[gikigill]

It's not a lack, just presented as it is.

Mind you, the HD800 will respond well to EQ and a high quality set up.

I run mine off a Bel Canto or RME DAC or the Meridian HPA feeding a Bottlehead SEX2 or the RME/HPA itself.

 

[T 1000]

Why would a team of engineers make flawed headphones? They were created the way the creator imagined them, to the satisfaction of many and to the dissatisfaction of many. I just don't understand why many dissatisfied users bought them

 

[gikigill]

Not to mention, the engineering was done by the same person who engineered both the Orpheus.

 

[playmusic]

A decision has been taken by Sennheiser today:

The consumer division (headphones, soundbars) will be sold to Swiss hearing aid manufacturer Sonova for 200 MEUR.
The Sennheiser facility at Wedemark will be maintained and Sonova will receive a licence for the Sennheiser brand name.

 

[MayaTlab]

Sennheiser made explicit mention that TWS earbuds are the main growth area that they were seeking a partner for. In that light : https://www.phonak.com/com/en/hearing-aids/phonak-virto-marvel.html
Phonak is one of Sonova's brands I believe.
This may be an interesting development for Sonova as well in light of the increasing encroachment of tech brands such as Apple on hearing aids (TWS earbuds with self calibration processes are expected to increase competition against classical hearing aids in the future).

 

[CJG888]

Didn’t Phonak once make IEMs themselves? IIRC, they had a good reputation (similar to Etymotic)…

 

[CantScareMe]

Hmmm...interesting news. I remember Phonak very well - PFE 232 were one of my favourite IEM's back in the day

They wound down their headphone division given it didn't compete with margins/profits from their other products. But then again, not many products can compete with the astonishing margins of hearing aids.

 

[jbarrentine]

Told ya.

 

[CantScareMe]

I reckon they'll brutally cull a lot of products from sennheisers lineup

 

[EOSHD]

Some thoughts:

Perhaps we can get excited by Sennheiser pro brands. Neumann NDH 20 are a great closed back. Still a door open for Sennheiser engineers to develop very good studio cans. Maybe not so much $1000 open back or another HD800, but certainly a Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro type class of headphone.

I think Sonova are just interested in the brand recognition for consumer IEMs and smartphone junk. Apple have a $500+ over ear headphone now though so maybe they will compete along those lines too and not just true wireless buds.

Consumer low-end audio is dying. Chinese have taken over on Amazon. There has to be a high margin in the stuff that Sonova puts out next. I'd say at least 90% of the Sennheiser consumer line under $200 will be culled or replaced with just 2 or 3 products. The high-end stuff may well survive though...

 

[Quartzwald]

Sonova has competent personnel and is a engineering-focused company like Sennheiser, with their own technological strengths in audio. Kinda like the Euro version of Etymotic. Time will tell how this will shape up however.

PS: I owned one of their IEMs back in the day, the Phonak PFE 122, which was a very good earphone for its time.

 

[Wiljen]

Ok so it was just announced that Swiss Firm Sonova has purchased Sennheiser's Consumer division for 200 Million Euro, but in the press conference the Sennheiser's refer to Sonova as a partner. What am I missing here? I thought partner was 50/50 or maybe 60/40. If they bought the division outright as the media seems to suggest, then they aren't a partner, they are the new owner.

 

[T 1000]

Exciting waiting for the first products

 

[roskodan]

What does it change for us head-fi-ers? Sennheiser will still continue to develop headphones for the pro market, right? There is nothing preventing them to make hi-fi "pro" headphones. HD800S -> HD800P.

 

[RickB]

Sennheiser’s sold its consumer audio business and I hate it​

https://thenextweb.com/news/sennheiser-sold-consumer-audio-business-sonova-hate-analysis