Sennheiser's Owners Want To Sell Its Consumer Headphone Business

Hearing assistance institution Sonova has put its Sennheiser user audio section connected nan auction artifact little than 5 years aft acquiring it, nan institution announced connected Reddit. "Today Sonova announced they intend to divest nan business and will attraction connected Hearing Care," Sonova wrote, adding it intends to find "the correct caller owner."

Sennheiser's user audio section chiefly manufactures high-end headphones for illustration nan HD 400, HD 500, HD 600 and HD 800 bid and precocious launched nan HDB 630, $500 wireless headphones aimed astatine audiophiles. The company's astir (in)famous lineup is nan HE series, which includes nan $55,000 HE 90 and €89,990 HE 1.

Sonova primitively purchased Sennheiser pinch nan intent of expanding its demographic to younger customers. At nan time, it said "even if [young people] don't person proceeding loss, astir of them will gradually get proceeding nonaccomplishment pinch age, and devices for illustration Sennheiser's let america to person earlier user entree to specified people." For its part, Sennheiser said it wanted to relinquish its user business successful bid to attraction connected its pro audio, business and Neumann (high-end microphone) divisions that it still owns.

Things apparently didn't spell to plan, though. Sonova's Sennheiser division's income successful nan past half-year declined significantly year-over-year and nan institution was deed pinch a €6 cardinal good complete its unit pricing practices (that occurred anterior to nan acquisition). However, nan company's caller products person been praised by nan audiophile organization arsenic a return to erstwhile form, pinch Engadget's audio reviewer Billy Steele calling nan HDB 630 "a sonic marvel."