The list of product innovations from Sennheiser is as extensive as it is impressive. Sennheiser has made a significant impact on the evolution of audio technology over the past seven decades, from the world's very first open earphone, the HD 414, and the wireless stage technology pioneered by the Digital 9000 system to present-day innovations such as MobileConnect, an inclusive audio-streaming solution for hearing-impaired people. Numerous patents and awards - including an Emmy, a Grammy and an Oscar - bear witness to the company's unique innovative drive
"In the past, our products have surprised and amazed the audio world over and over again. Why? Because they have gone beyond the common standard. As a result, nobody anticipated them," says Dr. Andreas Sennheiser.
The company was founded on 1 June, 1945 as Laboratorium Wennebostel - or "Labor W" for short - by electrical engineer Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser in Wedemark, near Hanover, Germany. Initially, the young enterprise produced tube volt meters. They sold well, but Fritz Sennheiser had higher ambitions: Driven by the ethos of making good existing products even better while advancing new technologies, the lab developed a constant stream of new solutions.
The product range gradually expanded over the years. In 1947, Sennheiser launched its first microphone developed in-house. The first 'shotgun' microphone followed in 1956, and a year later the company was already producing 100 different types of products. In early 1958, Labor W was renamed Sennheiser electronic - the inception of a brand that ten years later would spark a worldwide boom by developing and producing the first open earphone.
In May 1982, Sennheiser saw its first change of generations. Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser, son of Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser, was appointed managing director, while his father became a limited partner. Over the years, Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser gradually modernized and internationalized the company's structure, turning Sennheiser into a GmbH & Co. KG.
Cutting-edge developments across various areas of acoustics, and new sales and service locations worldwide, followed with unprecedented momentum. Sennheiser opened an additional production plant in Tullamore, Ireland, and a branch office for research and development in Burbank, California, USA. An additional plant followed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, and a joint venture with Denmark's William Demant Holding was initiated, forging a path for the founding of Sennheiser Communications A/S in 2003.
In July 2013, Daniel Sennheiser and Dr. Andreas Sennheiser, the sons of Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser, took over as the CEOs of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG. Both share their grandfather and father's entrepreneurial ambition of aiming to shape the entire audio sector through a dynamic culture of innovation and an uncompromised passion for excellence.
Thanks to this spirit, Labor W, a start-up based in a half-timbered house in Wedemark, has grown to become a global player, sustaining a continual increase in turnover over the decades. Today, Sennheiser has more than 2,700 employees, with around half of them based in Germany. In 2013, the family company, whose Management Board still regards independence as a core value, generated turnover of approximately 590.4m.
As an innovation-driven company, Sennheiser will continue playing a key role in shaping the future of audio. The foundations for this have already been laid, with
