[SumthingWicked]

Hey guys. I've spent a long time lurking around here listening to the great advice you all have to offer, and decided to get some advice of my own. I have a few pairs of headphones (Three at the moment, but that won't last too long) And I want to find a neat way of storing-displaying them. 
 
I've looked at tons of headphone stands, and racks, mostly the ones suggested here, but they didn't really do anything special for collections like I'd like to have. I think quality cans look so great that I really almost want them to look like art when they're up. So I had a thought:
 
I want to get a really old piece of wood, that looks beaten up, and really textured. Something like Salvage Barn wood, or driftwood. A piece that's about three feet long, maybe six to eight inches high, and probably three to four inches deep. Then, I want to get some really old beat up rusty railroad spikes, and pound them into the wood a few inches maybe eight inches apart, to hang my phones on. I'd put some felt on the top, or maybe some rubber, to keep the metal from scratching or ruining my head-pads. I really think that setup would look great on the wall. However, I don't know what to do with the cords! Wireless phones would work beautifully on the wall, but three 8' cables hanging off the wall laying on the floor below would not really look very classy. Which is why I'm coming to you guys. I thought of maybe getting some sort of wooden window planter thing, to put below, and collect the cords like a trough. Or a second spike for each pair, to just drape a coiled cord over, but nothing I'm thinking of is really making me happy. 
 
Any thoughts from the experts? I don't really need the cords to be hidden, I just want them to be out of the way, and organized in a way that won't detract from the rest of the aesthetic that I'm going for.

 

[Coupe]

WOW!  I cannot wait for pics of this!  What type of music you listen to?

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Get a local blacksmith to bang out some nice twisted wrought iron hooks and attach those below the rail road spikes. Roll up the cord and hang from the hook. 
 

 

[Proglover]

nice, be sure to post a picture of this!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Where would it be relative to the other gear and furniture? You can hide the cables, like build the rack structure as part of a double wall, and there should be slits next to each space for hanging the cans where you can slip the cables into. Although I personally don't want them hidden too much; pests can hide in there, too. I'd go with the hooks suggested above.
 
 
This is a great idea, it's like when they re-model rooms. A little theme integrated into the design wouldn't hurt. For my music I could recycle a wrought iron gate for a little Gothic touch.
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WOW!  I cannot wait for pics of this!  What type of music you listen to?

 

[JPresz]

my dad actually just made this for me (only fits 1 pair of HP's):

 

[ArmAndHammer]

That's a nice and simple design. I like that. I am trying to figure out something for my Grados and I want to have enough room for two, three pairs max. Trying to decide if I want something on the wall or freestanding.

 

[Dabears2240]

Maybe a nail 3 inches off to the side of each pair with the cord wrapped around it loosely? 

 

[sanakaku]

Look for my D.I.Y thread which I did the stand from scratch, dirt scratch...

 

[SumthingWicked]

Quote:

my dad actually just made this for me (only fits 1 pair of HP's):

So what do you do with your cable when you have them hung up there? Do you just let it hang off onto the floor? Or maybe just leave them plugged in... 
 
I had another thought. Maybe if in stead of getting a piece of plywood a few inches thick, maybe if I got a whole beam, like ten inches deep, I could cut out a little four inch deep bowl area behind each spike, and then run a slot down next to each peg, and when I hang up the phones, run the cable back "inside" the beam, and have the rest of the cable just sitting on top, inside the bowl area. But that seems like a lot more work, and I feel like the slots would ruin the beautiful aesthetic of the unbroken wood.
 
Also, I'm not sure that I really have access to a blacksmith... haha But I bet I could find some cool hooks online. But I'm still not sold on the idea of just having the cables sitting out next to the headphones themselves. I've got the oh-so-beautiful K701s, a really neat looking pair of Tritons for gaming, and a fairly boring pair of Senn HD280 pros. But I really want to get a pair of beautiful Grados, and Probably some Beyers at some point. So with those cans being so beautiful all on their own, I really feel like the cord just makes it very "rack for holding my equipment" and a lot less "look at these beautiful engineering feats" like I'm looking for.
 
I'm not really sure yet how I want it all to integrate with my setup in my living room. At the end, what I would like the best is to have something a few inches thick that I can mount on the wall above my tv and receiver area, as sort of a big piece of wall art. Maybe even put a spotlight on them. But if I can't find something to do with the cables, that probably won't work out. I really liked the idea of actually installing a hidden spot in my wall, but my living situation really isn't permanent enough at this point to warrant that. I'm only 24, and so I'm still moving every year or two, and so I'd like to be able to take this with me when I move. Not to say I need it to be able to be up and gone at a moments notice, but I need to avoid actually involving the architecture of the building.  
 
(I listen to a huge variety of music, which is why I have so many different types of headphones. I go through moods like most people, but right now I'm on a big ambient music kick. Bands like Mono, Mogwai, Yppah, and Godspeed You Black Emperor!. But I also like Tool, Muse, Hans Zimmer, Pink Floyd, Rage Against The Machine, Rondald Jenkees... Lots of stuff.)

 

[fatcat28037]

Look here for DIY stands...............http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/diy-headphone-stand-thread-249671/ 

 

[morph2k4]

I have my headphone rack on the while behind the desk where I use them.  This lets the cords just fall down behind the desk and it looks relatively neat.  Everything threads through the desk into a distribution amp that they stay connected to.
 
The ideal solution, as my Grados make it painfully clear to me, is to just mod all of your cans for detachable cables.
 

 

[ArmAndHammer]

You'd be surprised how many blacksmiths are around. Or you can just order some from the net. There is a blacksmith here in my town...I could go to the shop, take some pics of what's available, and ship them out to you if interested.

 

[SumthingWicked]

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Look here for DIY stands...............http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/diy-headphone-stand-thread-249671/ 

There are so many beautiful and creative ideas in that thread. But none of the stands seem to do anything creative or cool with the cables. They just coil them up around the base, or let them dangle. Also, now I feel like my idea is only sort of cool, in stead of super cool. haha
 


Quote:

You'd be surprised how many blacksmiths are around. Or you can just order some from the net. There is a blacksmith here in my town...I could go to the shop, take some pics of what's available, and ship them out to you if interested.

That is such a generous offer, but I don't think that will be necessary. I've got the whole internet at my disposal. I couldn't ask you to do that. I'll keep thinking about it, and I'll keep you guys posted on what I decide. And I wasn't planning to, but since you guys asked me to, I'll post pictures when I get it done! (Or Started, as the whole project is sort of just an idea at this point)

 

[SumthingWicked]

Quote:

I have my headphone rack on the while behind the desk where I use them.  This lets the cords just fall down behind the desk and it looks relatively neat.  Everything threads through the desk into a distribution amp that they stay connected to.
 
The ideal solution, as my Grados make it painfully clear to me, is to just mod all of your cans for detachable cables.
 

 
That would probably work, and would absolutely solve my problems with it. But... My skill level at things like this are much more suited to pounding some spikes into a big piece of wood, and not to dismantling my extremely precise sound equipment. Though, jeeze do those Grados look beautiful...