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What I think I know

— By Paul McGowan —
What I think I know
It's a head scratcher for me when I tackle a problem and the results aren't as expected. For example, I have been searching for an upgraded chair to use in the new listening rooms and what I've found is unlike anything I might have imagined. Currently, we have some Ikea specials that worked alright but…I am certain we can do better. Armed with what I think I know, that the chair should have no headrest to blur the sound and the ear height should be about 41 to 43 inches, I set about on my search. First on the list were padded recliner types with swivel bases. I figured these would be plenty fancy, comfortable, and encourage listeners to ease back in the chair and enjoy the music. I thought the idea of swiveling and rocking would be good, but trying them out I quickly realized it's not the best idea. You want to make sure your ears are fixed in the sweet spot. Then the engineer in me got to thinking that an adjustable height office chair might just be the ticket. We have so many visitors that it would be great to allow each person to adjust the chair height to work for them. But, alas, they all swivel and rock unless you lock the mechanism in which case they are extraordinarily stiff and uncomfortable. But, a definite maybe and better than my first idea of the recliner. Then my wife Terri added in her two cents. "Why not also have it look good!" Ah, silly me. I am always focused on functionality. She pointed to an interesting retro-contemporary style that I at first recoiled from, but after having bought one and tested it, I am almost sold. Crazy, right? Here's what's cool. Ear height is at the perfect 41", there's no headrest to muddy the sound, it doesn't rock or swivel, and it's one of the most comfortable seats I've tried in a long time. No, it doesn't have adjustable height, but I am thinking the cool factor might just win out. We're testing it in Music Room One now.

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