When readers buy products and services discussed on our site, we often earn affiliate commissions that support our work. More On: Running a Business You can temporarily lift this restriction by proving that you're human:670/671 Lounge chair & ottoman glides. injection moulded nylon glides to fit the European version of the Eames lounge chair & ottoman. Yes, I'm reviewing a chair...but it's not just any chair. If you do mixing and recording, you end up sitting. And sitting is not necessarily something that makes your back particularly happy, so several years ago I bought a Herman Miller Aeron chair. While it was better than the average office chair, a couple years into it the foam back support broke, as did the right armrest mounting. Granted, this actually turned out to be an advantage because the missing arm make it easier to play guitar while sitting down. But given the price, and the fact that I’m not a particularly heavy guy, I felt there was no excuse for having these kinds of problems in what I considered a relatively short period of time.
Then at the WFX convention in Nashville, I saw a chair that the company claimed was designed specifically for musicians and engineers. Of course I was skeptical; after all, our butts are all pretty much the same, right? But I sat down and found it very comfortable. So I talked to the designer, Steve Knight, about what justified calling it a design for musicians and engineers—and in the process, it became clear he put a lot of thought into not just what would make a comfortable chair, but one that would address the particular needs of the studio or touring professional yet still have a relatively conventional look. Knight was a professional race car driver who had his share of broken bones and other physical issues, so his primary motivation for getting involved in chair design was so that he could take care of himself with something not only comfortable, but that offered solid back support and took pressure of the lower back’s vertebrae. The Virtu Stealth isn’t the only chair his company makes, but here’s why the claims of it being something for us musicians more than hold up.
Although it’s less expensive than a Herman Miller chair—always a consideration for musicians!—the Virtu Stealth is a better chair. instead of the Aeron’s foam back support, there’s a tough plastic mesh in a metal frame. As to the back support, it’s for real. This is the only chair I’ve ever used where my back felt better after sitting in it than before. The backrest matches the curve in your back and is spring-loaded, so as you lean forward or backward, the backrest follows and continues to provide support. The only caution I’d give is to spend some time getting the backrest height adjustment just right for your back to provide the most lumbar support. Removable arm rests make it easier to play guitar or bass sitting down. The arm rests are removable (with this chair, you don’t have to break an arm rest to accommodate your guitar) and you can vary their width, so no matter how you position your arms when mixing or typing, there’s support. They can also angle inward or outward.
Of course the chair’s height is variable, but the entire seat pan can tilt backward and be locked into place. Even more interestingly, you can also slope it downward/forward somewhat to place your thighs in a position that relieves back pressure. The convex mesh seating surface distributes pressure evenly where you’re sitting; I noticed that not only did my back feel better, but it also felt like there was better circulation to my legs. Furthermore, if you tilt the seat a bit forward and raise the height, you can sort of sit/stand and if you’re a singer, your diaphragm isn’t scrunched up. The chair also has a smaller horizontal “footprint” than a Herman Miller, so you can put two chairs side-by-side when you need two sets of hands on a mixing console. Although there’s no extended height to support your neck, I didn’t really think about it because I found the back support was so solid that my spine just did what it wanted to do, and my neck ended up being in alignment anyway.
There are three main models, with prices ranging from $549 to $650, although it’s well worth visiting the Stealth chair site to see if any sales are happening. You also need to choose the right height for your needs; the Studio Model goes from 19.5” to 25”, while the Touring model does 22.5” – 30”. Super-heavy-duty casters are optional ($75), but they also raise the height somewhat so take that into account. Unless you plan to roll your chair over concrete, I doubt you’d need the special casters. Overall, the Virtu Stealth has really proven itself. The attention to detail is considerable, so it takes a while to pick up on all the details. For example, the chair is non-reflective so it doesn’t reflect lights if you’re mixing in a front of house situation. I’ll admit it may seem odd to get excited about a chair, but when you spend as much time sitting as I do, it’s not just a chair—it’s an investment in physical well-being. To take a cue from MasterCard…big screen computer monitor: about $800.
