What would you buy for a listening chair, and why?

Hantra · « **Reply #40 on:** 31 Oct 2003, 08:04 pm »

Quote

stop standing up and go buy something

Hehehe. . . This is funny. I live in the Furniture Capital of the World, and I can't find a chair under $2,000 that I like. . .

Gotta get rid of this milk crate! ahaha

wongstein · « **Reply #41 on:** 31 Oct 2003, 08:08 pm »

You guys are too funny! I would guess that high-backed leather chairs are to be avoided because leather has a sonic reflectivity in the higher frequency range that probably cuts off sharply and hence audibly. But a high-backed cloth and foam chair probably absorbs or passes most frequencies, so given that most speakers and recordings are designed to "shoot for the middle" in terms of brightness and room frequency response, your room and system would probably dictate your chair choice. I hate to say it, but once again, all you can do is listen! Anyone tried it? My first guess is that if your room is too live and maybe too small, then you might want a high-backed chair, but if your room is big and spacious then you want your head to be in open air to get the most out of the bass that's reflecting around.

Anyone disagree with my hypotheses? I hate to talk out of my rump like this, but I've never seen any white papers on this topic, and of course, my rump is very much involved in this matter

The chair that I'm sitting in right now is a cheap Ikea Poang lamenated wood-framed chair with a high back and foam 2" cushion. The wood is designed to flex so you kinda bounce to a quick rhythm in these things, and that's why I call them "Capuccino Rockers". The reason I mention it is that this chair's cushion is removeable, meaning that if I fold it down, I can compare with less absorbtion as there is just a taught cloth behind me. I also just tried listening with an extra pillow, and it seems to change the sound some more in the same direction. It's more like nearfield listening. My room is a tad live in the mid-highs due to some uncovered glass and way too live in a few regions of the bass, and on a brief little test using the soundtrack to All About My Mother (Todo Sombre Mi Madre), having the cushion or extra cushions up gives me more defined symbal textures without "brightening" the sound. That's all I can say so far. The position is very good for listening, and it's quite comfortable too, without putting you to sleep.

Pancho Urbano · « **Reply #42 on:** 3 Nov 2003, 04:27 am »

Why not go for a modernist aesthetic - my dream listening chair is a Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair - only I need to save up the 2 grand...
-pu

wongstein · « **Reply #43 on:** 3 Nov 2003, 05:39 am »

I love the modern stuff too - I wonder if the height and angle would be good with the Eames. The Bauhaus styled Wassili is a wonderful classic and is suprisingly comfortable

stereovox · « **Reply #44 on:** 3 Nov 2003, 02:20 pm »

Quote from: Hantra

Which would you buy, and why? I mean, can a chair really make a sonic difference? I am leaning hard toward the recliner, but my only reservation is that it is big, and has a high back. How important is that for sound?

My favorite chair is a LeCorbusier "Petit Confort" - pricy little bugger reproduced under license (you'd probably be hard-pressed to find an original), but its the most comfortable chair I have ever sat in. It envelopes you and your whole body relaxes.

Chris

nathanm · « **Reply #45 on:** 5 Nov 2003, 06:48 am »

I'm with Pancho definitely. Not quite sure why the thing is so expensive. Reputation I suppose.

Anyway, on a related note... I have a black Aeron myself which is awesome(not for listening though) but then I saw how they've updated it since then. Suffice it to say I just had an eyegasm. (Homer Simpson Voice: Mmmm polished aluminum accents....)

JohnR · « **Reply #46 on:** 5 Nov 2003, 09:44 am »

I test-sat an Aeron for a week and rejected it. It wasn't even my money, company was going to pay for it. Lumbar support was not good.

As for listening, I kinda like sitting on the floor... Otherwise something that's lightweight and comfy and comes with matching footstool...

PS nathanm, disc arrived today! Haven't listened yet.

wongstein · « **Reply #47 on:** 5 Nov 2003, 12:20 pm »

At the risk of being soooo off topic, John, the Aeron has an optional support cusion that mounts on rails on the back of the chair, and I think I recall that it goes as low as the lumbar. The upgrade / tweak path for that chair is akin to that which is layed out by some DAC makers these days. Agreed, however, that that's just not the chair you want to sit in for listening unless you're behind a mixing console. It's not designed to let you relax, it's designed to keep you comfortably out of pain, while uncomfortably upright and doing your job

cjr888 · « **Reply #48 on:** 5 Nov 2003, 12:42 pm »

We have Aeron's at work -- its the one chair where I'm not constantly shifting around. Wongstein described it perfectly -- its not a lazyboy, but you're never uncomfortable, and for someone who always seems to end up with screwed up back, I have no issues working rediculously long hours in it..

doug s. · « **Reply #49 on:** 5 Nov 2003, 04:00 pm »

really comfortable *and* cheap:

http://www.comfortchannel.com/prod.itml/icOid/225?source=googleadwords_lafuma_outdoor

doug s.

nathanm · « **Reply #50 on:** 5 Nov 2003, 04:02 pm »

Geez, my company's too low budget for Aerons. I was jealous when I saw them in the sales offices when we visited our printer. There's a new lumbar support for it too I see, and also the existing pad can be moved up and down or reversed. Did you try turning it around John?

Indeed, you can sit in it for hours! I can't say that about any other chair I've tried really.

With a low pressure setting on the suspension and a footrest it could probably work as a listening chair.