What to Consider When Choosing Your Home Theater Seating

To create a stellar home theater, you must think beyond the display and speakers. While picture and sound are required components of any entertainment room, they’re not the be-all and end-all. In fact, paying too little mind to elements like seating can negatively impact your experience, no matter the quality of your projector or sound system.

Unbeknownst to many, the seats you choose and where you put them will determine many other home theater design decisions you make to create an ideal at-home cinema. So, it’s best to plan seating first.

Below, we’ve put together a few key considerations to help you make a more educated decision when choosing the seats for your home theater in Newport Beach, CA.

SEE ALSO: 2 Overlooked Aspects of a Home Theater System Installation

Number of Seats

Home theaters range in size. Some feature a single sectional for a family of four, while others feature several rows of tiered recliners for 20+ viewers. Room dimensions will determine how many seats you can fit in your theater. But be wary not to stuff seats in with no regard for walking space! Ideally, you should leave about 18” to 24” of space between your seats and sidewalls, as well as between rows. If you want seats that recline or incline, you may need additional space to make room for them.

Seating Location

Every seat in your home theater should offer viewers a comfortable movie-watching experience. If seats are too close to the display, you’ll endure neck and eye strain. Just think of the front-row seats at a commercial cinema—no one wants to sit there! Plus, each seat should offer a balanced bass response and prevent localized surround sound.

The best way to create an optimal listening and viewing experience is to place your seats first and choose display size and speaker location second. Once you know where ear levels will be based on seating arrangement, you can effectively install front and center-channel speakers at ear level and surround speakers slightly above ear level.

You’ll also know how big your display can be without causing neck and eye strain. According to THX, you should divide your ideal screen diagonal measurement in inches by 0.84 to get your needed viewing distance in inches. So, if you want a 100” screen, your seats should be 84 inches (or seven feet) away from the screen. If your layout is too small to place seats at that distance, you’ll need a smaller screen.

Seating Style

With the technicalities out of the way, now you can get creative! Theater seating manufacturers like CinemaTech offer a wide range of theater seating styles, from traditional recliners and incliners to modular lounge and chaise seating. Choose from high-performance acoustical fabrics, exclusive leather surfaces, and even customize seats to your specifications. It’s your private theater, so you should never have to compromise styling or comfort. CinemaTech ensures you get the best of both.

Seating Features

CinemaTech seating also comes with various features that make movie watching and video gaming more comfortable and convenient. Beyond built-in cupholders, you can select chairs and loungers with motorized headrests and footrests, and even USB chargers. All seating features deep seat pans and full steel seating frames to ensure extended comfort for hours-long movie marathons or late-night gaming.

The best way to ensure all the details are in place for unparalleled entertainment is to work with a professional home theater designer like Vision and Sound. From seating selection to display and speaker installation, acoustic treatment, and more, our team can help create your dream at-home cinema.

To learn more about our custom home theater services and solutions, contact us here or use the chat box below to speak with a team member today!