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Sennheiser

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Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG
Company typePrivate
IndustryAudio electronics
Founded1 June 1945; 79 years ago (1 June 1945) (as Labor W)
FounderFritz Sennheiser
HeadquartersWedemark, Hanover Region, Lower Saxony, Germany
Key people
Daniel Sennheiser and Andreas Sennheiser (CEOs)
ProductsAudio equipments
RevenueIncrease €756.7 million (2019)[1]
OwnerSennheiser family
Number of employees
2,801 (2019)[1]
Websitesennheiser.com
Labor W products at a radio show in 1950.
The Sennheiser Innovation Campus at the headquarter in Wedemark near Hannover.

Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG (/ˈzɛnhaɪzər/, German pronunciation: [zɛnˈhaɪ̯zɐ]) is a German privately held audio company specializing in the design and production of a wide range of high fidelity products, including microphones, headphones, telephone accessories and aviation headsets for personal, professional and business applications. The company's head office is located in Wedemark, near Hanover, and the company is represented in more than 50 countries worldwide.[2]

The German company was founded in 1945 by Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser and it is still an independent family business. Since 2013, Daniel Sennheiser and Dr. Andreas Sennheiser have been Co-CEOs. They are the third generation of the Sennheiser family to lead the company. According to its own figures, the Sennheiser Group has around 2,801 employees worldwide. In 2019, the total turnover amounted to €756.7 million.[1]

History

Co-CEOs Andreas Sennheiser (left) and Daniel Sennheiser (right).
The AMBEO Soundbar.
Sennheiser-produced earbuds, the MX400ii.

The company was founded in 1945, just a few weeks after the end of World War II, by Fritz Sennheiser (1912–2010)[3][4] and seven fellow engineers of the University of Hannover in a laboratory called Laboratorium Wennebostel (shortened, "Lab W"). The laboratory was named after the village of Wennebostel in the municipality of Wedemark to where it had been moved due to the war. Its first product was a voltmeter.[5] Lab W began building microphones in 1946 with the DM1, and began developing them in 1947 with the DM2. By 1955, the company had 250 employees, and had begun production of many products including geophysical equipment, the Noise-Compensated microphone (DM4), microphone transformers, mixers, and miniature magnetic headphones. Labor W was renamed 'Sennheiser electronic' in 1958.[6]

In the late 1950s/early 1960s, Professor Sennheiser met a gentleman in the hospital by the name of Thomas Schillinger. Mr. Schillinger was tasked with starting Sennheiser's presence in the United States. The culmination of this was a technical Oscar Award in 1987 at the 59th Academy Awards (see below).

Sennheiser was transformed into a limited partnership (KG) in 1973. In 1980, the company entered the aviation market, supplying Lufthansa with headsets.[7][8]

The company began producing modern wireless microphones in 1982, the same year when founder Fritz Sennheiser handed the management of the company over to his son, Jörg Sennheiser. In 1987, Sennheiser was awarded at the 59th Academy Awards for its MKH 816 shotgun microphone.

Also in 1991, Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin, which builds studio microphones, became a part of Sennheiser.[9][10]

In 2003 Sennheiser entered into a joint venture with the Danish company, William-Demant-Holding, a specialist in hearing aids, diagnostic technology and personal communication. Sennheiser Communications A/S was founded.[11]

2005: Sennheiser acquired the speaker manufacturer Klein + Hummel.[12]

Daniel Sennheiser, grandson of the founder, joined the company in 2008. In 2010 his brother Dr. Andreas Sennheiser also did so. Both are shareholders of the company.[13]

On July 1, 2013, Daniel Sennheiser and Andreas Sennheiser were promoted to the position of CEO responsible for Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG.[14]

In 2014 Sennheiser founded the new subsidiary "Sennheiser Streaming Technology GmbH (SST)", which develops streaming solutions for software and hardware.[15]

In 2019 Sennheiser acquired a majority stake in Dear Reality, a company that specializes in spatial audio algorithms and VR/AR audio software.[16]

In 2021, Sennheiser sold its consumer audio division to the Swiss based hearing aid manufacturer Sonova Group.[17]

Locations

Sennheiser is headquartered in the municipality of Wedemark, Germany (near Hannover). Its United States headquarters is located in Old Lyme, Connecticut. The company has factories in Wennebostel (Wedemark, near Hannover); Tullamore, Ireland (since 1990); Albuquerque, New Mexico (since 2000) and in Brașov, Romania (since 2019).[18] Some consumer products are made in China. Sennheiser's R&D facilities are located in Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Singapore, and San Francisco, California.

