looking for a chair

I would suggest contacting J-10 of former Stereophile fame to ask about the infamous "ribbon chair" he so foundly chubs up on. LOL.

I use a highback chair in my main system and a lowback couch in my second system and I don't find any sonic drawbacks. I do favor the comfort of the highback chair. I used a Lazboy chair in the past that was covered in a soft fabric and replaced that with a Hjellegarde chair that is leather and the sonic difference between coverings is neglible. My advice, don't worry about the sound. Go for maximum comfort first and you will be on your way to many happy listening sessions.

If you sit close to a reflective rear wall a high back nonreflective chair may have some benefit.

I made the mistake of moving from an old and ugly low-backed chair to a new high backed leather chair ---big mistake. I couldn't stand it and had to sell the chair. The difference was very noticeable. I was more comfortable, but felt like I was hearing sound reflected off of the chair. Cup your hands about 4 inches behind your ears while listening for a similar effect. Now I'm looking for a comfortable, low-backed leather chair. So far, all I've been able to find is the Embassy by Cinematech, but $1700 is a little steep for me to pay for a chair...and then there is the matching ottoman. Good luck in your search.

If your choice is not a recliner, the ottoman is key, IMHO.

I would think that leather would reflect the sound and fabric would absorb it. That is why I wanted to go with fabric. The pillow on the 354 is not as big and puffy as on some chairs but I am concerned about imaging.

I use a Herman Miller Aeron chair which is also my home office seat. It's great because I can roll it forward and backward, raise it up and down, and adjust the tilt for finding the best imaging position. It's relatively small, has a meshed seat and back for minimal reflections and I can sit in it for hours without even thinking of it. I know because my butt has been parked in one at work too for almost seven years. Makes a great Quake III Arena seat as well!

While we're talking "good" furniture, I think that there are many Midcentury designs that fit the bill nicely:

The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (by Herman Miller)
is probably the last stereo chair that I'll ever own (once I get enough $ to buy it!):

http://www.highbrowfurniture.com/seating/products/67071/

Also nice is the Breuer Wassily chair:

http://www.highbrowfurniture.com/seating/products/50L/

And the van der Rohe Barcelona chair (ouch on the price):

http://www.highbrowfurniture.com/seating/products/barcelona/

and the Alto Arm Chair:

http://www.highbrowfurniture.com/seating/products/400/

and the Alto Scroll Chair:

http://www.highbrowfurniture.com/seating/products/41/

If you need any help convincing the significant other to let you spend upwards of $3k on a listening chair, you can take them to the Museum of Modern Art where most of these chairs are on permanent display.

I'm not affiliated with HighbrowFurniture (I wish), but He's a nice guy, so if any of you decide to purchase from him, at least tell him that Joe Cunningham sent you, maybe he'll let me put something on long-term layaway.

happy listening.

I use a small love seat size sofa. Then there is room for two. It is usually the cat more than my wife. The cat also likes to hog the sweetspot :-)

I was looking into a "relax the back chair". Buy it online to save tax. Retails for $1500. You can see it on mikelavigne's system pics.

I use an "office" chair which pneumatically adjusts in height and is just high enough to rest my upper neck/lower head on the back, which is quite comfortable and does not reach my ears to reflect anything. Best of both worlds.

Charlie

I bought the Power Recliner Shiatsu Massage Chair with separate ottoman at Sharper Image. Not only is it comfortable to sit in, it gives a first-rate full back massage as well. If the music and mood is just right, you can fall asleep if you're not careful. A bit pricey perhaps, but not when compared to the equipment.