need: 1) an appropriately sized armchair with matching ottoman or the equivalent in lazy-boy with an extending foot-rest, but that is just my guess. 2) A small a headrest area as possible is what I think is the other requirement (based on the effect of the wingback chair). But that's just my guess. What do all of you think?

(I note there is a thread about the Eames Chair out there. After reading that, I think the size of the headrest rules out the Eames Chair, but again, I don't know).

NB: The chair is positioned at one end of a rectangular room near the wall with 2 tower speakers about 12 feet away with the speakers 7 feet apart. The tweeter is 38" off the floor.
Click to expand...

Nothing Fancy for me, just the Lazy boy.
Works good for me. Bought a matching pair a few years ago.
Good luck on the hunt.
 
I use this one in the middle. The base mid and treble with this fabric one all sound better in this room than the hard surface leather or vinyl.
The chair is also a perfect fit for me. Sleeps good too, to good.
P4180006.JPG
 
my listening chair back is about shoulder height ,
so nothing influences the sound close to the ears.

Over many years I've noticed changes in sound by...
wearing glasses,
shaving off my 2 month beard,
small changes but changes none the less.
 
Being budget conscious an Ikea Poang with ottoman does it for me. Mine has leather cushions. For serious listening I place a towel over the top to cut down on reflections from the headrest.
 
listening-chair.jpg

What can I say, Holographic sound, with a really small sweet spot ... <G>

Picked up a lazyboy "apartment" sized recliner for the listening room. Not huge and extremely comfortable. Well built too ... couldn't resist adding a couple transducers to the frame to make it sound active, and haven't managed to shake it apart yet.
 
Thank you all for your replies. I have moved an IKEA Tullsta chair that I had hanging around into the listening position. It is a shoulder-high, no headrest chair and is much better for listening. Now, that chair is really too small for me, but a it does tell me more about the height of chair-back that will do the job.

I now know what I want to try for fit. Of course, can't do that right now as Ontario is in lockdown until Jan 24, but I can look around online. More thoughts welcome.
 
I've been using a teak patio reclining chair with a wool afghan over it for my listening chair for years. I wanted something like a recliner, but my back doesn't like muscling heavy, bulky things down the stairs to the basement mancave. So, I settled on a heavy duty folding "zero gravity" chair. It weighs less than twenty pounds, not too hard to move around. I'll report back when I get a chance to break it in.
 
Tom6to1 said:
I have a big Chippendale wing-back chair that I use for listening now. I find that the wings on either side reduce the available high-end and reduces the width of the sound stage. There is a very audible difference if I lean forward and get my head in front of the wings. Of course, that is not comfortable.

So I want to replace it. What is the best type of chair for listening?

What do all of you think?
Click to expand...

Not really a true 'Audiophile' as many define it.. (I just like listening to various types of music).. sittin' down, standing up, walking around, mowing the lawn.. etc...

Just my opinion: The best type type of chair for listening is the one you're sitting in.. make what you have work for you... :beerchug:
 
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