When Sennheiser began in a farmhouse situated in Germany (named “Laboratorium Wennebostel,” or “Lab W,” at the time), Dr. Fritz Sennheiser had no idea that his small pro audio company would win an Academy Award. Or an Emmy. Or 30 TEC Awards.
Fritz Sennheiser did, however, possess a vision of the future that would power his company to the forefront of audio tech, even 75 years after its establishment.
This year, the brand celebrates its special milestone with its spirit of adaptation, finding new ways – and new reasons – to celebrate even in the midst of a pandemic.
Sennheiser’s roots trace back to founder Fritz Sennheiser’s first workspace in Hannover, where the business manufactured tube voltmeters. In 1946 – just one year after opening – microphone production began, yielding the DM 1 model. The DM 2, DM 3, and DM 4 models quickly followed, as well as microphone transformer production in 1950. Magnetic miniature headphone and miniature transformers (to be used in hearing aids), as well as the first interference tube microphone for TV and movies, all joined Lab W’s roster of products in the 1950s. By the company’s 10-year anniversary, Sennheiser had a staff of 250, and the foundation for the brand’s lengthy legacy had been laid.
In 1958, Lab W was renamed Sennheiser electronic.
“Since its humble beginnings, the company has been responsible for many industry innovations including the first shotgun microphone in the 1950s, open-back headphones in the 1960s, infrared transmission technology in the 1970s and revolutionary developments in multi-channel wireless technology in the early 1980s,” explains Kevin Waehner, head of Strategic Planning, Professional Audio, Sennheiser.
Some contributions remain ubiquitous decades later; even folks who work outside of the music and entertainment industries rely on open headphones for at-home or on-the-go listening. Sennheiser’s HD 414 headphones, first introduced in 1968, still hold the title for the bestselling headphones in history, with over 10 million units sold.
Contributions in following years, such as the MK 12 (the first professional condenser clip-on microphone for RF wireless transmission), the MKE 40 (the first directional clip-on microphone), and the MKH series, elevated Sennheiser to new heights. In 1977, Sennheiser opened its second production plant, and 1982 saw Fritz pass the management baton to his son, professor Dr. Jörg Sennheiser.
As the company grew exponentially in the 1980s and 1990s, its footprint quickly became global, establishing Sennheiser UK, Sennheiser France, Sennheiser Belux, Sennheiser Canada, Sennheiser Asia, Sennheiser Nederland, Sennheiser Mexico, Sennheiser Electronic Corporation USA, and a third production plant. Sennheiser also acquired Neumann in 1991, adding more microphone know-how to their already-impressive roster. Top-tier recognition started to pour in, too – the Academy Awards and the Emmy Awards gave accolades to Sennheiser for its contributions to the pro audio world. Fritz also received a Gold Medal from the Audio Engineering Society.
The past decade has seen even more prosperity; Daniel and Dr. Andreas Sennheiser were named CEOs in 2013, and later that year the brand established sales subsidiaries in Australia and New Zealand. Now, in 2020, the company employs over 2,000 people globally and operates in more than 50 countries, with manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland, Romania, and the United States. The headquarters remain in Hannover, Germany, where Sennheiser’s story began.
“We are honored to hold strong relationships with the broadcast, theater and live event communities, who rely on our products to deliver the very best audio for critical applications such as the Super Bowl, the Grammy Awards and concerts by top performing artists,” Waehner adds. “Our products are also heavily used by filmmakers in Hollywood and around the world. Musicians, producers and engineers know us for seminal products such as the MD 421 dynamic microphone, our evolution family of stage microphones and the U87 condenser microphone from our wholly owned subsidiary, Neumann. Broadcasters know us for our renowned shotgun mics, such as the MKH 416. We are also well known for our headphones – including the HD 25 and HD 280 Pro – which are used in various capacities in live and recorded music production.”
Adapting in Real Time
But with such success comes significant challenges, like the shrinking spectrum available for wireless microphone users due to government limitations. Waehner cites this as one of the largest hurdles that Sennheiser has cleared in recent memory.
