Home Theater Furniture? (1 Viewer)

[RandyR]

I am hoping this is an approprate place for this post. I am in the planning/dreaming step of building my own dedicated home theater. Does anyone have any links of where to buy or manufacturers of home theater furniture? Specifically I am looking for home theater seats with armrests that have built in cup holders. My wife and I went to the movies the other night at an AMC theater, and they had extremely nice red leather double seats with a cupholder/arm at each end, and an arm that swings down in between the two seats. This would be perfect I think, but I shudder at the cost of just one of these double seats.

 

[RAF]

Randy,
Here's a site to get you started.
http://www.irwin-seat.com/indexfla.html
Yes, it can run into a lot of money. And yes, there are also some amazing bargains to be found if you happen to be in the right place at the right time. Some members here have actually been able to get theater seats for practically nothing by talking to people who were renovating commercial theaters and auditoriums.
Of course, you are not going to get the type of seating you described from discarded seating (unless you are incredibly lucky!) and you'll probably have to put in some work, but you certainly can't argue with the price.
I took a middle road in this with my HT. I was able to acquire some seats from Radio City Music Hall from a company that was working with the restoration of that grand old palace. The price wasn't cheap, but it was far less expensive than the "boutique" seating or new seats. And, as the MasterCard ad says, "some things are priceless."
There are pictures and a link on my HT site.
Good luck!
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RAF
[Demented Video Dude since 1997]
[Computer Maven since 1956]
["PITA" since 1942]
Link Removed

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Man, those HT seats from that company are beautiful! I'm almost afraid to ask what they cost. Do you know?
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"Do you expect me to talk?"
"No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

 

[RandyR]

These seats are nearly exactly what I am thinking of:

Marquee Loveseat
I'll have to do some searching...
Wonder what kind of stuff could be found on Ebay?

 

[Burke Strickland]

Theater seat look snazzy. And some are even comfortable for about the length of one feature film. But for long term sitting, after numbing my butt in some fairly pricey "home theater seats" at a local dealer that look like what you are describing, (reclinable, with fold down armrest and cup holders) I finally found the Ekornes Stressless recliners, which for about the same or less money are FAR more comfortable because they support both the head and the lumbar area better and adjust their support to body movement and are therefore useable for a lot longer sitting period. I put a small (narrow) table between mine to handle the drinks and remotes. Besides, a "cup holder" ends up being a well for "gunk" that gets hard to clean out (or so it is in my car -- my music-only HT away from home). :>)
I was in a car wreck last week and after being rushed to the emergency room in the back of a bumpy-riding ambulance on an immobilizing board (because of possible back injury) I appreciate even more how comfortable and supportive -- almost theraputic -- the Ekornes really is. A lot better than the expensive "ergonomic" chair they bought for me at work! And it is suitable for movies AND music listening! :>)
http://www.ekornes.com/index2.htm
I have the "Royal" http://www.ekornes.com/usa/index_stressless.htm
A neat thing about their site is that you can choose leather color and wood finish and see the combo on screen on the chair of your choice. Of course, there is nothing like actually sitting in one -- everyone I know who has sat in one like mine has almost instantly recognized it as perhaps the most comfortable chair they had ever experienced -- and felt the same way after sitting a while longer.
Good luck -- and enjoy!
Burke
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[RAF]

Hank,
I don't recall the prices at the moment, and I think you have to e-mail them for literature (I can't seem to put my hands on it right now) that has a price sheet.
But I do recall that after seeing the prices that Irwin was charging for their theater seats (and I don't doubt the quality of their seating) that I remember thinking that my LazyBoys at ~$400 each and the genuine Radio City Music Hall seats at ~$450 each were absolute steals by comparison.
Of course, if you want to spend the kind of money that Irwin charges, I would look closely at the leather chairs that Burke Strickland recommends. I've talked to him about this and they appear to be quality throughout. If I ever get the urge to replace my LazyBoys at some point in the future I'm looking seriously at those egonomic chairs he recommends. (The Radio City Music Hall Chairs stay forever, of course).
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RAF
[Demented Video Dude since 1997]
[Computer Maven since 1956]
["PITA" since 1942]
Link Removed

 

[RandyR]

Burk,
Thank you for enlightening me. We currently have a plain leather sofa and I am really starting to notice how uncofortable it is, and the theater seats I mentioned earlier are alot more comfortable, but this is the limit of my experience. Those Ekorne sofas and chairs do look like the perfect solution.
I also like Robert's idea of antique theater chairs for extra seating as well. After all I am not going to buy 5 or 10 of those Ekorne chairs or even Lazyboy chairs for the times when we will have guests. I did find some of these on Ebay for a good deal.

