[lobehold]

Forget books, hand bending the metal extensions and various other techniques seen around the web.

I have developed what I believe to be the ultimate method to stretch HD650/HD600 headband to your ideal clamping force with zero risk of damage and keep the metal extension smooth without any hand-bending marks. Best of all, it stretches both sides evenly.

The secret - a few pieces of soft cords/strings (cloth, shoelace, anything you have handy), and something to act as the frame - I find a drawer works great.

• Adjust the headband to your head size.
• Tie a loop around the top of both metal stems, leave no slack but do not tighten - we do not want to put stress on the plastic headband in either direction. This is to prevent the plastic part of the headband from bending which causes paint chipping and potential breakage.
• Stretch out the metal extensions from the base outwards, again using cords. You will need a frame for this, I used my drawer as there's a natural cavity for the headphone to rest upon. This is to avoid putting stress on the plastic joints as well as to not crush the earpads.
• Leave it overnight, don't overdo it, repeat if necessary.

So there it is: no crushed earpads, no broken headband/peeling paint, and uniform stretching.