What's the point of headphone stands? Wouldn't they cause the pads to wear out faster?

If the headphone stand is properly designed that shouldn't be an issue. The thickness of the stand itself will play a roll in that. Also you can always use the chord itself to remove any strain if you are concerned with this. I use to use a banana stand for my Open-back Denon 5000s and there was no wear at all using the wire. Not only that it kept everything neat.

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lee730 said:

If the headphone stand is properly designed that shouldn't be an issue. The thickness of the stand itself will play a roll in that. Also you can always use the chord itself to remove any strain if you are concerned with this. I use to use a banana stand for my Open-back Denon 5000s and there was no wear at all using the wire. Not only that it kept everything neat.

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Ok.

Makes for great pictures too.

There's no real way to store a headphone besides using a zip up case, pouch, which then in return also needs to be stored somewhere. By using a stand your headphone has a home without getting in the way or laying on it's side available for easy access. Plus, part of a headphones design has significant cosmetic value to it's owner, in some regards the stand also doubles as a display case.

What headphone stands do you recommend?

writereviews said:

What's the point of headphone stands? Wouldn't they cause the pads to wear out faster?

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How would the pads wear out faster? On 2/3 of my sets, the ear-cups touch nothing but air, and on the other pair, they barely make contact. I don't see how it would damage the pads in any way.

If you're talking about those super-expensive stands that hold the ear-cups (like the omega-shaped one that costs some $200), perhaps. In the user's manual for the MDR-SA5000 Sony suggests returning them to the smallest setting to prevent deformation of the bottom side of the pads if left on their stand continuously, but it doesn't permanently wear the pads, it's aesthetic (at $700 I can see why someone would be annoyed by any aesthetic screw-up, but I'm too lazy to re-adjust them everytime I wear them).

The only thing I can see legitimately wearing out is if you have an auto-adjuster like the AKG K701 or Sony MDR-F1, and hang them from the part that touches your head - it will wear the springs/elastic out by keeping it stretched out to max constantly. The easy answer there is to hang them from the "hoop" parts that are usually more robust anyways.

facsman said:

What headphone stands do you recommend?

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Nature's Way Banana Keeper. I'm dead serious.

The point of a headphone stand is that they look like a trophy.

(All of my headphones not in current circulation are stored in boxes)

Banana stands are great for the price, but they do put a lot of pressure on the headband. I had a great stand made for me by Hieutrung Handcrafts. 
 
http://www.hieutrunghandcrafts.com/
 
 

 

 

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tzjin said:

Banana stands are great for the price, but they do put a lot of pressure on the headband. I had a great stand made for me by Hieutrung Handcrafts. 
 
http://www.hieutrunghandcrafts.com/
 
 

 

 

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Thank seems to be a very popular stand! I wish it wasn't so big though. I like the low profile headphone stands that don't take up desk space.

I'm too busy staring at the headphone. *__*

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writereviews said:

What's the point of headphone stands? Wouldn't they cause the pads to wear out faster?

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Ideally, the headphone stand can make more space for and to protect your gear. For example, instead of putting your cans on top of your amp and then having to carefully pick it up instead of dragging it along the aluminum chassis, you create a space above it and hang the headphones. Ideally.
 
I'm with you on the pads getting worn though. I didn't even get the Sennheiser hanger because I'm thinking it will keep weight on the headband pads, and getting pads where I am is no picnic - the distributor as so far been useless, and if you try to get from other Sennheiser distributors, they'll tell you they can't interfere with the other distributor's territory - kind of like when cops can't cross over to the other country or state. Other designs get the pads to clamp, like when they use mannequin heads the size of the average human head. Looks nice, but good luck with bloated bass and sharp treble, but that might be a plus for some people since "V-shaped response curves" tend to have a high enough demand nowadays.
 
I'm using a banana stand now. My SR225 used to hang off the top since it's wide enough to not leave tear through the leather band with just pressure, but since it'll squish the headband pads on my HD600s, I positioned the stand near the corner of the table, so the headphones hang off the banana hook and the bottom rests on the base with the cable sticking out and down the side of the table so I don't break the copper inside. I just used blue tack to secure the base to the table until I get a proper, multi-tier audio rack (like what my old speaker system used to have) and I can just rest all the headphones on a foam or non-slip/scratch sheet on one level.

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protegemaniac said:

Other designs get the pads to clamp, like when they use mannequin heads the size of the average human head. Looks nice, but good luck with bloated bass and sharp treble, but that might be a plus for some people since "V-shaped response curves" tend to have a high enough demand nowadays.

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That's the answer to the thread! most headphone pads will decrease in volume when worn, it's just the way the headphone stays on your head, "that clamping". Look at the Audeze LCD-2

 
The pads touches themselves in "default" position; if your stand is a Styrofoam wig display, an "Omega" stands or a Klutz design CanCans, it will leave no rest at all for the pads to ever decompress. This will eventually take it's toll on sound and maybe comfort too (the day your ears will start touching the baffles of the headphone because the pads have become too small).
 
Personally I find bad when the stand doesn't let the pads breath... sweat, skin bits and oil will build up in the (sealed by design by the stand) ear cavity portion of the pads and the small film of dust on your stand (unless you clean it too) will be drawn onto your pads, and then you will get to put back your headphones on your head and and heat that dirt mixture up.
 
If you don't want to wash your headphone pads every time you use them buy a "pole-type" headphone stand like the Hieutrung Handcraft just above, which has a very little footprint on the headphone (the "hand rail" shape that is in contact with the headband is also spreading pressure evenly and won't leave any notch or mark behind). Those pole-type stands are also the ones the most compatible with headband mechanisms such as that of the AKG K701 (what Obobskivitch said), the Audio-Technica winged headbands, Stax, etc.
 
 
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tzjin said:

Banana stands are great for the price, but they do put a lot of pressure on the headband. I had a great stand made for me by Hieutrung Handcrafts. 
 
http://www.hieutrunghandcrafts.com/
 

 

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Yeah it's an intricate/happy duet of headphones you got there , Sol Republic Tracks (resting on a stand that is 1/2 of its price ) and Yamaha YH-3 vintage orthodynamic, two worlds apart