“As governments around the world continue to legislate and limit the frequencies available for wireless microphone users, we have had to educate our end users and the market at large, petition governments around the world and make our wireless technology even more innovative and efficient,” he says. “Such industry shifts have led to new products and innovations such as our Digital 6000 and Digital 9000 systems, which are now used by top international touring artists and broadcast professionals around the world.”
He adds: “Sennheiser has consistently advocated for wireless microphone users around the world to ensure they are able to continue using these critical tools for their events and activities. The Digital 6000 and Digital 9000 wireless systems are examples of how our product innovations have helped the market move forward despite the hurdles we have encountered.”
Even in the middle of a pandemic, the company finds new ways to adapt to the ever-shifting market. In response to our new social-distanced reality, Sennheiser launched a #DontStopTheEducation series of educational seminars and our #DontStopTheMusic series of livestreamed concerts as part of their 75th anniversary celebrations.
“These programs highlighted the resilience of the broader music community in challenging times, and how Sennheiser remains a steadfast manufacturing partner,” Waehner says. A different online campaign allows longtime Sennheiser users and fans to leave wishes for the company from around the world. They rolled out anniversary editions of some products as well, such as the HD 25 headphone and the HD 800 S headphone.
“With the onset of COVID-19, our primary concern was maintaining our connections with customers and the broader music community,” Waehner notes. “We quickly pivoted our 75th anniversary plans from in-person events to a digital outreach effort, including a campaign called #ThisIsYourSennheiserCrew to recognize our talented team around the world. Shortly thereafter, we initiated our #DontStopTheMusic and #DontStopTheEducation programs. #DontStopTheMusic is a series of exclusive livestreamed concerts, which is our way of saying that we must continue making music, even in the most challenging of times. This has been a valuable platform for performers, but also for music fans – who were suddenly faced with the absence of live music.”
As did many other audio companies, Sennheiser’s SoundAcademy reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic by offering informative webinars on topics such as wireless microphone operation and mixing for live sound. “#DontStopTheEducation has proved to be a great resource for professionals to stay up to speed on our most recent technology, while furthering their education on general industry trends and best practices, despite being stuck at home,” Waehner explains.
While people have been, in fact, stuck at home, the sales trends across the board for Sennheiser have been notable. Wired studio microphones and headphones have benefitted from an uptick in sales, likely from folks who are working from home. Neumann product sales in particular have been thriving.
“We’d seen strong demand for HD 280 PRO and HD 25 headphones, and demand for our MK4 large diaphragm studio mic has been a challenge to keep up with,” he comments. “Neumann has also seen significant spikes in sales of their most renowned models, such as U87s and TLM 103s. In fact, Neumann is experiencing record microphone sales as more and more people are looking to create music from home. This is perhaps one silver lining in what has been a challenging year for many.”
These recent sales developments go hand-in-hand with a trend that Sennheiser had already been following: the “democratization of audio” (or, in simpler terms, folks having better access to technology and recording from home as a result).
“As more and more home and project studios come on the scene, which are owned by both amateurs and professionals alike, we are seeing them gravitate towards using higher quality equipment,” Waehner says.
And Sennheiser, of course, is poised to provide it. The company’s contributions to immersive audio capture and playback – like the AMBEO technology program – remains at the forefront of Sennheiser’s recent crowning achievements.
“Many of our customers are now capturing audio and mixing in AMBEO – which enables them to create three dimensional soundscapes,” Waehner explains. “This is also leading to more sophisticated recording and mixing environments, and subsequently more sophisticated audio playback platforms on which the end users can experience immersive audio.”
It’s technology that would have been nearly impossible to imagine when Sennheiser started as Lab W in a simple farmhouse 75 years ago. But if time has proved anything, it’s that nothing is ever off the table for this staff of future-oriented pro audio masters. “We are not a company that rests on our past successes or laurels – we are always looking ahead and anticipating what our customers might need tomorrow,” Waehner says. “These concepts, combined with the fact that we remain a privately held company that can take unconventional paths and calculated risks, have earned us a loyal customer following around the world.”
