CEDIA 2018

Most audiophiles (and I am one) prefer a listening chair that doesn’t rise above their head, thereby blocking reflections from the rear wall. Home theater can be the same, but home theater enthusiasts (I’m one of those, too) are a bit more casual, and would prefer to watch a movie flat out in a favorite recliner, oblivious to their head being blocked from the rear. (I’d at least recommend that said recliner is be fabric, not leather. Better no rear reflections than short ones.)

So this recliner I ran across at the show, from Cineak, ticks off all these boxes and then some. As shown, it’s upright in the approved audiophile fashion, with a low back. But push one button and the back rises to behind your head, Push another and it reclines, and in the reclined position the top of the back also tilts forward so you’re looking at the screen instead of the ceiling. All of the positions are comfy, too, particularly in the fabric covering shown.

But my initial excitement faded when I asked the price—$5,200 in fabric or leather. Call me when it gets below $,2000, which is still pricey for a recliner.