There are a lot of cool things out there that make us wonder — do they really work? In our I Tried It series, we set out to use them in the real world and have determined that, in fact, they really do.
The Product on Trial
The Lovesac Sactional With New Angled Sides and StealthTech Surround Sound
The Tester
Cat Bowen, parenting editor, mom, huge nerd, and owner of Lovesac Sactional with StealthTech.
The Brief
When I was first approached to test the Lovesac Sactional with StealthTech surround sound, I’ll admit, I was kind of dubious. I mean, how on Earth could a sofa have surround sound? What would that even be like? And would the sofa be less comfortable because of it? When they called me a year later with their new angled sides? I knew I was in. That I'd love the new options. I couldn't say "yes," fast enough. I think my keyboard caught fire from my speed. It's no wonder it's on our 2023 Best of the Best list.
The new angled sides add a bit more room on (you guessed it) the sides and back, and their angled pillows at the arms give the couch a sleeker feel. If I thought I loved my Lovesac before, I love it even more now. I've had the original sofa for over a year now, and these angled sides with StealthTech and new covers for over a month, and I am now positively evangelical about my couch, which is arguably a weird thing to be so enthusiastic about.
Standard sides on Lovesac Sactional
Angled sides on Lovesac Sactional
As for the original sofa, it stands that I am no stranger to buying sofas or surround sound. I love to redecorate, so I’ve bought several sofas in the recent past. I have fairly good knowledge of sound systems because my family is full of nerds, and since my husband needs to experience movies in a visceral way, so we’ve always had surround sound. I’m hard of hearing (and, depending on some conditions, profoundly deaf), so although I personally can’t enjoy the benefits of it overmuch, I like the joy it gives my family. I was intrigued about how the Lovesac Sactional with StealthTech would hold up to my family’s high expectations for style, comfort, and sound — but it turns out they were the perfect testers for the product at hand. After over a year with the sofa, I can tell you that I've grown to love the rumbly vibrations on the sides where the speakers are, and now, when I sit on a sofa without StealthTech, it just feels wrong.
The Sactional
The sofa itself is very much a dynamic, modular sofa that you purchase by the section (seats and end pieces/backs). You can make it as big as you'd like or as small as a chaise lounge. I have six pieces and eight sides, and when I have company or taking pictures for Best Products, it's set up in a C shape in my living room. However, other times, especially when my house decided to spring a roof leak, we set up the two ottomans on one side and my husband and I slept there for a week while our floors that were damaged by rain were refinished.
The cushions come in either a foam-filled or cushy down blend, the 200-plus fabric options are made of 100% recycled materials, and the frame is a combination of hardwood, steel springs, and multiple-density fiberboard (MDF). There are now three arm styles to choose from — rectangular, rolled arm, and the new angled sides — and the feet are about an inch and a half tall and made of solid wood. Having had both rectangular and angled, I can tell you that the slant makes a noticeable difference in looks and feel. They're a bit more reclining, and the arms are lovely to look at (even if you have to cover them because you have cats and they're jerks who will scratch all of the things even when you provide them with more scratching surfaces than any other cats on earth.)
The StealthTech surround sound and charging stations can be put in any of the sides, which transforms them into speakers with a wireless charging port on the top of the side. Additionally, we have a charging station with USB and USB-C ports in one of the sides of our sofa, where we have charging cords installed. The only caveat is that you need to have a power source nearby the sofa to power it, which can be logistically challenging for some homes.
The prices start at about $3,000 for your standard three-seat sofa, and the sky is the limit. My configuration with StealthTech is almost $10,000 (yes, you read that right, but more on that later). The hard parts of the sofa i.e. the frame and feet have a lifetime warranty, and the soft parts —covers and cushions — have a 3-year warranty. The founder and CEO of Lovesac, Shawn Nelson, tells Best Products that no matter what upgrades they make to the sofa, they will always be backwards-compatible, meaning the technology in your Lovesac couch will forever be upgradeable. For example, if you already own a Sactional, all you need to buy is the StealthTech upgrade to get the surround sound, and it will fit in your model. I had the lightest color you could get for the first year, and I spilled red wine, coffee, and Rocky Road ice cream on them, and they all washed out. On my forest micro velvet, I've already spilled Kedem grape juice on it during the High Holidays, and you can't tell. Also, they get softer when you wash them. They're like jeans in that way.