Sennheiser has a total of 21 sales subsidiaries and trading partners and is active in more than 50 countries.[19] Besides, the company opened its first Sennheiser store in 2016 to make products accessible to customers. Sennheiser now has a total of seven stores in Berlin, San Francisco, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City and Sydney and at its headquarters in Wedemark. In 2016 there was a temporary store in New York.[20]

Products

Sennheiser mm26 magnetic microphones, used as covert listening devices by the Stasi, the official state security service of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)

Sennheiser is mainly known for its consumer headphones and professional headphones and microphones, such as the MKH 416 short shotgun, which came to be the Hollywood standard shotgun microphone;[21] and the 816, similar in design with longer reach. It also makes the US$55,000 Orpheus headphone set;[22] wireless microphones; aviation, multimedia and gaming headsets; micro-Hifi systems; conferencing systems; speakers; and amplifiers.[23][24][25][26]

Sennheiser consists of two independent business units: its consumer division and the professional audio division. The consumer division offers customers a range of headphones and home entertainment speakers.[27] Regarding professional audio Sennheiser provides audio solutions for live music, DJing, theater, studio, broadcast, film and video as well as 3D audio and AR/VR/XR. It also includes solutions for business communication like presentations, conferences, meetings, visitor guidance, hearing support and the education sector.[28]

Sennheiser has collaborated with fashion companies, including with Swiss bag brand Freitag[29] as well as Dior Homme.[30]

In 2017, the Momentum M2 model in-ear headphones were voted Product of the Year by What Hi-Fi? magazine.[31]

CEOs

Andreas Sennheiser is a German business executive, known for serving as chief executive officer of Sennheiser.[32][33] He took over as CEO along with his brother Daniel Sennheiser on July 1, 2013.[34] Andreas was born in 1974 in Zurich, and earned a doctorate in Supply Chain Management from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in 2004.[32] Sennheiser Electronic was founded by his grandfather, Fritz Sennheiser, and he joined the family business with his brother Daniel.[35] In 2013, both Daniel and Andreas were promoted to the position of CEO. Andreas focused on gaming handsets and affordable wireless headphones including Sennheiser PC350. Along with his brother Daniel, they entered the music business in 2014.[36]

Research & development

Overview

Sennheiser has a total of four research and development sites in Germany, Switzerland, the US and Singapore. In addition, the Innovation Campus in Wennebostel opened in 2015 with 7,000 square meters of space.[37] According to Sennheiser, the company invested a total of 60.5 million euros in research and development in 2018.[38]

AMBEO 3D Audio

The AMBEO technology program is supposed to cover immersive audio products and activities from recording through processing and mixing to playback. According to the company, the technology is applicable in areas such as realistic live concert broadcasts, sports broadcasting, 3D recordings, exhibition installations, VR/AR/XR applications and 3D audio for the home.[39]

Sennheiser has been recording 9.1 music since 2010 and has developed an upmix algorithm that generates 9.1 music from conventional stereo recordings. The AMBEO Music Blueprints provide information about the recording, mixing and playback of live music in 3D audio.[40] The first AMBEO product to be introduced in 2016 was the AMBEO VR Mic for professional VR/AR/XR sound recording.[41] Sennheisser created the first augmented audio listening accessory for Magic Leap’s AR/VR goggles, the AMBEO AR One.[42]

Awards & nominations

In 2002, founder Fritz Sennheiser received with the Audio Engineering Society's gold medal.[43] In 2004, Prof. Fritz Sennheiser was awarded the Diesel Medal of the German Institute for Inventions, the oldest innovation prize in Germany.[44] In 2013, Sennheiser is honored with the Primetime Emmy Engineering Award, the Philo T. Farnsworth Award. The prize honors the company's contribution to TV production technology.[45]

In 2015, Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser receives the German Founder's Prize in the Lifetime Achievement category.[46]