 

[Troy Madlem]

I recently added a leather sofa to our theater from the Leather Center. They custom build the furniture to suite your tastes - plus it only takes 3 or 4 weeks for the finished piece to arrive at your doorstep (compared to the more typical 3 to 4 months we found from other dealers). They also offer a home theater line of seating which I have my eye on for when we move next year. Check out http://www.leathercenter.com/html/cinema/index.html
Troy
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[gregstaten]

Burke, I use the Stressless chairs as well. Without question they are the most comfortable chair for watching movies that I've found. I currently have three Senators in my current HT. I'll probably buy a fourth for the new screening room to make up the front row. Still unsure what I'll use for the back row, most likely a couch at this point (for movie snuggling).
-greg

 

[marc seals]

Here is a link to the chairs that I have.
http://www.rocking-chairs.com/avantglide2000.htm
You can also look at my chairs with the HT link below.
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HT Pics

 

[Mike-L]

It appears to me from the pictures that the Ekornes are a bit too high in back. Ideally you don't want any obstruction of the surround sound from the rear at ear level. This may not be much of an issue for side speakers but it may for for 6.1 or 7.1 set-ups.
Does anyone know how involved it would be to add cupholders to a regular recliner? The dedicated home theater recliners usually have these but to outfit a whole room is pretty steep. High quality leather recliners can be obtained for much less than say Acoustic Innovation chairs. I was wondering if a furniture repair person could add cupholders for a reasonable cost. Any thoughts?

 

[RandyR]

The Ekorne furniture can be bought in a variety of sizes. When we were shopping for them, we found that they come in sizes like medium and large, which generally applied to the width of the seats. The large are more comfortable of course.
The recliners are much more comfortable even moderately reclined, and I'm sure in this position, you should get the effects of rear surround speakers just fine. The big difference between these recliners and any other recliner is that when you recline, the headrest automatically adjusts so that you can still see the tv/movie screen while still being completely relaxed. (The new recliners also let you put the headrest back for sleeping.)
I am getting 2 recliners in a few weeks, they are being shipped from the warehouse in New Jersey. (You have to wait about 6 -8 weeks if you want a special order, that has to be made in and shipped from Norway.) I was originally looking at the love seats, but the recliners are just too much more comfortable, plus the price for 2 recliners is less than 1 loveseat (and the loveseats don't come with automans.)

 

[Steve Hanna]

Mike-L
"It appears to me from the pictures that the Ekornes are a bit too high in back. Ideally you don't want any obstruction of the surround sound from the rear at ear level. This may not be much of an issue for side speakers but it may for for 6.1 or 7.1 set-ups."
_______________________________
That won't be a problem at all. I went to my local Ekornes dealer and tried several of them. The head rest on most models is adustable like those in automobiles. So when you're sitting up for critical listening sessions, the head rest can be lowered to well below the back of your head. If you want to relax and tube out, the head rest can then be raised. As you recline, the head rest moves forward to support your head in a more vertical postion. This is great for reading and watching TV.

These are definately hi-end recliners. List price is around $2k ea. However my dealer will sell them for $1200 to $1600 depending on model. The love seats are ~$3k, sofas ~$5k.
I then went across the street and checked out the best $1600 leather Lazy Boys, Barcaloungers, etc. They don't even come close.
The wife and I will each have our own Stressless recliners. Guests will have to use the cheap seats. You know... those stacking resin chairs.

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Steve Hanna
Audioaficionado

 

[RandyR]

Yes, a lot of the recliners are adjustable, but some aren't.
The ones we got are a matching set and aren't adjustable. The seat back is just barely the right size for me, so I suggest if you are looking at the chairs, to try them out very well and make sure they fit perfectly. I wish the back on mine was about 1 or 2 inches higher.
I agree they don't compare at all to Lazyboy.
We paid about $3000 before taxes for both recliners with tables.

