Sonic Chair is a Cologne-based manufacturer of audio furniture — armchairs that simultaneously function as high-resolution sound systems. The company was founded in 2006 by Holger Fritzlar (Produkt+Design); company headquarters: Bernhardstraße 105–107, 50968 Cologne. Manufacturing company: designatics production GmbH. First presentation: International Furniture Fair IMM Cologne 2007 (10th anniversary in 2017). Sales Director: Jan Stühn. Design: Holger Fritzlar. Awards: Red Dot Design Award; nomination for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany. Every Sonic Chair is handcrafted in Cologne — individually configured to the customer's specifications.
Core construction: resonating body of laminated beech wood layers, CNC-milled and hand-assembled — approximately 32 litres internal volume, modelled formally on a musical instrument. Acoustic system: 5 high-performance loudspeakers (tweeter, midrange and subwoofer), 2 structure-borne sound transducers (iBeam), 6-channel Class-D amplifier (patented) and DSP-controlled filter layout. Proprietary VirtualBass® technology for bass reproduction without affecting the surroundings. Passive and active sound insulation: "audio-cocooning" effect. 350° rotating base with integrated cable guide. Connections: RCA (Cinch) and Bluetooth (Syncronice). Surfaces: semi-aniline leather (Elmo, Sweden), synthetic leather ATN or microfibre (39 colours); metal parts hand-chrome-plated in a four-stage process (copper, polishing, nickel and chrome). Applications: lobbies, libraries, museums, wellness areas, waiting zones, AV presentation rooms and medical facilities.
Sonic Chair is for hospitality designers, wellness planners and museum architects the Cologne specialist address for handcrafted audio furniture that radically privatises the sound experience — as an acoustic island in public spaces, from museum multimedia terminals to wellness rooms.