Sennheiser Invests in Dear Reality, Acquires Sonic Emotion

Sennheiser has announced an investment in Dear Reality, experts in spatial audio algorithms and audio VR/AR software, and the acquisition of technologies from Sonic Emotion, a developer of award-winning 3D audio software and processing solutions.

Both companies have developed unique expertise and tools for the creation and rendering of immersive audio in object-based and scene-based formats.

“We are excited to be complementing our broad AMBEO expertise with additional capabilities in the areas of processing, controlling and reproducing object-based immersive audio,” said Daniel Sennheiser, co-CEO of Sennheiser.

Co-CEO Dr. Andreas Sennheiser added, “Augmented audio will play a huge role in the future, and this expansion will further strengthen our position as the go-to experts in the field of augmented and mixed reality applications.”

Dear Reality GmbH, based in Germany, has specialized in innovative software tools for the professional audio production of both interactive and linear content in VR/AR. Dear Reality’s Spatial Connect software enables an innovative, fully immersive workflow for VR/AR audio productions, while dearVR is a 3D audio engine for digital audio workstations and interactive platforms such as Unity.

“With Sennheiser, we share the conviction that immersive audio is the future of audio productions and that augmented audio will become important for our everyday life,” said Dear Reality co-CEOs Achim Fell and Christian Sander. “We are very happy to have found a strong partner in Sennheiser that will enable us to develop high-quality software solutions for immersive audio production and perception. Our products close the gap between recording equipment and reproduction hardware to create a comprehensive production workflow that is compatible with every headphone in the world.”

The acquisition of technologies from Swiss-based Sonic Emotion brings immersive audio solutions for soundfield control and loudspeaker playback to Sennheiser’s AMBEO technologies. Sonic Emotion’s object-audio workflow and 3D software licensing portfolio enable an immersive, fully natural audio experience for a multitude of consumer devices including soundbars, headphones, boomboxes, laptops and smartphones.

“The algorithms developed by Sonic Emotion will now be combined with the strong product portfolio and algorithms of Sennheiser,” said Renato Pellegrini, co-founder of Sonic Emotion AG, who joined the AMBEO team in January. “There is a huge potential in our joint expertise, and I am very much looking forward to the resulting products, which will make the future of audio ever more real for our customers.”