 

[RAF]

Granted, the "high end" recliners are no match for the lazy boys, but I paid about $400 each for the Lazy Boys and I prefer not to use leather in my air conditioned HT (too clammy for my tastes). My main reason for going with te Lazy Boys in the front row, with velvet-like fabric, was that they were comfortable and would give me the opportunity to see if recliners were the way to go in the HT without spending many thousands of dollars.
Now that I know that recliners are perfect for my needs, the next time I need to replace them (10-15 years?) I'll look for something with some of the stressless features.
For the record, the Lazy Boys work fine for me and don't provide any "stress." They fit in perfect with my HT philosophy of not paying more money than I have to for something that is going to do the job - especially in the expedables like equipment and seating.
Of course, sometimes I don't listen to my own advice

.
And, of course, your mileage may vary.
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RAF
[Demented Video Dude since 1997]
[Computer Maven since 1956]
["PITA" since 1942]
Link Removed

 

[Bob Lee]

I can echo Burke's endorsement of the Ekornes Stressless line. They are the most comfortable chairs I've ever sat on, and function great both as theatre chairs as well as standard furniture. I own one of their reclining chairs, as well as a reclining sofa (each seat individually reclines and adjusts) with a couple of ottomans.
The biggest downsides of Ekornes are - cost, as they tend to be a little pricy; and availability, as there aren't many places that carry them, and the ones that do have limited supply and likely will have to place a custom order for you. Given all the choices they offer in terms of models, colors and fabric, that may tur out to be a good thing, though. Turnaround time is pretty long on custom orders, about 4 months, since they're made in Norway and have to be shipped overseas.
If you're interested in pursuing Ekornes, there's a furniture store on the east coast I used to get everything at roughly 1/3 off list price. Shipping was surprisingly low as well, and was less than the sales tax I would have paid had I purchased locally. I can send you details if you'd like.
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Bob Lee

 

[RandyR]

Ekornes has a warehouse in New Jersey, and they have all their styles (at least with the recliners,) in stock there in certain colors. It took 2 weeks to get our recliners from there in the color we want. If you want a less popular color, the recliner has to be custom made in Norway, and it takes 3 months.
The main reason we bought the Stressless recliners is because we both have back problems (from stress, and bad posture sitting on an uncomfortable couch.) The Ekornes recliners is the first furniture I have seen that lets you completely relax and still watch tv. I no longer have a sore back, and neither does my wife.
We always buy leather furniture because it lasts a whole lot longer than fabric. I always thought I would have a problem with leather and the cold from an air conditioner, but I don't as long as I at least wear a t-shirt and shorts

 

[Jeremy Illingworth]

I have 3 Lay Z Boys in the front row. The first one needs to be replaced, I bought it for $40 because I needed a temporary recliner when we moved. For the woman, the Embassy in green velvety nylon. I wanted the plain green because I think the nap will wear unevenly, but it's her chair. I have the Oasis. You know the one with the fridge in it. And heat and massage. I also have a bad back from being run over by a drunk driver two years ago and the heat and massage make even the worst pain go away. I got vinyl because leather was way too much money and I wanted the durability. The vinyl is nicer that low quality real leather.
In the back I have movie theater chairs that are probably forty or fifty years old. The have springs in the seats and are very comfortable, although I tend to sit in my recliner. I got them locally.
jeremy

 

[andyg]

As with other I too use Lazy Boy recliners. I just couldn't get myself to spend all that money on a piece of furniture. I would rather save the extra 3-5G's and spend it on equipment or in my case upgrade from a doubler to a scaler. A far better improvement than $5,000 in a few pieces of furniture. I just found the most comfortable recliners that were wall huggers. The ones I ended up with are very plush and if it wasn't for the bass shakers in the chairs and sofa you could fall asleep in them; Well depending on the movie I guess....
--Andy Garabedian

 

[Brett Robert]

This is what I am contemplating, "yep I am going to get rid of the lawn chairs" A Wholesale store by me "Sams club" has nice office chairs. Very comfortable. $100 to $150. I am going to secure them to the floor and make them so the will not swivel. That's the plan anyway. I saw someone make an oak cupholder for theater seats. I will try that.
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~~~~~~~Brett~~~~~~~~~
Champagne tastes with a beer budget
My HT