SSD terabyte drive: $400. Not having a sore back after grueling sessions: Priceless. Buy the Virtu Stealh Chair from: Mix engineer and pro audo writer Mark Frink talks about the Stealth chair. Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.When it comes to essential tools for computer workers, very few things outrank the importance of a good chair. We spend a lot of time talking about monitors and ergonomic keyboards, but when it comes to overall health and comfort, the right seating can make a tremendous difference. If you haven’t done your research you might think that a $50 faux-leather chair from Staples is what you are looking for, but if you are spending 40+ hours a week sitting in front of your computer then it is well worth it to invest in a high performance model.
Awhile back we had a chance to check out the Knoll Life Chair and now we are going to follow that up with this look at the Haworth Zody. The Zody is a performance task chair, along the lines of the Life or Herman Miller’s Aeron. It has some important differences from these other, better known, chairs, but it is designed to be competitive with the best from more recognizable companies. A casual glance at the Zody makes it clear that this is a serious task chair with a full assortment of adjustment settings. It can look quite cool if you go with a custom spec or it could easily fit in any office atmosphere, as is befitting our model’s aesthetics. As far as overall visual appeal goes the Zody can scale anywhere from quite impressive, with the mirror-polished parts and custom fabric to better-than-average, with plain black materials and gray hardware. As far as comfort goes, the Zody is highly customizable. This is thanks to adjusts in the arms (height, side-to-side angle, forward/backward and left/right positioning), seatpan (front and back), seat height, lumbar, and recline tension.
It is also possible to set the recline starting point at a more aggressive posture or a more relaxed one, as well as stopping any reclining (from either point). The lumbar support warrants extra attention as this is one of the chair’s key points and it is a standard feature. The lumbar support is a series of concentric plastic ribs that are just firm enough to help out your lower back. Its tension is adjustable (by moving them forward or backward) and their height is customizable. This feature works well, though it is different from the lumbar pads offered by most of the competition. It is a well thought out piece, but it does take some getting used to, especially if you are moving from a chair with little or no lumbar support features. Aa far as build quality goes, the Zody is very good. In this respect it is comparable to other chairs in its price range, which is to say that it’s not perfect–there is a wiggle here and there and a few parts of plastic that could be metal–but for the most part it is top notch.
The Zody is absolutely squeak-free from day one, which earns it high marks and it stood up to continuous 10+ hour days with no problems. The arm pads are too easy to adjust so they are always being accidentally moved out of position (side-to-side and their angle, not height) but they don’t wiggle, which is one of my bigger complaints with the Knoll Life Chair. The seatpan has some play on its adjustable rails, but that is the only noticeable problem in this respect. The fabrics are quite sturdy and nicely textured, so the biggest flaw here was the lack of the incredible colors that we have seen on some test models. One side point that is worth mentioning is that Haworth is all about sustainability. The Zody is Cradle to Cradle Gold certified and is made of up to 50% recycled materials. It is even put together with energy purchased with Green-e certified wind energy certificates. This might mean absolutely nothing to you at all, but it’s nice to know that someone is looking out for the environment.
It is definitely important for businesses who are buying dozens of these chairs and placing them in green offices. After a few weeks in the Zody it is clear that this is a well designed task chair. All the cool features combine to make for a product that is stable, comfortable, and offers very good support. The asymmetrical lumbar support takes some time to get used to but once it’s dialed in most people will really like it. The arms are highly adjustable, but are too easy to knock out of position so the Zody only breaks even here. The same happens with the casters which are nearly frictionless and cause the chair to roll around a lot if placed on a hard surface–a softer rubber would have probably prevented this. The seat pad is on the thick side, and while it does not breath as well as some of the competition, it is comfortable and will keep your fidgeting to a minimum.Overall, Haworth did a great job. I’ve weathered a number of 10+ hour days in the Zody and while I don’t always feel like my setup is perfectly tweaked, the chair has done its job nicely.