Research and development

Overview

“Shaping the future of the audio world and creating unique sound experiences for customers”

This statement is what has shaped the company since it was founded over 70 years ago.

Today, Sennheiser has a total of four research and development sites in Germany, Switzerland, the USA and Singapore. The Innovation Campus in Wennebostel, Germany, was opened in 2015 and is one of the most modern centres for innovation in the audio industry. With 7,000 square meters of space it is also one of the largest.

The company invested a total of 60.5 million euros in research and development in 2018, which corresponds to around 8.5 percent of total sales. While the focus in the Consumer segment is on expanding the product portfolio to include 'Smart & Connected' solutions, research and development, the Professional segment focus is on digital wireless transmission. Under the AMBEO brand name, 3D audio or immersive audio is a future priority area for Sennheiser. For this reason, the audio specialist acquired a majority stake in Dear Reality, a company specializing in spatial audio algorithms and VR/AR audio software, as well as 2018 IPs and patents from Sonic Emotion, a developer of 3D audio software and processing solutions.

AMBEO 3D Audio

3D audio provides a completely natural, immersive sound experience. The AMBEO technology program has a holistic (end-to-end) approach, covering Sennheiser's immersive audio products and activities from recording through processing and mixing to playback. According to the company, the technology opens numerous application areas such as realistic live concert broadcasts, sports broadcasting, 3D recordings, exhibition installations, VR/AR/XR applications and 3D audio for the home.

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.

The first AMBEO product to be introduced in 2016 was the AMBEO VR Mic for professional VR/AR/XR sound recording. 2017 saw the launch of the AMBEO Smart Headset, the first product for consumers. In the same year, Sennheiser launched the "AMBEO for VR" partner program, which ensures smooth workflows in the production of VR and AR content and includes a cooperation with renowned manufacturers of field recorders, mixing consoles, live streaming software, mix plug-ins and VR platforms. In 2018, Sennheiser introduced the AMBEO AR One, an in-ear receiver for the Magic Leap One AR glasses. The AMBEO Soundbar has been available to consumers since 2019.

Sennheiser continues to develop its AMBEO portfolio – many AMBEO products are developed jointly with customers or with the involvement of users, producers and technology partners. Since 2016, Sennheiser has also been using AMBEO technologies in the context of exhibitions such as "David Bowie Is", "You Say You Want a Revolution? Records & Rebels 1966 - 1970" and the Pink Floyd exhibition "Their Mortal Remains".

Global presence

Distribution companies

With a total of 21 sales subsidiaries and long-standing trading partners, Sennheiser is active in more than 50 countries. The company has its own sales companies in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Austria, Russia, Switzerland, Australia, China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and the USA.

Sennheiser Stores

To make Sennheiser products accessible to customers, the family-owned company opened its first Sennheiser stores in 2016. 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.