I almost have my dedicated theater finished and need to pick out seating.

I am looking for seats that are really comfortable and reliable.

What seats do you have, that you would absolutely buy again?

What seats do you have that you would avoid at all costs?

I prefer leather and am looking for the best "bang for the buck," that I can find in seating that is comfortable and reliable.

Thanks for your help,

I have the Berkline 13175 motorized model. Would I buy them again? Absolutely. I love their comfort and the price vs. performance vs. value has been well worth it. They have a nice footprint while still being able to fit 7 chairs into a room which is only 11'5" wide.

The only thing for me is that my feet end up being just slightly past the footrest. I am 5'11" and pretty evenly proportioned as far as torso and legs. However, normally seated the footrest stops at just below my ankles. If I stay this way and can become uncomfortable after a while. I can shift myself up slightly with the chair reclined a good amount or I can lower the footrest to a 45 degree angle to take the pressure off in that area of my ankles.

Good luck on your search, look up Roman on the link provided or better yet wait for the next power buy.

http://www.rtheaters.com/berkline/

BTW you may also want to check out the private collection.

http://www.rtheaters.com/PCS/

Thank you for your response......

Do you find the narrow arms on the 13175 to be an issue at all?

I notice your chairs also do not have the chaise design on the foot pad...... do you now wish you had the chaise or is your current foot-pad arraignment work okay?

Yes, Roman's Private Collection chairs look really nice.

A bit more than I had planned to spend, but very good chairs nonetheless.

I don't know. My seating is off brand.

It is a leather sofa with motorized recliners on both ends. Brand name Klaussner - American company , made in where else? China.

The unit has fold down, cup holder arms. Folded up, it looks like and ordinary sofa. The motors on the recliner units are quiet and they work well. As a sofa, it's very comfortable. The recliners are maybe not as comfortable as I hoped.

The problem is, I have space considerations, and this unit fit those parameters, where others didn't.

So it looks great, fits in the theater room well, and is a great sofa.

But I give the recliners on the ends only a B for comfort.

I don't know. It took me two months to even find the unit, it was ok in price but not a screaming bargain. I don't know if I'd do that again.

2.5 years in mine now, I would buy them again. I might even consider spending more to get upper models.

I also have the berkline 13175 and I would buy mine again. I have one problem with mine and that's when I set in them, I cant stay awake. They feel and look really good I am glad I listened to the guys on this forum.

2.5 years in mine now, I would buy them again. I might even consider spending more to get upper models.

Which models DID you buy?

Which models DID you buy?

Berkline 078's from RSH here on AVS.

Berkline 078's from RSH here on AVS.



Thank you

I have the Berkline 88's in microfibre (also via rsh). All my family love them - were on the shorter side (all under 5'6") but taller guests have never complained.

One thing that is a must is electric recline and if were to order again I would have the factory installed butkickers as retro fitting has been PITA

I also have the berkline 13175 and I would buy mine again. I have one problem with mine and that's when I set in them, I cant stay awake. They feel and look really good I am glad I listened to the guys on this forum.

Third!

CJ

The folks with the 13175's........

Are any of you 6' or so tall?

If so, do you feel the chair backs are adequately tall?

I've got a set of the Berkline 090's (also from rsh) with electric recline & wouldn't hesitate to buy them again. If anything I might get better leather (and more importantly all leather) than the Grade 2 which I got in a leather match.

We also have a set of power recline barcaloungers in a love seat configuration in a different room, while the leather is much nicer on those, they haven't worn as well comfort wise unfortunately. They do get daily use relative to the Berks so perhaps that's the difference, but given they cost ~twice as much, I expected better from them.

I've got a set of the Berkline 090's (also from rsh) with electric recline & wouldn't hesitate to buy them again. If anything I might get better leather (and more importantly all leather) than the Grade 2 which I got in a leather match.

Has there been a problem with the Leather match portion?

I got leather grade 4 match, power recline with buttkickers and they are perfect as far as we are concerned. Also from Roman (rsh). No regrets...did I mention, I got free blankeys too?

The leather match is perfect, no splits, no cracks or seperation.

Thank you for your response......

Do you find the narrow arms on the 13175 to be an issue at all?

I notice your chairs also do not have the chaise design on the foot pad...... do you now wish you had the chaise or is your current foot-pad arraignment work okay?

Yes, Roman's Private Collection chairs look really nice.

A bit more than I had planned to spend, but very good chairs nonetheless.

The arms have always been fine for one person. Sometimes the wife wants the arm in between sometimes I do. Nice thing is that I find the seats still wide enough that if I am not using the arm I still having plenty of space between and the side of the arm.

