For decades, the best brands in the headphone industry toiled away tirelessly to created finely crafted audio solutions, but when it came to storing these masterpieces, we were left with dangling them over the arm of a desk lamp, stuffing them in a drawer, or forever leaving them around our neck. Keep in mind, even the most portable headphones are engineered to within an inch of their lives and contain sensitive electronics that produce the highs and lows we all love. They require protection, and deserve better than being stuck over the wall of your cubicle when at rest.
Quality headphone stands will fit every kind of banded headphone, from the most petite on-ear to the bulkiest over-ear. They’ll work with Bluetooth options and look good while they do it. It’s time to treat your ear buds the way they’re meant to be handled, and give them a quality place to live so that you extend their life, enhance their aesthetic, and clean up your space like a true audiophile. Here’s the best headphone stands to do it.
Elegiant Acrylic Headphone Stand
Inexpensive doesn’t need to mean cheap, and saving money doesn’t mean sacrificing style points. Lightweight acrylic from top to bottom, this looks as natural in a dorm room as it does in a streamlined workspace. Universally made to suit every headphone made by human hands or mechanical arms, it’s the easiest entry to headphone stands you’re likely to find. Purchase: $9
The Anchor by Elevation Lab
While many stands seek to highlight your headphones, The Anchor opts for convenience. Mounting the silicone body beneath any flat surface frees up room where you need it, but also keeps your earpieces at hand. Able to handle a pair of phones, The Anchor also works well in shared offices where you and your deskmate hate having to listen to each other. Purchase: $11
AmoVee Acrylic Headphone Stand
The minimalist modernist who likes stark blacks can’t resist this ultra-contemporary look that occupies a small amount of space but brings maximum showmanship to whatever table or desk it occupies. It’s also easy on the wallet, providing those with the most meager of means a clean, clever way to stash their headgear. Purchase: $12
Brainwavz Hengja Desk Hanger
Snapping onto the edge of a table or desk like a vice, then offering a metal protrusion that will hold whatever you feel like hanging from it, there isn’t a simpler, more portable solution than the tongue-twisting Hengja. It’s elegant ingenuity that you can put in your pocket, or carry from job site to job site. Purchase: $15
Modko Jack Headphone Stand
A desk caddy as much as it is a holder, the body has a quaint little bucket at the bottom where cords and other refinements can go, while rubber pegs let you keep your phone discreetly where you can see it at all times. It’s reminiscent of a listening station much more than a spot for storage. Purchase: $15
Turtle Beach Ear Force HS1
Though Turtle Beach’s headphone game has gone downhill in recent years, they do still have the ability to identify a very real need for gamers on the move. The metal frame breaks down for quick transport from gaming site to gaming site, but still looks professional when you snap it together to show off your newbie fragging headset rig. Purchase: $20
Bluelounge Posto Headphone Stand
Bluelounge rarely disappoints, and though there’s nothing overtly special about this piece, it manages to make the stern, upright build seem somehow natural. The headrest is flexible rubber that can accommodate any brand of ear candy, while wily, weighted engineering eliminates the hunched bend that marks most stands of this type. Purchase: $20
Avantree Headphone Stand
Pulling double duty with a helpful organizing tray on the bottom where you can toss paperclips, thumb drives, or just coil up your cable, the build is all steel and silicone. It provides reassuring girth and heft where you need it, but pads out the top and bottom with softness that won’t harm the surface its placed upon, or the cans it holds aloft. Purchase: $20
Netdot Double
Bearing a wide range of finishes to help you find the ideal match for your existing office decorations, the Double starts with an aluminum body, then adds silicone pads to the top that cradle any headphone gently. At the base is a cowhide leather pad to prevent slipping, and stop the hazard of scratching from wrecking your desk’s lovely finish. Purchase: $21
Satechi Aluminum USB Headphone Stand Holder
True ingenuity is at play here, as Satechi has included much more than just a handy way to hang your equipment. In the base of the stand are USB ports and a 3.5mm jack that give you easy access for adding or removing peripherals, and eliminate clunky plugging procedures just to get sound. Purchase: $35
Razer Headphone Stand
Industrial grade density that you can feel from the first moment you pick it up, Razer’s offering is a serious piece that can provide blunt force trauma in a pinch, should you need to defend your office against intruders. The rest of the time it’s a chunky way to hang your phones, though it can be a little wobbly on the wrong desk. Purchase: $38
ROOMs Audio Line Typ FS S
Admittedly an overpriced luxury piece made of metal and wood, it’s hard to describe exactly why we can’t take our eyes off of it, but that sort of appeal is worth adding to your office. Purchase: $74
Cyclops Headphone Stand
An alluring oddball that fits with those who like their style to run to the surreal, each piece is crafted out of birch, and bears ripples reminiscent of a dampened sound wave. The entire thing looks eerily like a head, which can be either engaging or mildly disturbing, depending on your taste. Purchase: $110
Sieveking Sound Omega
Coming in a variety of gorgeous natural woods, from dark walnut and playful cherry to light maple, the Omega would blend in with your decor if it didn’t look so striking all on its own. Emulating the shape of a head by producing a sweeping representation of the final letter in the Greek alphabet, it won’t allow the band on your headphones to droop or get needlessly stretched so the integrity of the body is maintained. Purchase
Hard Graft Peak Headphone Case
A satchel made of vegetable tanned leather, the goal here is first and foremost to guard your headphones against damage during transit. As an added bonus, the stiff build is made to unfold, providing a soft, stylish stand that keeps both case and headphones front and center. Purchase: $242
