Listen...chair


I am on the hunt for a good chair...for small room...don't want it seal to floor...legs preferably...

Question is leather seems to sound better cause it doesn't soak the room of sound....opinions?

digsmithd
I purchased the Kendall chair from World Market. I would rather not have leather since it bounces sound. Also this chair has a low back and nothing behind your ears.
http://www.worldmarket.com/product/chocolate+brown+velvet+kendall+chair.do?&from=fn
Natural fibers generally absorb sound, they don't reflect it. That's why when you compare the awful echo you hear in an empty room vs. a room full of heavy upholestry the latter sounds deader...the furniture helps absorb the sound and break up waves. 
Try Ikea their chairs are surprisingly well designed and affordable. If you are willing to spend big bucks Relax The Back has amazing chairs for amazing prices. Cheers,
Spencer
If i went leather i would put a throw on it...i dont get all these high back chairs...I was going to stop quick at world market...ive been surprised before and gotten things from them...definitely not sold on leather sbank...
Most important is comfort. If it's not comfortable you will not want to sit and listen.
If you want to spend some big bucks check out Stressless by Ekornes.  You won't ever want to get up!

I have never regretted the purchase of my Stressless chair for one second. One of the best items in my music room. Everyone who sits in it never wants to get up...just like listening to a great tube amp!
We also bought the Stressless by Ekornes couple of years ago.  Absolutely fantastic !!!!
I have a streeless as well but it is in my reading room
throw on some classical or jazz or fm

a leather couch is more practical for the music room

I have a stressless as well but it is in my reading room
it is very comfortable, expensive but worth it
I throw on some classical or jazz or fm and listen remotely

a leather couch is more practical for my music room

ymmv

I’ve been happy using Wassily Chairs my wife and I purchased back in the 1970s. And I would expect any effects they might have on sonics to be very minimal compared to most other kinds of chairs. Various knockoffs are available at much lower prices than the genuine article shown at the link.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

I recently replaced an old, overstuffed sofa with these Barcelona chairs. (we have similar tastes Al!) The improvements were noticeable and for the better since they don't dampen the room like the sofa did. Unless anyone thinks I paid that much for a couple of chairs and matching Ottomans, rest assured I researched long and hard to find the best reproductions at a fraction of the price. I've sat in a Knoll and some of the knock offs (which were awful) but the ones I have feel no different (and look great).

All the best,
Nonoise

Ekornes Stressless, yes those are the ones I see at Relax The Back. They are so comfortable & look so well made...maybe someday. Cheers,
Spencer
@almarg,that is a good chair for listening, especially when you don't have any reflecting surfaces behind your ears. I was in Canada in July and an audio shop had a setup with that listening chair. Not the most comfortable chair, but definitely a listening chair.
My most ideal chair would be a Le Corbusier LC2/LC3. But they cost an arm and a leg, or an @ss ;-)
milpai, I don't know if this is kosher to do this on this site but I got mine from IFN-Modern and they have the LC2 and 3, among other sought after mid-century furnishings. They supply trade shows, hotels and conferences, as well as consumers, with their furniture. Although reproductions, they are among the best out there and are a pleasure to deal with. And lest anyone forget, Knoll is a reproduction as well, and the best, but those prices!

All the best,
Nonoise
Best not to have a headrest as that will screw up the sound reaching your ears - apart from that whatever you find comfortable!!!!

Great thread.  If anyone has a good, comfy low-back listening chair that is not expensive (under $300), please post it here.  Thanks!


no hi back fo sho...did look at ekornes...am looking at the world market stuff primarily cause it's cheaper than the ekornes...it can always go some were else in the house if doesn't work....
Found a chair and ottoman at Office Depot that came close to being comfortable. Then, took it took a professional reupholsterer to 'tweak it' to my posture.   Turned out great.  
nonoise,
Thanks for the info. I will keep it handy for the future. Do you have the LC2 or the LC3? The LC3 on that site looks awesome! How do you like the chair? BTW, my chair is so similar to the LC3, but it is fabric.

@bondmanp,
Check the first post. I have also posted the link.
milpai,
I don't have the LC2 or 3 but have seen them on the site where I got my Barcelona lounge chairs. If they are made to the same standards as what I have, they must be real nice. If I had the room, I'd invest in some more mid-century chairs instead of stereo. :-)

All the best,
Nonoise
And lest anyone forget, Knoll is a reproduction as well, and the best, but those prices!