As far as the chaise it is not a factor. The back of my legs are well supported, open design doesn't matter.

The arms have always been fine for one person. Sometimes the wife wants the arm in between sometimes I do. Nice thing is that I find the seats still wide enough that if I am not using the arm I still having plenty of space between and the side of the arm.

As far as the chaise it is not a factor. The back of my legs are well supported, open design doesn't matter.

Thanks again for your response....

The reason i asked about the footrest is that the last HT seating I purchased did NOT have the chaise design and I found that the top edge of the foot rest was the first place the (leather??) wore through on the chair.

I bought mine at "Billy Bobs" going out of business sale back in 2002 here in SE Michigan.

Manual recliners, AMBRAE BLACK 750 series.
http://www.albanyindustries.com/

I knew nothing about HT seats back then, got a "decent" price, like 75% off MSRP, but never-never again would I get manual recliners.
They look nice, black leather, etc.
But they have a "push down with your feet" on the lowest portion concept, and my young kids can't do that and complain.
Kick to open, push to shut.
Heck, it's awkward for me/the wife at times. :mad:

Some tbd future upgrade will be power seats, this works till then.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FqTNmgNQHz8/SYBWS_IrMrI/AAAAAAAAD3g/SVe6i6QWaWg/s800/IMG_9427.JPG

I'm 6'1" and went with 13175's. No issues, very comfortable, and I'd definitely make the same choice again.

I was thinking about getting these. I like the microfiber surface. Anyone with any experience with these?

http://www.4seating.com/images/buccaneer-06.jpg

Thanks Mark.....

I am also 6'1" so that is very helpful information!

The seat-backs on the 13175 appear from the pictures to have a very supportive lower back ... are they that way in actual function?

I bought the motorized Berline 080's a couple years back because I could get 4 wide in my back row with their narrow profile. I really like them, and the only thing I would change is the color. I bought burgundy leather, and although they are very nice looking, it is hard to color coordinate with the couch in front. I would buy black next time. :D

Thanks Mark.....

I am also 6'1" so that is very helpful information!

The seat-backs on the 13175 appear from the pictures to have a very supportive lower back ... are they that way in actual function?

I'm at 6'0" and also have no issues with the 13175's. I don't think I've actually noticed the lower back being either more or less supportive than other chairs. It's just very comfortable!

CJ

I'm 6' and have the black leather motorized Berkline 13175s in curved configuration.
I visited Roman's (rsh) warehouse and spent the morning auditioning all his chairs he has available and the 13175s won out for me. Perfect head height for a person 6' or taller. The wife did like another model (I forget which one) that has a shorter back since she is
5'-5" But in the end we settled on the 175s. It was our first experience with leather furniture so we were both a little apprehensive. It's been about 4 months and we both have zero regrets. They are real comfy and very well made. And Roman has a wealth of knowledge on HT chairs and made the whole buying process easy.
And motorized chairs are the way to go!

Has there been a problem with the Leather match portion?
No problems other than it's not leather.

Visually etc., it's held up well, hasn't worn poorly or anything. But on my 090's the sides of the arm rests are the vinyl match and I certainly notice that when my arms brush up against it that it's not leather. But that's something I noticed day one as well.

Doing it over again, I might have ponied up some more cash for all leather, although I think that was a decent sized cost adder, so maybe not...

Thanks Mark.....

I am also 6'1" so that is very helpful information!

The seat-backs on the 13175 appear from the pictures to have a very supportive lower back ... are they that way in actual function?
I would not characterize them as having more or less back support than anything else I've sat in from Berkline. The two biggest comfort confirmations I've had with them are 1) me falling asleep in them several times (I rarely ever do this on a couch, chair, etc.) and 2) guests consistently commenting that they are some of the most comfortable chairs they have sat in. High marks all around. My only regret is that I went with power for the front row and manual for the back. Not a huge deal, but after having the power in the front I now realize just how nice that feature is.

I have the Studio series from Home Theater Authority and have had them for 3 years 10 months now and they have held up perfectly. I was looking for seating info for a friend--haven't been in this forum in 2 years or more and I notice there is no mention of HTAuthority now.

I also checked their site and notice they have gone up in price significantly. I don't remember exactly what I paid in that special buy but I think it was a little over half what they cost now.

Anyway--not motorized and fairly cheap--made by Coaster I think, but they have been great home theater seats and I would be surprised to get less than 10 more years out of them, as they are still flawless.

Thanks guys... all of these comments are certainly helping me!!