In 2017, Dr. Andreas Sennheiser and Daniel Sennheiser are awarded the title Entrepreneur of The Year from Ernst and Young.[47]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Annual Report – Sennheiser". en-de.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Sennheiser Worldwide". en-us.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Fritz Sennheiser gestorben", Heise Online (in German), 19 May 2010
  4. ^ Everington, John. "Off hours: Sennheiser co-chief makes sweet music". The National. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  5. ^ Mr Ugesh A. Joseph (28 January 2014). The 'Made in Germany' Champion Brands: Nation Branding, Innovation and World Export Leadership. Gower Publishing, Ltd. pp. 396–. ISBN 978-1-4094-6648-2.
  6. ^ "Sennheiser - About Us - Meet The Company - Sennheiser History - Animated". en-uk.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Sennheiser's success". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  8. ^ "History of Sennheiser headphones". Soundearphones.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  9. ^ Studio Sound and Broadcast Engineering. Link House Publications. 1993.
  10. ^ Anselm Roessler (2003). Neumann: The Microphone Company : a Story of Innovation, Excellence and the Spirit of Audio Engineering. PPVMedien. ISBN 978-3-932275-68-5.
  11. ^ "Sennheiser, William Demant Holding Announce Joint Venture". Mixonline. 25 October 2002. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  12. ^ David. "Sennheiser takes over Klein & Hummel". LSi Online. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Sennheiser - Our History". en-de.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  14. ^ Curtis, Sophie. "Sennheiser: German audio pioneer prepares for the 'next milestone'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  15. ^ "At InfoComm: Sennheiser Sets Streaming Subsidiary". ProSoundNetwork.com. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Dear Reality Becomes Part of the Sennheiser Group". AudioTechnology. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  17. ^ Vincent, James (7 May 2021). "Sennheiser's headphone business has been bought by hearing aid manufacturer Sonova". The Verge. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Sennheiser celebrates official opening of new factory in Brașov, Romania". Sennheiser. 6 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Sennheiser subsidiaries". en-de.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Sennheiser Stores". en-de.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  21. ^ "The Sennheiser MKH-416: From Brand Name to Industry Standard". B&H Explora. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  22. ^ "Sennheiser's New Orpheus Headphones Cost a Cool $55,000 USD". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  23. ^ "Microphones & Wireless Systems". en-us.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  24. ^ "Headphones - Sennheiser". en-us.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  25. ^ "Professional Conference Microphones Solutions - Meeting Microphones Solutions - Sennheiser". en-us.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  26. ^ "Loudspeakers for presentations - Audio Solutions - Sennheiser". en-us.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  27. ^ "Consumer Electronics Division". en-de.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  28. ^ "Professional Systems Division". en-de.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  29. ^ "Freitag x Sennheiser URBANITE Collection Combines Reclaimed Style With Unsurpassed Performance". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  30. ^ "Dior Homme Teams up With Sennheiser for a Slick Lineup of Audio Equipment". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  31. ^ "In-ear headphones". What Hi-Fi?. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  32. ^ a b Why Sennheiser Electronic is bringing production home from China, IndiaTimes
  33. ^ "Expansion at Headquarters in Wedemark: Sennheiser Showcases its Innovation Campus - ETNow.com". Etnow.com. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  34. ^ SENNHEISER CELEBRATES 70 YEARS OF INNOVATION, AV Magazine
  35. ^ How Sennheiser kept it in the family, CNBC
  36. ^ "Audio titan enters the music business". Scmp.com. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  37. ^ "Expansion at Headquarters in Wedemark: Sennheiser Showcases its Innovation Campus". en-uk.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  38. ^ "Fiscal year 2018: Sennheiser achieves slight increase in turnover". Sennheiser. 18 June 2019.
  39. ^ "AMBEO Homepage". en-de.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  40. ^ "Sennheiser Ambeo Music Blueprints website launched". www.fast-and-wide.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  41. ^ Magazine, Keyboard. "Sennheiser Releases AMBEO VR Mic". KeyboardMag. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  42. ^ Larcher, Veronique. "Q&A with Dr. Veronique Larcher: Director of AMBEO Immersive Audio, Sennheiser". Immersive Audio Album.
  43. ^ "AES Fellowship Award » Fritz Sennheiser". www.aes.org. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  44. ^ "Prof. Dr. Sennheiser Awarded Diesel Medal in Munich". Creative Planet Network. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  45. ^ "Winners Announced for the 65th Primetime Emmy Engineering Awards". Television Academy. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  46. ^ "The sound of his life: Professor Dr. Jörg Sennheiser gets awarded the Deutsche Gründerpreis 2015 in the Lifetime Achievement category". en-de.sennheiser.com. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  47. ^ Hirn, Wolfgang (10 March 2020). "Leise Töne, klare Laute". Manager Magazin.
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