BoomChair – VPR

The Wireless VPR BoomChair from Lumisource

Ok, so why would anyone want an entertainment chair that is really low to the ground? Well let’s see, you could have a small TV and need to get up close to the screen, you may not have a high end surround sound system hooked up to your gaming rigs) or you may simply have a irrational fear of heights (the couch being the heights). OK, OK, fine the latter reason was plain silly, but the first two reasons are a possibility.Boom Chair VPR Review and Award

Let me explain how my gaming systems are hooked up. I have a 42" flat panel LCD from HP that has 2 HDMI inputs and more than enough other inputs for all my gaming systems. For rigs, I have the Xbox 360, PS3, WII, My PC (with a high end Soundblaster card), a PS2 and Xbox. In my living room I have a high end surround sound system with speakers everywhere for sound comparison.

First before we get to that sound let’s talk about packaging. The package arrived in the afternoon, and when hauling it into my house I can tell you that it did not weigh as much as I thought it would. The chair itself is packaged in two main parts, the Back and the Seat. The back is connected to the seat by placing two rods into the back that slip into the seat and then you use velcro patches to secure them even further. In the base of the chair there are two folding legs toward the back, these are for safety and the ability to recline easily. After that you snap the back and seat together with the AV sound cable.

The last pieces of equipment were the wireless transmitter (more on that in a second) a audio patch cable that is male to male for your iPod, the connector that goes from your Audio outputs of your TV or whatever you have to the wireless transmitter and the power cable itself. From box to assembly, I would say it took me about 5 minutes to setup.

The wireless transmitter is powered by 4 AA Batteries, one major flaw in the transmitter is not allowing for an AC cord for power. The package does not come with batteries either so make sure you have some on hand. I personally went and purchased an AA recharging power pack with 8 AA batteries so I always have fresh ones on hand.

I was kind of skeptical at first about how the chair would sound, so I did what any self respecting gamer would… I popped in HALO 3. The intro music for HALO 3 trampled my senses in a wash of musical overtures. I was stunned at how well the chair sounded, then I turned the TV volume up a little and lo and behold the true surround sound experience was found. After a match in HALO 3 I loaded up Call of Duty 4 and again was impressed with the overall quality, and flexibility of adjustments for Bass and Treble as well.

One thing to be noted is that there is a big difference in sound quality between sitting up straight and reclining. Because of where the speakers are positioned at the top of the back, when you recline, you have to hold you head up to see the TV and therefore you head is moved from the optimal position with the speakers. I would think that the FRG version of the BoomChair does not suffer that problem since the speakers are set in the headrest and out to the sides.

The chair is very comfortable, and I decided to put in a good 5 hour gaming session with Assassins Creed over the weekend. Neither my lower back nor backside hurt at all from sitting for so long in one position. A few other nice aspects of the chair are the pockets in the sides for my TV remote and Ipod.

Comfort: 10
Very comfortable chair even though it is low to the ground.

Value: 8 
Priced around $190, it is a little on the high end. You can get a low end surround sound system for about the same cost.

Learning Curve: 10
Umm it is a chair, and some wires… did I mention it is a chair?

Durability: 10
We slammed it about a little bit, sat down hard, rocked back and forth… no breakage.

Sound Quality: 10
Read the review? Nuff said.

Overall Score: 9.5

Conclusion:
If you are looking for an affordable surround sound solution for one person or a small room then the BoomChair may be for you. You can go demo the BoomChair at BestBuy  (remember if you buy from BestBuy you get 30 days to try it out ) and get one there too or go to www.boomchair.com for more information.

Technical Specifications:

-2 3" @-Way Speakers
-4" Subwoofer
-Wireless connection to and A/V device
-Bass/Treble Adjustments
-Headphone Jack
-Ergonomic Design
-Storage Pockets
-Reclining Stoppers
-30" L x 22" W x 32" H

Author: TGRStaff

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