I still have my Coasters that I bought with the help of a forum member here five years ago and they are still fantastic. I'm 6'3".

I still have my Coasters that I bought with the help of a forum member here five years ago and they are still fantastic. I'm 6'3".

What models do you have? Power or manual recline? I have been looking at the some coasters (Oscar, Milton and Promenade) too. I'm 6' 2"...

Thanks.

Berkline 090s. Yes I would buy them again. In fact, I plan on buying a few more as I upgrade my theater. Everyone loves them, and many people have napped, or even spent the night, in them (sober and drunk).

Spring for the motorized, by the way :)

What models do you have? Power or manual recline? I have been looking at the some coasters (Oscar, Milton and Promenade) too. I'm 6' 2"...

Thanks.

Hi,
I have the Studio Collection with manual recline... Very roomy.

I recently purchased four Berkline model 12000 in leather from Roman at Rtheaters.com. While I was extremely happy with the service from Roman, I have to say I am not overly happy with my seats. Although the stock pictures on the Berkline and Rtheater sites showed that the seat backs on this chair had a lot of foam padding in them, the ones I received were very under-padded, and have little to no lower back support. I am average build (5'10" and 175lbs), friends and family of various shapes and sizes have all remarked the same thing. The seats are fine for about 10 minutes, then people notice that their lower back falls too far into the seat back. The padding is so poor that when the chair is reclined, there is a noticeable gap between the seat and the seat back that your behind actually falls into.

I guess that is the problem with buying something sight unseen. If I had tried these seats for even 10 minutes, I never would have bought them.

So, while I would highly recommend Roman as a dealer, a word to the wise would be to see if you can find a local Berkline dealer and try out different models to see if you find them comfortable. I didn't have this option, as there are no furniture dealers in my area that stock floor models of Berkline HT seats. I found lots of dealers with Palliser and Lazyboy seats that I could try out, but not Berkline.

My options at this point are to see if I can flip the seats on craigslist and look for another set of seats, or take the seats to an upholstry shop to see if more padding can be inserted into the seat backs. Either way will likely make these seats significantly more than what I had originally planned, and at the end of the day I could have probably found a seat I liked from a local dealer for the same if not less money than buying direct form an internet dealer.

Oh - and as many others have indicated, whatever you do, spring the extra clams for power recline. That is one feature I would NOT live without....

I really appreciate the information folks...

Last night I had a chance to try out a set of Palliser Rhumba seats and they were the most comfortable seats I have ever sat in.... however, when I checked around for price a set of 4 with power and leather came to just over $1K per chair... ouch!

Roman told me about the Berkline 45002, which actually look an awful lot like the Rhumba's.... and with power they come up to be about $1k cheaper than the Palliser. I have been checking around locally and the only Berkline's I found were the 12003 in Bonded Leather.... the chairs seemed comfortable enough... but I really did not stay in them long enough to tell as I felt the Bonded Leather was just felt hideous to the touch (apologies to anyone here how likes it :-) ).

I really cheaped out on the seating. Had been shopping and checking local and online dealers for almost a year during theater construction. Going back and forth as to what dealer and what price point I was going to do. In the end I decided to punt. Costco ended up having a give away deal on some Berklines. They were not the color, or look, or fabric I was planning. But they were extremely comfortable in the store and delivery was not going to be a hassle since I could pick them up as compared to paying for freight and dealing with any freight damage issue. I know folks get taken care of all the time with any damage but it was one less issue to be concerned with. For $1100 and 7 seats I figured I would flip these down the road and get some better seating. As it turned out, I could not be happier with them. They are very flexable to set up in my tight space and extremely comfortable. High 43" cushy seatbacks for the taller folks and the microfiber fabric is really very cozy. Normally, six months later, you regret when you cheap out on something like this but, this time, it has worked out well.

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0306.jpg

Congratulations.............. we all LOVE a "deal."

Costco had a set of Leather... hmmm... might have been Bonded Leather seats a week or so ago that were pretty tempting. 4 seats delivered for $1,300.

I have always shied away from the Micro-Fiber fearing 1- static (we are in a dry environment) and 2- spills/stains. So I am happy that these have worked out for you... even though they were not what you were initially looking for.

Speaking of "cheaping out" I know in my case I have gone way past my initial budget just during construction... let alone buying any new equipment. So I did pick up one set of 4 HT seats off Craig's List... they are Lazy-Boy pieces and fairly expensive if you have to buy them retail.

I am still looking, but leaning toward the 45002's from Roman.

