[Tangram]

I've had people over that listened to my $20k (plus) speakers downstairs, the fully planar magnetic, state of the art OB speakers with reference level servo OB bass and.... they were underwhelmed.  I could see it in their faces, in their reactions and their attempts to be 'nice' about it.  But it was clear they were not blown away.

On the other hand, I've had other people over and they were absolutely blown away.  Some became downright giddy with how great the sound was. 

Same setup, same speakers, same everything.  Only difference was the listener.  Like I said, we all have our preferences and really great OB's will re-define how great sound can be for some listeners and will be a big 'meh' for others.  Quality of the system didn't change, only the preferences of that particularly listener was different.

Totally agree! I also think that if you have dialed in your own system to a point where you think it sounds amazing and then you listen to another system it can take more than an afternoon of listening to be able to set aside your biases and listen objectively.

[Desertpilot]

The back of your chair isn't above your ears is it?

My MLP is a recliner and "yes" the head rest is above my ears.  What's the problem?

The room's length is 30 feet.  From the speakers to the back wall is 25 feet and MLP to the back wall is 15 feet.  Front and back walls have 6 inch absorption/diffusion panels.  I can't believe mid/high frequencies can travel to the back wall and reflect towards the MLP.

Marcus

[abomwell]

In theory the seat back that's above your ears will reflect sound back towards your ears which is not supposed to be good. Maybe try sitting on a stool and see if it makes a difference or not.

[Tangram]

My MLP is a recliner and "yes" the head rest is above my ears.  What's the problem?

The room's length is 30 feet.  From the speakers to the back wall is 25 feet and MLP to the back wall is 15 feet.  Front and back walls have 6 inch absorption/diffusion panels.  I can't believe mid/high frequencies can travel to the back wall and reflect towards the MLP.

Marcus

There's no problem if you like the sound the way it is. But it never hurts to experiment. When I bought my listening chair I really wanted a Stressless because they are so comfortable and are built to last a lifetime. But almost all of them had headrests that were above my ears, except for one model that had an adjustable headrest, which I bought. This allowed me to easily compare the sound with headrest up and headrest down. In my room, headrest down was a clear winner.

[Desertpilot]

I tested no headrest this morning.  I lowered the back of my recliner and sat up straight.  No difference to me.  But, it was a worthwhile test.  My recliners (4 across) are thickly padded cloth.  I suspect they simply absorb mids and highs.  By the way, the top of my recliner is 40 inches tall (seated, my ears are about 38 inches).  The midpoint of the AMT is 47 inches.  I have felt no need to tilt the speakers down or raise my recliner up.

An interesting test. Thanks for letting me know about the issue.

Marcus