Depending on the fabric you choose, the sofa will arrive between 2 and 6 weeks from the day you order. Rather impressively, my first sofa arrived in just 7 business days; the second, for which I ordered custom covers, took a little over a month, and it was so worth it.
The delivery is free, but it's standard FedEx delivery. They drop the boxes at your front door, and you're on your own from there. I was there when my boxes arrived, and I did tip the driver because, holy hell, it was a lot of very heavy boxes.
Each box contains one element of the sofa, either the side, the base, the cushion, the tech, or the covers. Putting it together is a process, and I'll be honest with you — it's not a short one. Before you begin, you should check out this page that shows all the different configurations that you can do based on how many chairs and sides you have purchased. The pieces connect via the feet — which resemble wooden cupholders — and U-shaped steel brackets that affix the pieces to one another. The seats stay on the base thanks to Velcro, but the pillows are moveable.
Lovesac offers guides to the various ways 6 seats and 8 sides can be configured.
It took my husband and me 5 hours to put the entire Sactional together the first time, and a little over 2 the second time, plus another hour to figure out the surround sound. Thanks to an unhealthy amount of Ikea shopping in our lives, our marriage can withstand any flat-pack build, though we both used the F word more than 10 times each both times. Also, if you get your nails done regularly, just kiss that manicure goodbye. Tips are not compatible with Lovesac builds. The building requires swearing and short nails not because it's unclear what to do, but simply because some pieces are just plain difficult.
The hardest part of the installation isn't the tech — that is very straightforward, and the instructions are easy to follow. No, the hardest part of the build is getting the covers over the frames and pillows, with the seat cushions being the absolute most frustrating part of the installation. Imagine trying to shove a shoe on your foot that's two sizes too small—that's what it's like to put the seat cushion in the cover.
Those covers are coveted and a huge draw for the sofa because they are machine-washable. Incidentally, I've cleaned a few of my new sofa's cushions already, and I became a pro with the older one, and it's not tricky at all. With a little Persil magic and some prayer, the stains came off, and I wrestled the covers back on the cushions.
The StealthTech Surround and Charge
The surround sound pieces slide right into the sides, as do the charging stations. It also comes with a soundbar that acts as a sort of hub and can be placed on a table below the television or mounted to the wall. Ours sits on our bookshelf below the TV, and we've had no issues with it. The surround sound can be operated through either the remote or via their app (Android and Apple).
Our StealthTech system is on either end and in the middle piece of the back of our sofa. Threading the cord in the right place and making sure you bolted everything in the right direction is honestly the hardest part of the installation process.
My Thoughts
The Sactional
I will begin by saying that this is the most comfortable sofa I've ever owned. Most of the time, we slide one of the ottomans to the far side, making it the equivalent of a double bed at the end of the sofa. My husband and I sit over there, sometimes with a child between us, and snuggle up under our Big Blanket. It's cozy and very comforting after a long day of work. The fabric is buttery-soft, even more so after being laundered.
The biggest thing I’ve been asked by friends and family, and that I’ve personally thought about is, “Is it worth the price?” And here are my thoughts on that: My last sofa was $2,500, and once it reached the 7-year mark, we were looking for replacements. We looked at Joybird, Article, and everything pretty much everything available on the internet. We went to Pottery Barn, Z-Gallerie, Crate & Barrel, and Restoration Hardware.
If we bought a sofa from any of those retailers for a similar model to this one, it would be at least $5,000, but probably more. The famous “Cloud Sofa” from Restoration Hardware is even more expensive than the Lovesac, but their delivery is white-glove, and everything is done for you. But it costs between $200 and $600, and that’s for a sofa that’s already several hundred dollars more than the Lovesac Sactional with StealthTech. The Lovesac, on the other hand, has a lifetime guarantee, it's easy to clean and insanely comfortable — plus, the speakers are just cool. The other sofas we considered have nothing like that going for them, making the Lovesac Sactional a unique option that others just don't compare to.
When I spoke with Shawn Nelson, the founder, I told him that my biggest concern was the cost and installation. He told me that while they are indeed considering white-glove service in the future, they already offered the service pre-Covid, and it just simply wasn't a popular option. They're also looking at ways they can send the sofa parts with the covers already on. He also stressed the value of the backward compatibility of all of the upgrades that roll out. One of the upgrades they're currently considering is taller feet, and being a tall lady with a tall family, I think that would be aces — and I would get those in a minute.
My Lovesac Sactional with the lighter fabric covers, before we switched it up to green micro velvet.
