Hi-

I am getting closer to getting some HT seats in my home theater. I have about 135" of width for whatever I get. Right now we have an old sectional down there. I really like the way we can smoosh a bunch of kids on there when we need to, or about 5 adults. I like laying sideways sometime, too. Because of that I am looking at some love seat configs.

Who loves their love seat? Who hates them? Why?


I've been playing aroud on the Berkline configurator and can fit the 088s like this:
I0V000V0I

Does anyone have a 3-wide set-up with the 088s? How about 2-wide?

If I move to the 090s or the 45004 I lose a seat, but can basically do these:
I00V00I
I0V00V0I

Any comments on the love seat configs for those models? Remember, I want to be able to lounge out sideways with comfort as well as squeeze additional kids between the seats when needed. I've seen some pics in the 45004 thread, so I am hoping to hear some love seat impressions.

I know the 088s are narrower that the others. Any thoughts on what I might lose out on if I go for the 088s (so I can get the 3-wide) versus the others?

Finally, does anyone know the bench depth of the seating area for these models?

Thanks!

Loveseat configurations are extremely popular but can be a love hate relationship. Not only does the loveseat provide the cuddle factor, it also allows to save space by eliminating the center arm (obviously and key for some members) and depending on the configuration it will also allow greater flexibility to rearrange the furniture in a different way down the road. These are all key factors.

Personally i am not a fan of the loveseat config since i like to sit by myself and find i can enjoy the show much more with the added privacy but that's just me, it's a very personal choice.

One more thing to add is if you are thinking of going with a loveseat i can suggest if it's doable for you to go with a larger chair such as the 090 as you pointed out and instead of the loveseat go with a chair and a half instead. Another option to add extra seating for the kids but moving up to a larger model chair versus the space saving design of the 088. The chair and a half could very well fit the bill without you possibly losing a seat in the process...

I like the chair/love/chair configurations myself. Just remember that, if the arc isn't imperative, you can still fit a larger set of chairs within 135" if you do your config like this:

|O|OO|O|

The 090's in the same config pan out to about 130", which still leaves you a little bit of breathing room. Also, I'll offer my opinion that the curved sets look great, but don't really offer much in the way of functionality unless you are putting them in a large room with a long row. Just my .02. ;)

Best Regards,

KM

Guys-

Thanks for the response. Do either of you ever lay sideways?

Serge, are you suggesting a loveseat config with the chair and a half, or are you saying use those seats as a single seat in the config?

Do either of you know the bench-depth on the 088s, 090s and/or 45004?

Thanks,

A general thought on the laying sideways part... if I lay sideways, I fall asleep, if I sit up right I don't. I save my laying sideways for bed :)

Tweakophyte,

If you are around 6' tall, I would suggest not to go with the 088s because you will have no head support.

After using the Berkline recliners, I doubt you will want to lay sideways :). They are pretty comfortable, and you can recline to almost horizontal position.

The chair and a half is only available on certain style groups - 090 and 073. This piece is 35"wide and can fit two kids, but will not fit two adults comfortably.


The depth of the 090 seat is about 20-21". The 088s and 45004 are slightly smaller.

My combination is:

|O|OO|O|

The Loveseet is useful for the obvious but also you can get 3 or more kids (size depending)on a Loveseat.....at a recent Kid movie night I changed it for

|OO||OO|

Cheers,
Mark

A general thought on the laying sideways part... if I lay sideways, I fall asleep, if I sit up right I don't. I save my laying sideways for bed :)

Shhhh... I know this.
;)

Here's my configuration with Berkline 88's...

4 seats in the back with middle loveseat.
3 seats in the front standard.
All cupholders light up.
Manual recline. (Power recline would have been nice but not required.)

LOVE MY SEATING!!!!

Please keep in mind that the theater is only about 20% complete. Fabric frames and columns are still not up on the walls.

I've got the 090's in the "I0V00V0I" configuration.

I like it quite a bit... My wife and I ususally sit in the loveseat, and the lack of middle arm made it a better fit for my room.

I've laid sideways on it a couple of times, but you can't really strestch out between the armrests. If I'm alone, I'll sometimes kick the footrest out onthe adjacent portion of the loveseat and kind of lean "diagonal'.

I wish there was was a way to force a manual-recline seat to stay locked in the "full recline" position when it's empty...

tweakophyte,

it depends how much sideways and your frame size... I am suggesting the 090 chair and a half to serve as two seats for the kids and to allow you to lay sideways (but not lay down). The chair and a half measures 35" which the 088 loveseat measures 45" so you save 10" of space and it's most likely cheaper as well. Just another suggestion that may or may not work for you depending on your needs and application.