My wife is highly susceptible to static. She will not have a car without leather - even in the wet northwest. I had intended the seats to be a band-aid but she will not even consider a change. Funny, the one time she does not want to spend money...

My wife is highly susceptible to static. She will not have a car without leather - even in the wet northwest. I had intended the seats to be a band-aid but she will not even consider a change. Funny, the one time she does not want to spend money...

I can tell you that the Rhumba's I sat in were so comfortable that I strongly considered buying them... just for the comfort.

However the color now will not work.... they would have been okay if I had not purchased the other Lazy-boy set of Criag's list... but now I am pretty much locked in on color.... I think I would be in serious trouble trying to play "mix-n-match" with colors on the seating.... the fashion police would kill me for sure!

Another vote for the 13175. Very happy with them.

Another vote for the 13175. Very happy with them.

Would these be good for a guy 6'2" and 260?

Would these be good for a guy 6'2" and 260?

I think that the 13175's would work fine for someone your size. However, if you have the space for it, I would recommend the 13174, which is a slightly larger, more accommodating model.

. . .Costco ended up having a give away deal on some Berklines. . . .High 43" cushy seatbacks for the taller folks and the microfiber fabric is really very cozy. Normally, six months later, you regret when you cheap out on something like this but, this time, it has worked out well.

GoCaboNow--great looking theater!

I was wondering--in your post, you mentioned these chairs are made of microfiber fabric. In the pix, they look just like leather--are they really the Berkline fabric? (I just ordered a set of Berklines in 3133 fabric, but it really looks like suede on-line).

Thanks!

thanks mccabekyle for the recommendation

I think that the 13175's would work fine for someone your size. However, if you have the space for it, I would recommend the 13174, which is a slightly larger, more accommodating model.

ha ha. I get it now. Very diplomatically put (more accommodating) :D

the chaise looks nice on the 13174's.

Would you guys that did leather do leather again or go with the micro fabric? Seems to me the leather looks better but the fabric would be more comfortable.

Would you guys that did leather do leather again or go with the micro fabric? Seems to me the leather looks better but the fabric would be more comfortable.

We have several leather pieces in our home including La-z-boy recliners and Berkline 12000 recliners and leather is great! Easy care and comfy.

Would you guys that did leather do leather again or go with the micro fabric? Seems to me the leather looks better but the fabric would be more comfortable.

I just received 6 Berkline 40532's with Microfiber fabric. I deliberately ordered the fabric because I had a very specific idea of color scheme I wanted in the theater that would not have been met with the standard leather colors. Berkline also offered many different textures/thicknesses of fabric--I've always liked the suede type finish and the fabric we ended up with is very breathable and comfortable (especially during this cold snap).

I have some Italian leather furniture in my upstairs media room--high grade leather is great, but to be honest, I actually am liking the microfiber very much these days. Looks sharp--we'll see how it wears over the next few months.

Finally, I chose this particular model from a recommendation from Roman--they have the chaise support, which I think makes them more comfortable than recliners without.

I'd buy the same seats again. I'm on a budget so I can't afford recliners. Plus, I was looking for more seats. If I had recliners, I wouldn't be able to use the number of seats that I have.

I bought the 450002 model in Microfiber and I am 6'3 240, I love them and would definitely buy them again.

I recently picked up a set of 4 Berkline 12003 in black leather/match with power recline from Roman. They are absolutely terrific and wouldn't change a thing.

I was hesitating buying from Roman as I had already gone "way" over-budget on the theater... I was about to bite the bullet when I stumbled upon someone local selling his HT seats to make a playroom for his kids. The ad claimed they were Coaster seats and all Leather... The included picture did not look like any Coaster seat I had seen, but I decided to drive over to the folks house and take a look anyway.

Turns out he had 9 seats... they looked in very good condition... hardly used.... but unlike any Coaster seat I had seen. The price was reasonable so I bought them and he offered to trailer them over to my house for me.

While my wife was going over the seats with Saddle-soap and cleaning them up we found the tags on the bottom of the seats with a leather swatch. Turns out the seats are Palliser Eastwood (now called Flashback) and are 100% leather - grade 5.

They are comfortable and I am glad I purchased them as I only had to pay about 20% of what the new price would have been. However, the Eastwood/Flashbacks are not as comfortable as the Rhumba's I sat in and I am sure not as comfortable as the 45002's I was leaning towards getting from Roman.

I would really like to have a 10th chair and the armrests with this grouping were straight... where I would have preferred curved... but unfortunately for me Palliser no longer offers the Color that I have. The chairs seem well made and the leather is very thick and should be quite durable.