The frame is going to last as long as you need it to, but if you get bored with it, you can change the configuration, arm style, or fabric for less cost than buying another sofa. Having already considered this, I'm inclined to agree with him.
The StealthTech Surround and Charge
I didn’t think I’d give a damn about the surround sound other than being excited over my kids being excited about it. As I mentioned earlier, my hearing is poor most of the time, and sometimes, it’s practically non-existent. But I was wrong — and here’s why. The fact that the sound is in the sofa means that you don’t just hear it, you feel it. Even on days when I’m totally without anything but the sound of my own breath, I can feel the bass of the music, footsteps, thunder, and more. That turned out to be an incredibly emotional thing for me that I didn’t know I was missing. Movies and television shows become more than pictures and words, and I can’t tell you how that feels. That tactile nature of the sound has become my sofa companion, and I love it more over a year later than I did before. It's a part of my relaxation experience. (Sometimes, when I'm working, I'll turn Spotify on through my sofa, just so I have that feel as I work.)
My husband and kids, on the other hand, think that the StealthTech is "frickin cool." They tell me how they can hear small things they never noticed, like birds in Jurassic Park and magma bubbling in Lord of the Rings. My son thinks that the way it rumbles when he plays games on Apple Arcade makes it "extra." (His Xbox is in his room because I value my sanity.) We did have a few glitches, but with a quick call to tech support, it was all cleared up in a matter of minutes.
Other than the sound, I love having wireless chargers in the arms of my sofa and charging cords nearer the center. Our family has a gazillion devices, and having the ability to plop my phone on my couch? Wonderful. It's a 10/10 feature that every sofa should have.
How It's Held Up
I have had the sofa for almost 3 years now, and it still looks fantastic. I have a huge family full of pets, kids, cousins, friends, and their pets, kids, cousins, and friends. It is routinely abused by my teenagers and their possessions and has had more food and drinks spilled on it than what could be considered normal or expected. While there are divots in the cushions where my pets routinely lay (hello, Comfy Mountain), there is no damage to those cushions, and if I cared enough to fluff them, they'd easily go back to their regular shape. However, I would do this with three sets of angry cat eyes drilling into me, and that may make me fear for my life, so you can see — I leave the divots.
My husband and I have had to move out of our bedroom a few times in the recent past, and we opted to use the sofa as a queen-sized bed by arranging the ottomans to one side. We didn't miss any sleep because of it, and let's be real, when you're sleeping on a sofa for days at a time, you would totally expect to. This sofa continues to make our lives easier and better, and I am sure it will for you as well.
Closing Argument
The Lovesac Sactional with StealthTech is a comfortable sofa with nearly limitless options of combinations. The sound is spectacular, and the charging is brilliant. It is a spend, there’s no doubt about that. In both price and time, it’s expensive, and it’s an investment. Because of the delivery method, if you are disabled or can’t lift heavy objects, you’ll need to either hire someone or bribe someone in your family to get it into your space and set it up, and that’s an additional cost in its own right.
If you afford it, you won't regret it. It's not going to end up like the $2,000 rowing machine that becomes a second closet. (I'm looking at me on this one.) It's so useful and so comfortable — plus, the style is neutral enough that it will always be considered a classic shape.
And the size is valuable on its own. I hosted Rosh Hashanah and Passover this past year, and my family loved my sofa even more than the roasts and salmon I made (which I will hold against them forever). We all had a place to sit, we were all comfortable, and it was really great to have. I haven't owned it for long, but I already know that I'm never getting rid of this sofa. When I'm ready for change and want to switch things up, I look forward to simply just having to change the fabrics and buy more pillows at Home Goods for a nice — and cost-effective — refresh. I'll also just buy more pillows to buy more pillows (can't stop, won't stop), and now I have an even bigger canvas to cover.
If you want even more of a reason to snag your own Lovesac, there's a 30% off sale on the brand's website right now for everyday heroes.
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Cat Bowen
Senior Editor for Commerce, Reviews
Cat Bowen has been covering parenting and home for over a decade. At Best Products, she has tested hundreds of products for parents and for the home, often spending dozens of hours per product to ensure her reviews are accurate and informative. Prior to joining the team, she was at Romper where she covered everything from breastfeeding to child sleep habits to abortion rights access. You can find her work on Bustle, Romper, and more. Cat is a bit of an intellectual magpie and perpetual student, most recently receiving a graduate degree in gender studies where she examined a topic that vexes so many — pockets in women’s clothing.