The love seating is genius if you have the Swedish Bikini Team over for movies... Trust me! :D

The love seating is genius if you have the Swedish Bikini Team over for movies... Trust me! :D

Hence the 3-wide
:D

But seriously, does anyone have a 3-wide config?

I am not tall, 5'9", but my shoulders are broad. Is the 088 going to be too narrow for me?

I'd really like to figure out how to get 5 seat in a row, plus have the flexibility for the kids. I looked at the chair and a half. If I try to make a center love-seat out of that and add 2 other seats the config is much too wide for the room. It was a good idea, though.

Hence the 3-wide
:D

But seriously, does anyone have a 3-wide config?

I am not tall, 5'9", but my shoulders are broad. Is the 088 going to be too narrow for me?

I'd really like to figure out how to get 5 seat in a row, plus have the flexibility for the kids. I looked at the chair and a half. If I try to make a center love-seat out of that and add 2 other seats the config is much too wide for the room. It was a good idea, though.

I'm 5'10 and fairly "beefy". I find the 088's still plenty wide enough. Very, very comfy. I have not found the newer model that is same width, but taller locally to try.

Part of what I am wondering with the 3-wide is how the middle seat will feel. It would have no arms. When reclined would the other seats need to be reclined so your arms aren't smooshed?

How does that work with 2-wide? Has anyone sat between the seats? How does that feel as an adult?

You need to audition these chairs in person. I'm a skinny 5'8" with a big head, and I prefer the larger 090 over the 088. The 088 was comfortable, but the 090 was more cushioned with larger head support.

I would feel comfortable sitting through a movie in the 088.
I would feel comfortable sleeping through a movie in the 090.

Well, I have a three wide loveseat as my second row, |OOO|. I take one corner and my wife has the other and there is usually a kid in between... I just asked my son about this seat, and it is fine with him, and I personally have never sat there, so I'm not sure how helpful this is.

As to the potential challenges of different recline positions, we have never experienced this problem - possibly due to the fact that everybody reclines their chairs approximately the same amount. In cases where there is nobody in the middle seat, it doesn't get reclined and it has never been a problem for me.

I'm on vacation now, or I would walk in the theater and experiment for you... :)

Well, I have a three wide loveseat as my second row, |OOO|. I take one corner and my wife has the other and there is usually a kid in between... I just asked my son about this seat, and it is fine with him, and I personally have never sat there, so I'm not sure how helpful this is.

As to the potential challenges of different recline positions, we have never experienced this problem - possibly due to the fact that everybody reclines their chairs approximately the same amount. In cases where there is nobody in the middle seat, it doesn't get reclined and it has never been a problem for me.

I'm on vacation now, or I would walk in the theater and experiment for you... :)

I have the time if you do :)

I would be interested in your thoughts if you get a chance. The way I look at it is I can have 4 buddies over for movie night if the 3-wide works. Otherwise I'll look at 4 seats (total) in some of the other models.

I still need to find some 088s in town to see what they are like compared to some of the others I've tried.

tek-noid... back yet?
:)

I'm baaaackkk!

So, three of us just sat in our loveseat and fiddled around with the various recline positions.

One thing that I didn't notice before was the actual timing of when the various pieces of the chair moves. When the footrest goes through about 80% of its travel, the back reclines only a little bit and the seat sinks a bit. Past this, and now the back does most of the movement and the footrest raises a little bit more and stretches out.

The net effect for us, is that while we think we 'recline', each of us stops the chair almost exactly at this 80% mark - with the results that our feet are supported but we're really not that reclined. If you are the same, what you'll find is that the recline position (for the back) is effectively the same for anybody who sits there as long as they are in this first 80% range.

I did try the middle seat very reclined and the two seats fully upright and while my shoulders are wide enough to touch each of the side chairs, it wasn't uncomfortable.

Other questions? Fire away.

Hi-

Thanks for the comments. It sounds like your wife and kid are good sports.

"...wasn't uncomfortable..." is not an exciting description. Any chance for a pic of someone in that semi-reclined position in the middle seat? That shoulders thing might be an issue for me. Where do you put your arms when you are sitting there?

I watched Wizard of Oz the other afternoon with the kids (too hot to be outside!). It was very nice to be sitting in the middle with both kids clutching me during the scary parts. I'd hate to not be able to do that.