Not true...
Knoll produces all the Mies furniture under licence from Mies' original drawings and pays royalties to the Mies van der Rohe Trust.
In fact the original drawings for the Barcelona chair were left behind by Mies in Berlin as he escaped the war and all the new chairs had to be made following the design of the Phillip Johnson original Barcelonas which he had in his glass house in New Canaan.
Knoll has unforgivably changed the thickness of the glass in his Barcelona table from 3/4" to 1/2". Easy to have a top made in the original thickness. I do......
Cassina has the rights for the original Le Corbusier furniture and they have been faithfully made from his (and Charlotte Perriand's) original drawings for 50 years.
Originals are expensive but certainly in Cassina's case they are worth it.
Knoll's chrome quality has been dubious for many years....

I didn't know they paid royalties but I did know that they were the only ones in America who made them to spec. I thought that kind of made them reproductions. Too bad the chrome work is not up to par. The ones I have measure the same and are solid steel, like the originals, but the finish isn't quite mirror like but close enough for the girls I go with. For what Knoll charges for the tables, they should have kept with the 3/4" glass.

Anyway, great furniture. Thanks for the history.

All the best,
Nonoise

milpai - thanks, but that chair is the wrong color for my grey and white HT/listening cave.  There are other colors, but they are not on sale and over $400.  The search continues.  In my price range, I really need to go to discount furniture stores and try out the chairs.  One place where the interweb won't help me.
My friends already think this high-end audio stuff is nuts.  Can't wait to tell them there was a serious discussion about which chairs sound best. 
Fact is the chair is part of the room and everything in the room affects acoustics and sound.

How much the chair will matter in practice will of course vary. In many cases probably not to any noticeable extent.

However if teh chair is tall and directly behind your ears that alone can have a significant difference in what you hear due to sound reflected there.

if you do not believe me try a simple test. Listen to your hifi normally. Then cup your hands behind your ears and listen. you will hear a difference, probably for the better, particularly in the midrange which is where most music occurs. Changing the location and form of the cupped hands will alter the sound you hear as well.
digsmithd

Depending on the speaker design, I would be more concerned firstly on where the chair puts my ears, especially in a small room. So if your high frequency drivers are by design, meant to be near ear level, ensure the speaker setup, or the chair you choose is height adjustable.
I found this chair on sale at BoConcept, Ideal height for me, very comfortable and no material around the head area, works perfectly and doesn’t take up too much space. Also light and easy to move which can be important if you are in a tight space like me and need to get access for cable routing etc

https://www.boconcept.com/en-us/furniture/living/armchairs/5569/monte-chair
Good thread and for me live and learn.  After reading this and googling the chair I just went downstairs and noted I have a Ekornes Stressless in the green color covered up in sheets in my finished walk out basement.  I picked it up this summer in great condition (1/4 " tear in one place) at this crazy used anything store on my way home from work for $125.  Until now I didn't think it was anything special. 

Goes to show even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then.
Cost effective, very comfortable, lightweight and available in fabric or (faux) leather. I’ve used one for years and never felt the need to upgrade. I can’t make the same claim for equipment…

 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09125661/

 

Cheers,



The standard POANG chair is cotton fabric. Upon further review the leather version is not (faux) leather, but specified as top-grain leather. Product link previously supplied for additional information.


I was considering the Poang chair until I got all hung up on my Barcelona chairs (would have saved some serious change as well) but I wanted a new look. 

Having said that, the Poang chair is just about ergonomically perfect for listening and feels great to sit in. I know someone with a $150K system who uses them. Don't even consider them a step down.

All the best,
Nonoise
Poang! That's the one! I'm not hot dogging you, I could still heard it degrade the sound when I put it in the next room as it was intolerable in the listening room.

cheers
If you buy one of those Teleportation tweaks with the phone call you can fix the sound of the Poang chair, but you must be sitting in the chair when you answer the phone.

@jetter Nice score, well played, sir! Cheers,
Spencer
no nonsense aloud here...yeah I remember that sbank...what a bunch of...who would?...any how...room dependent (10' by 12') is pushing for a smaller chair sooo...folk freak...nice suggestion though...
for the record, I have a Lafer chair

I do not recommend it, as it breaks - I had the steel supports for the arm rest welded once and now the other arm rest is loose - maybe the shop that sold it was too stupid to have both fixed at the same time?
I would either go with a Stressless by Ecornes or for a single chair, by far the best is a Herman Miller "Caper" chair.   Both are picture in the final pic in my Audiogon "The STEALTH House" virtual system here:

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/5390

I recently bought a  Ekornes Stressless.. It was on sale for about 50% off and brand new.. The store had limited colors and styles at that price but fortunately they had a color and a style that I liked!  Just an FYI, Ekornes
makes all the different models in three different sizes.. I first bought a Large and then got it home realized a Medium was better fit.. Keep that in mind if you test sit them..