Nobody plans to spend money on headphone accessories. Then your earpads start flaking, your cans live in a pile of cables, and you realize the fix costs less than lunch. We went through Auray’s lineup in the current B&H Photo Video deals and pulled six things worth owning — every one of them under $25, and every one cheaper at B&H than at the manufacturer’s own store. Prices move, so confirm the live price before you buy.
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One thing worth explaining up front. Auray is B&H’s house brand, and the manufacturer’s site lists what it calls a suggested selling price to retailers. B&H sells the same items for less — sometimes a lot less. We’ve noted both numbers on each item below so you can see the gap yourself. Of all the B&H Photo Video deals we look at, house-brand accessories show the widest gap between list and street price.
Ordered least expensive first. Two are for Sony MDR-7506 and MDR-V6 owners specifically; the other four work with almost any full-size pair. None of these are exciting purchases, which is exactly why budget headphone upgrades get put off for years while the annoyance compounds.
1. Auray EP-MDR7506 Replacement Earpads (Pair) — $9.99 (Auray lists $12.95)
If you own Sony MDR-7506 headphones, you already know the problem. The factory pads flake. They start shedding black bits onto your ears, your desk, and your shirt, usually somewhere around year two, and no amount of care prevents it.
These are the fix, and at ten dollars they’re the cheapest item in this roundup. Soft padded leatherette cushions that fit the Sony MDR-7506 and MDR-V6, plus Senal SMH-1000 and SMH-500. B&H’s own Q&A notes these haven’t shown the flaking common to the originals, which is the entire reason to buy replacement earpads in the first place.
Installation takes a few minutes and a bit of stretching — they’re meant to be snug. Worth knowing that some reviewers find the opening slightly smaller than the Sony originals, so if you have larger ears, look at the extra deep earpads at the bottom of this list instead.
Worth it: the single best ten dollars any MDR-7506 owner can spend. Buy two pairs while you’re there.
2. Auray COHH-1 Headphone Holder with Padded Cradle — $13.99 (Auray lists $18.95)
The cheapest way to get your cans off the desk. This headphone holder clamps to a horizontal or vertical surface up to 1.3 inches thick, with three settings and a threaded securing clamp so it actually grips rather than wobbles.
The part that matters is the padded leatherette cradle. Hanging headphones on a bare hook puts all the weight on one narrow point of the headband, and over a few years that’s how leather cracks. An arched, padded cradle spreads the load. It’s a small design detail that costs nothing extra and meaningfully extends the life of an expensive pair.
With nearly 200 reviews on B&H it’s the most popular item in this group, and it’s the one we’d start with for basic desk organization if you only own one pair of headphones.
Worth it: the default choice — cheap, unobtrusive, and it protects your headband.
3. Auray HPDS-B Desktop Headphone Stand, Black — $19.99 (Auray lists $25.95)
If you don’t want to clamp anything to your desk, this is the alternative. A one-piece steel headphone stand, 10 inches tall, matte black, with a weighted base that keeps it planted when you grab your headphones in a hurry.
One-piece construction is the selling point. Cheaper stands assemble from two or three parts and develop a wobble at the joint within a year. There’s nothing here to loosen. Neoprene padding covers the arm and base, and an upturned lip stops the headband sliding off.
No assembly required, and it handles standard and oversized cans without bending. If you own a nice pair and want it displayed rather than hidden under the desk, this is the one — and it looks tidy enough for a home studio setup that shows up on camera.
Worth it: pick this over the clamp if your desk is glass, too thick to clamp, or you just move things around a lot.
4. Auray COHH-2R Clamp-On Dual Headphone Hanger — $19.99 (Auray lists $25.95)
Two pairs, one clamp. This clamp-on headphone hanger fits under a desk, table, or shelf up to 2 inches thick, with aluminum construction rated to 11 lb and rubber pads on both clamp surfaces so it won’t mark your desk.
The rotating hangers are what set it apart. Each 2.5-inch cradle spins a full 360°, so you can keep one pair facing forward where you’ll grab it and swing the other parallel to the desk edge, out of the way. Turn both sideways and the whole thing disappears from your knee space — desk organization without giving up any desk.