Normal Recline mode

http://bennett.vg/ht/photos/loveseat_normal_recline_web.jpg

Full Recline
http://bennett.vg/ht/photos/loveseat_full_recline_web.jpg

With 6'2 teenager - shoulders about 19" wide
http://bennett.vg/ht/photos/Loveseat_full_teenager_web.jpg

With 6'2 Dad - closeup of arm - shoulders about 22" wide
http://bennett.vg/ht/photos/Loveseat_full_recline_bigguy_web.jpg

And, if I forgot to mention it, these are 45004. I had to really brighten the photos up to make it more visible, so the seats are really a much darker black.

HTH,
James

Thanks... and your kid was a good sport!

I like the way the seats are in the semi-recline.

I think my shoulders are a little broader than yours... the 088s are narrower than the 45004s. I've got some sitting to do.

I have three of the all leather motorized berkline 990's. I love em! I would have purchased more but don't have the room. Very comfortable and the motorized recline is great. Nobody that comes over ever expects the motorized. Hehe.

Cup holders are removeable in case you get something sticky in em you can take them out to wash them.

Hi-

I am getting closer to pulling the trigger and wanted to bump this one more time. Now that some of you have had the various configs for more time, any addtional comments? I'll take feedback on 2-wide and 3-wide if you've got it.

Part of me is interested in a wider, single chair, so I'd go for
IOIOOIOI
or
IOVOOVOI
or
IOOVOOI
etc.

Now that I've sat in a smaller and larger Berkline, it does feel like a bit of a trade-off having to share an arm with someone. I'd even claim I want to arms to myself. Because of that I'm thinking if I go for a smaller chair I'd do the wedge for sure. On the larger chair I'd make a call.
For reference I'll pick the 45003 or 45004.

Thanks!

I am a big guy -- 6'0 and 280 and looking to audition the 45004's before buying from Roman. Anyone have any idea who has 45004's in Chicagoland or would anyone let me come by for 5 minutes to "audition" these chairs. PM me if you can help or post here.

Help!!
so do I go with the 86 in an I0I00I0 at 108"
or the 90 in an l0l0l0 at 105"
I am 5'9" and shrinking, my wife is 5'0" and I have 3 daughters. The 3 girls could almost fit in the middle love seat of the 86. I will most likely do power recline on all seats.
My screen is in the center of the room, but a row of cabinets have made it seem off center. The 108" is really a tad wide, something under 100" would be best.
This is driving me nutz.

stubeeef,

Since you have 4 people, you'd be better off with 4 seats. In addition to that for your height the 086 or 088 will be just fine.

I went with the 088's in the I0V00V0I configuration. That way I get a gentle curve towards the center of the screen which gives a better view from the sides.

I went with 3 Berklines 45004's in a slight curve, with middle seat centered in the room. They are placed at 13' from my 120' 2:35 screen. I then have 5 "cinema seats" on a 7" riser, slightly staggered for design and also with a slight radiused curve, at 17' from the screen.

All seats have full "LFE-full motion sound" (Buttkickers)-the front three have mini-buttkickers and the cinema seats have two full-sized Buttkickers mounted on the riser...Both seats REALLY appreciate those high energy sound tracks, and so do my guests!

Best,
Tom
Chinaclipper

Personally i am not a fan of the loveseat config since i like to sit by myself and find i can enjoy the show much more with the added privacy but that's just me, it's a very personal choice.

[/QUOTE]

I agree..:) After all you are suppose to sit in that chair for about 2 hours for a movie..

Just ordered these 088's from Roman....

IOIOOIOI Back row

IOIOIOI Front row

I got the front row powered recline and the back row manual for quick exit for others.

I went with the 088's in the I0V00V0I configuration. That way I get a gentle curve towards the center of the screen which gives a better view from the sides.
I am thinking of ordering this setup today, is there anyway you could post a photo of your 88's? With comments of course.

I am thinking of ordering this setup today, is there anyway you could post a photo of your 88's? With comments of course.

While not 88's (I have 90's), here are some pics of the same configuration you are considering that you may find helpful:

http://caesare.homeip.net/basement/slides/IMG_1968.jpg

http://caesare.homeip.net/basement/slides/IMG_1966.jpg

I am thinking of ordering this setup today, is there anyway you could post a photo of your 88's? With comments of course.

There are some pictures of my setup in my blog in the signature link below.

There are some pictures of my setup in my blog in the signature link below.

Why are the good seats in the back?

What sub is that?