Eames Executive chair - for listening seat...

Bill Hart

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May 11, 2012
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Anyone have one ? If so, how high does the chair back go ? I don't want a back that comes up behind my head. I am 6'7" tall. I like the fact of height adjustment and tilt. Here's the chair I am considering...

http://store.hermanmiller.com/Products/Eames-Aluminum-Group-Executive-Chair
That's the aluminum group chair. I have one I bought new for a vintage Herman Miller/Charles Eames office set up. The chair itself is tolerably comfy, the armrests are brutal.
I use the Eames lounge chair for listening. It does tilt you back a bit, but what looks like a headrest is really at shoulder height and it is far more comfortable; also can be bought with matching ottoman. For a guy of your size (dude, you a big motha!), you gotta try these, and not just for 2 minutes. Bring a book and sit in 'em for a while. FWIW, if you didn't know, a decorator or designer gets a huge discount from retail on these.
I currently use the large Aero for my office in the city; it is way more comfortable than the aluminum group chair and far more adjustable, but it will look like an office chair. I'd go with the lounge if you fit into it ok- it's a little low if your height is in your legs. The Aero would be just right, except, perhaps, for the aesthetics, but that's an individual choice.
 

Bill Hart

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Thanks for that input whart...aesthetics is not paramount...I have been considering the Aeron. Perhaps that will be a better fit.
I assume you are talking about this chair ?

http://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/work-chairs/aeron-chairs.html
Yes, at the time I bought mine, there were different sizes. Mine are also a little more elaborate in terms of settings- the office supplies the chair to staff but that version is different than the ones I bought for myself. It may just be that the biggest one has the more elaborate settings, I don't know.
 

flez007

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I had one for many years at my office, not sure of aware it could be considered as a listening chair. It is a very confirtable chair for long periods of seating position.
 

Bill Hart

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I had one for many years at my office, not sure of aware it could be considered as a listening chair. It is a very confirtable chair for long periods of seating position.
Flez raises a good point. The Aero is typically an upright chair, you can unlock it to tilt back, and if memory serves, you may even be able to adjust the amount of resistance on the unlocked position, but I don't think you can adjust it so it 'locks' in a tilted back position. Sorry, I don't remember, and it's been a while since I've been in my office in the city. Easy enough to find out if you go to a retail store has it on the floor to try.
 

rockitman

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Flez raises a good point. The Aero is typically an upright chair, you can unlock it to tilt back, and if memory serves, you may even be able to adjust the amount of resistance on the unlocked position, but I don't think you can adjust it so it 'locks' in a tilted back position. Sorry, I don't remember, and it's been a while since I've been in my office in the city. Easy enough to find out if you go to a retail store has it on the floor to try.

I take it that the spendy lounge chair with ottoman does not have tilt and sitting height adjustment ? Unfortunately, the closet retail outlets are in NYC.
 

Bill Hart

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I take it that the spendy lounge chair with ottoman does not have tilt and sitting height adjustment ? Unfortunately, the closet retail outlets are in NYC.
The lounge chair has no adjustment. It is extremely comfortable but I'm not as tall as you. (I used to be 6'1" and weighed 230; now I'm about 6' and 178lbs). The issue on the lounge chair would be whether it is too low to the ground for you, I think. But, there's no substitute for trying it. I have a pair here if you can make it to Nyack area. And remember, the decorator discount is substantial, i think when I bought mine it was in the neighborhood of 40% off list. ABC in the city used to carry the line, but i suspect HM has a factory store these days? Soho? or the Design Center in Queens? Dunno.
I bought quite a bit of vintage mid-century modern signed pieces back before it got super-hot. The lounge is a classic, but i gather not to everyone's taste.
 

Kingsrule

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The Eames chairs sits low
In your small room not a good idea
Also, a chair with a high headrest, no matter how tall you are, acts as a reflective surface.
Not a good idea
 

A.wayne

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Jan 14, 2011
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Going thru the same dilema myself , the really comfy chairs i like dont have height adjustments , the height and tilt adjust chairs i have tried , have tilt lock with resistance, i ended up full circle and bought director chairs again , correct height and works for me and fits my number one rule , my listening chair can't exceed my cartridge cost ( Denon 103R). :)

I use the recliner for those listening nap sessions .....!!!

Regards
 

Bill Hart

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I love design, architecture, architectural furniture, etc. Some of the high design stuff is horribly uncomfortable, and the comfy stuff is either not adjustable, as you point out, A.Wayne, or is truly fugly.
Christian, FWIW, I took a quick stroll through both the HMiller and Knoll websites. There is a Herman Miller executive chair that is padded and adjustable, but it is a tad ugly in my book. Perhaps in white leather, to make it look a little star trek, it would work, but it has a very old fashioned office chair look. If you can't find it, let me know and i'll send you the link. I think the Aero is much cleaner looking (as is the aluminum group chair but as mentioned, the arm rests are far from comfortable, i still have one at a desk in the home office, along with a vintage herman miller desk from the 50's.)
g997 : note that the 'back rest' on the lounge is low, so it really doesn't come up high enough to interfere with sonics, for me, at around 6' tall, the top of the chair is below shoulder height unless i really slouch down into it. I think the seat is too low for Christian though, given his height, as you said as well.
 
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mep

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Apr 20, 2010
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Going thru the same dilema myself , the really comfy chairs i like dont have height adjustments , the height and tilt adjust chairs i have tried , have tilt lock with resistance, i ended up full circle and bought director chairs again , correct height and works for me and fits my number one rule , my listening chair can't exceed my cartridge cost ( Denon 103R). :)

I use the recliner for those listening nap sessions .....!!!

Regards

I used to feel the same way until I bought this chair:

BDP chair revised.jpg
 

rockitman

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I love design, architecture, architectural furniture, etc. Some of the high design stuff is horribly uncomfortable, and the comfy stuff is either not adjustable, as you point out, A.Wayne, or is truly fugly.
Christian, FWIW, I took a quick stroll through both the HMiller and Knoll websites. There is a Herman Miller executive chair that is padded and adjustable, but it is a tad ugly in my book. Perhaps in white leather, to make it look a little star trek, it would work, but it has a very old fashioned office chair look. If you can't find it, let me know and i'll send you the link. I think the Aero is much cleaner looking (as is the aluminum group chair but as mentioned, the arm rests are far from comfortable, i still have one at a desk in the home office, along with a vintage herman miller desk from the 50's.)
g997 : note that the 'back rest' on the lounge is low, so it really doesn't come up high enough to interfere with sonics, for me, at around 6' tall, the top of the chair is below shoulder height unless i really slouch down into it. I think the seat is too low for Christian though, given his height, as you said as well.

If you get a chance and could measure the seat height of your Herman miller lounge chair, that would give me an indication on whether it would work for me. My Wilson X-2's are optimized to my ear height in my current chair.
 

Bruce B

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Apr 25, 2010
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I have Aeron chairs in my studio. The desk is pretty low and I can fit my legs under it, so the chair does have quite the range of adjustment. I got the large with all the adjustments on it.
 

rockitman

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I have Aeron chairs in my studio. The desk is pretty low and I can fit my legs under it, so the chair does have quite the range of adjustment. I got the large with all the adjustments on it.

Does it hold and lock into a tilt position ?.....not that I want to tilt much...just a little. I still want my big ears close to parallel with the drivers.
 

Bill Hart

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May 11, 2012
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