A clamp-on headphone hanger with a rotating arm is a rarer thing than it should be, and this one is priced like a plain hook. That 11 lb rating is more than headphones need, which is the point — B&H’s own listing suggests hanging a backpack on one side. Reviewers report holding four full-size pairs without complaint.
Worth it: the obvious pick if you own two pairs, or one pair plus a gaming headset. Same price as the single stand above, and it keeps the desktop itself completely clear.
5. Auray UHC-725 Universal Headphone Case — $19.99 (Auray lists $25.95)
Everything above keeps headphones safe at your desk. This is the one that keeps them safe everywhere else.
Rigid EVA plastic molding with an abrasion-resistant nylon shell and a soft nylon interior. It fits most studio headphones — B&H confirms compatibility with the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, Senal SMH-1000 and SMH-1200, and Superlux HD-668B among others. Inside there’s a removable zippered pocket for a cable or adapter, and the whole thing weighs 10.4 oz with a carry strap.
Honest caveat: it does not fit everything. B&H specifically notes the Sonos Ace won’t go in. If you have unusually large or oddly shaped cans, check compatibility before ordering. A headphone case that’s slightly too small is worse than none at all.
Worth it: buy this headphone case if your headphones ever leave the house. Skip it if they never move off the stand.
6. Auray EPE-MDR7506 Extra Deep Earpads (Pair) — $24.95 (Auray lists $32.95)
The upgrade version of item one, and worth the extra fifteen dollars for a specific reason: depth. Standard pads sit close enough that the driver presses against your ear. These extra deep earpads give your ear room inside the cup, which does two things — it stops the ache that shows up after three hours, and it improves isolation because your whole ear sits inside the seal rather than under it.
Anyone wearing studio headphones for a full working day will feel the difference. Reviewers who’ve used them for years describe them as the reason they can wear MDR-7506s all day without their ears hurting.
Two honest notes. Like all leatherette pads, these will eventually peel — expect a couple of years, same as the originals. And some longtime buyers say recent batches fit looser than older ones, occasionally loose enough to rotate. Worth knowing before you spend $25 instead of $10.
Worth it: the right call if you wear headphones for hours at a stretch. If you only use them occasionally, the $9.99 pads are plenty.
Stand, Clamp, or Hanger: Which One?
Three of the six do roughly the same job, so here’s the quick version.
The COHH-1 clamp at $13.99 if you own one pair and want the cheapest thing that works. It’s the most popular for a reason.
The HPDS-B stand at $19.99 if your desk can’t be clamped — glass, too thick, or a surface you don’t want gripped — or you’d rather display the headphones than tuck them under.
The COHH-2R hanger at $19.99 if you own two pairs. Same money as the single stand, twice the capacity, and it keeps your desktop completely clear.
For most people building a home studio setup, the honest answer is the clamp plus a set of replacement earpads. Thirty dollars, and the two problems that actually bother you day to day are solved. Everything else on this page is optional, which is the nice thing about budget headphone upgrades.
Plan Smart, Spend Less
Six items, none over $25, and all six cheaper at B&H than at the manufacturer’s own storefront. That price gap is the real story here — it’s worth checking B&H before buying any house-brand headphone accessories, because the list price and the selling price are rarely the same number.
As budget headphone upgrades go, the ranking is simple. If you buy one thing, make it earpads. Flaking pads are the most common complaint about the most common studio headphones on earth, and ten dollars ends it. If you buy two, add a headphone holder — desk organization sounds like a minor concern until you’ve replaced a headband you cracked by hanging your cans on a drawer pull.
And a note on what not to buy: none of this improves how your headphones sound. Pads change comfort and isolation, not fidelity. If you’re hoping new earpads will fix a pair you don’t enjoy listening to, they won’t. Spend the money on better headphones instead.
We’ll keep tracking B&H Photo Video deals worth a second look. The best headphone accessories are almost always the cheap ones, and a good desktop headphone stand outlasts three sets of the headphones that sit on it. Whatever else you spend on a home studio setup, the accessories are where the money goes furthest.
Prices and offers listed above were accurate at the time of publishing and were checked against the live B&H product pages. Offers change frequently, so please confirm the current price on the product page before purchasing.
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