[vkenz]

https://appleinsider.com/articles/2...s-acoustical-insulator-for-future-airpods-max

Does this mean apple could be copying the HD820 glass? Could apple be buying sennheiser?

 

[MayaTlab]

https://appleinsider.com/articles/2...s-acoustical-insulator-for-future-airpods-max

Does this mean apple could be copying the HD820 glass? Could apple be buying sennheiser?

No. The patent makes its clear that it’s either for cosmetic reasons or to facilitate touch sensing or wireless charging.
The HD820’s glass covers were decided upon for marketing reasons, not acoustic ones. Otherwise it wouldn’t measure as crappily as it does. The entire HD820 project anyway is a marketing first project, not something aimed at furthering sound quality of closed back headphones.
There is nothing for Apple to gain by buying Sennheiser. Apple’s technical expertise runs circles around Sennheiser’s in the areas that now matter for consumer audio products and the brand is stronger for consumer applications.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

There is nothing for Apple to gain by buying Sennheiser. Apple’s technical expertise runs circles around Sennheiser’s in the areas that now matter for consumer audio products and the brand is stronger for consumer applications.

What absolute drivel. Apple’s technical expertise is so good they bought Beats.

 

[bfreedma]

What absolute drivel. Apple’s technical expertise is so good they bought Beats.

Apple bought Beats for the brand name and as an entry point into the market, not for their technology.

Senn has nowhere near the public brand awareness (or sales/profit) of Beats in the general population, so it has little value to Apple.

 

[jbarrentine]

Ordered another HD660S for backup. They are of course temporarily out of stock on Amazon atm. Losing Sennheiser's stuff would make me incredibly sad. Nothing else is as spot on to my ears as the HD600 and 660S.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Apple bought Beats for the brand name and as an entry point into the market, not for their technology.

Senn has nowhere near the public brand awareness (or sales/profit) of Beats in the general population, so it has little value to Apple.

Sennheiser tech far exceeds the audio quality of anything Apple. Period.

 

[MayaTlab]

Sennheiser tech far exceeds the audio quality of anything Apple. Period.

Measurements of their respective wireless audio products speak to the contrary. Period.

 

[MayaTlab]

Ordered another HD660S for backup. They are of course temporarily out of stock on Amazon atm. Losing Sennheiser's stuff would make me incredibly sad. Nothing else is as spot on to my ears as the HD600 and 660S.

Personally I’m not too worried about the HD6something line. By now it’s probably quite cheap for Sennheiser to make, production has already successfully been moved to different locations, and the resulting product remains super-competitive and beloved. I’d be surprised if any partner / buyer would axe it from the lineup.

 

[Heyyoudvd]

Has there been any news regarding what Axel Grell is up to these days?

I’d be curious to know if he just retired or if he went elsewhere or even started his own company like the AKG people did (Austrian Audio). Has there been any news on that front?

 

[AmericanSpirit]

If Apple cared about hifi anything they would have done it by now. No, make no mistake, the worst consumer products Sennheiser ever came up with are better than the best iAnything that will ever see the light of day

Ah..I cant say that about Sennheiser CX300 is better than any apple's airpods pro. It sounds like your perception toward apple product stoped at old iPod generations.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Measurements of their respective wireless audio products speak to the contrary. Period.

Sennheiser at least did their part on TWS, one of the pioneers. That I used to love the challenging spirit until their Momentum series...
I paid like $600 for an exotic wireless technology called KLEER back in a decade for Sennheiser's high-end wireless earbuds MXW1, the sound was errr..." missing base and treble extensions" . Well Sennheiser at least tried...and lessons learned.

 

[MayaTlab]

Sennheiser at least did their part on TWS, one of the pioneers. That I used to love the challenging spirit until their Momentum series...
I paid like $500 for an exotic wireless technology called KLEER back in a decade for Sennheiser's highend wireless earbuds MXW1, the sound was errr..." missing base and treble extensions" . Well Sennheiser at least tried...and I learned.

They were a wireless pioneer but didn't execute well in the last few years, and right now they just don't have the resources to compete in the age of wireless, convenient, smart, active headphones with feedback mechanisms (which at some point will also be the ones with the most accurate sound rendition, passive dumb headphones have inherent limitations that only smart, active ones can solve).
What Sennheiser is looking for is a company that can benefit from their name, as it's their most valuable asset, and which in turn can provide them with the engineering and manufacturing resources they need. A typical example (perhaps too typical to be true), would be Huawei : they could use Sennheiser's name to prop up their audio credentials as they're starting to develop their lineup of audio devices, while providing the engineering and manufacturing resources Sennheiser could benefit from (as an illustration Huawei is one of the very few companies that could afford to design their own audio over bluetooth chip). Something in a similar vein to "Samsung tuned by AKG" - even though AKG here is just an immaterial brand and represents no team or R&D centre in particular.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

They were a wireless pioneer but didn't execute well in the last few years, and right now they just don't have the resources to compete in the age of wireless, convenient, smart, active headphones with feedback mechanisms (which at some point will also be the ones with the most accurate sound rendition, passive dumb headphones have inherent limitations that only smart, active ones can solve).
What Sennheiser is looking for is a company that can benefit from their name, as it's their most valuable asset, and which in turn can provide them with the engineering and manufacturing resources they need. A typical example (perhaps too typical to be true), would be Huawei : they could use Sennheiser's name to prop up their audio credentials as they're starting to develop their lineup of audio devices, while providing the engineering and manufacturing resources Sennheiser could benefit from (as an illustration Huawei is one of the very few companies that could afford to design their own audio over bluetooth chip). Something in a similar vein to "Samsung tuned by AKG" - even though AKG here is just an immaterial brand and represents no team or R&D centre in particular.

Yup, Huawei sounds like it, I own a couple of Huawei's products and their quality as a consumer product is stepping onto top-tier's (Say Apple, Samsung).
Anyway, I hope Sennheiser's consumer product remains on the market, in any form, that's my hope as one of many, raised by Sennheiser's sound.

 

[MayaTlab]

Anyway, I hope Sennheiser's consumer product remains on the market, in any form, that's my hope as one of many, raised by Sennheiser's sound.

Personally I hope that the employees will keep their job and that Sennheiser's research centres and facilities will continue to find some decent use. In other words inasmuch as the most valuable thing Sennheiser can sell is their brand, I hope that their new partner / buyer won't be interested in just that and will see value in other aspects of the consumer division.

 

[Bytor123]

Won't the knowledge and expertise that is relevant make its way to other outlets?