Sennheiser
Wedemark, Lower Saxony, Germany · founded 1945
Sennheiser is a foundational name in headphones — its open-back reference models (HD 600/650/800) are enduring audiophile benchmarks that virtually every enthusiast measures others against. Its inclusion anchors a directory as a mainstream reference point against which boutique makers are compared, even though the consumer brand is now corporate-owned rather than independent.
Sennheiser is a major German audio company founded in June 1945 by Fritz Sennheiser as “Laboratorium Wennebostel” (Labor W) near Hannover, and headquartered in Wedemark, Germany. It is historically one of the most influential names in headphones, credited with the first open-back headphones (the HD 414, 1968) and long a benchmark maker of reference and audiophile headphones. In 2021 the family-owned Sennheiser Group agreed to sell its Consumer Division (headphones, earbuds, soundbars, hearables) to Swiss hearing-care company Sonova Holding AG; the deal closed on March 1, 2022, under a perpetual license to use the Sennheiser brand on consumer products. The original Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG remains family-controlled and focuses on professional audio (microphones, wireless systems, conferencing, plus the Neumann brand).
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At a glance
- Type
- Manufacturer
- Founder
- Fritz Sennheiser
- Founded
- 1945
- Headquarters
- Wedemark, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Price range
- Budget → flagship
- Makes / sells
- over-ear headphones, in-ear monitors (iems), wireless/true-wireless earbuds, electrostatic headphones, gaming headsets, soundbars
- Known for
- open-back dynamic headphones, reference/audiophile tuning, ring-radiator dynamic drivers, electrostatic (Orpheus) systems, true wireless ANC earbuds
- Website
- www.sennheiser.com
Notable products
- HD 600 — Open-back reference headphone; long regarded as a standard for analytical high-fidelity listening (~$499 MSRP).
- HD 650 — Open-back audiophile classic prized for musical, non-fatiguing sound (~$579 MSRP).
- HD 800 S — Flagship open-back built around a 56mm ring-radiator driver, known for its wide soundstage (~$1,999).
- HE-1 (Orpheus) — Ultra-high-end electrostatic headphone/amplifier system, priced around $55,000.
- Momentum 4 Wireless — Flagship true-wireless/over-ear ANC consumer headphone line.
- IE 900 — Top-tier audiophile in-ear monitor (~$1,199).
- HD 414 — Introduced 1968; widely cited as the world's first open-back headphones.
Sources: Sennheiser — Wikipedia · Sonova completes acquisition of the Sennheiser Consumer Division and forms a new business — Sonova International · Our History — Sennheiser Newsroom · Sonova to Sell Sennheiser Consumer Hearing Business — The Hearing Review · Audiophile Headphones — Sennheiser US (Sonova Consumer Hearing USA LLC) · Sennheiser HD 600 — Sennheiser US · Best Sennheiser headphones — SoundGuys