PROFILE
Dr . Andreas Sennheiser
By Andrew King
Dr . Andreas Sennheiser was the honoured guest at the recent grand opening reception for Sennheiser Canada ’ s new Montreal headquarters . Before cutting the ribbon to formally mark the occasion , he credited Canada for playing a critical part in the parent company ’ s ongoing success .
From collaborations with major production and integration companies to world-class recording studios to high-profile users like Celine Dion , Bryan Adams , and Simple Plan , the German manufacturer has benefited significantly from its presence in Canada over the years . The new Montreal facility , he says , represents a commitment to keeping that relationship strong .
“ We believe that being close to customers with sales and service benefits them , but that proximity also helps us to learn from them ,” says Dr . Sennheiser .“ A good example of that here is Cirque du Soleil , because their ideas are often things that have never been done before , and being in close communication and proximity helps us to understand what they really need . So it ’ s kind of a no-brainer for us ; we ’ re here to sustain and support our customers , and [ this new office ] is just another commitment to that .”
Dr . Sennheiser and his brother , Daniel , were named the CEOs of the company bearing their name in 2013 , and they haven ’ t wasted any time in shaping its direction for the future .
“ Some of the seeds we ’ ve planted that have already showed some promise are embarking into new technologies , like the AR and VR space , and also the reorganization of the company , going from a territorial approach to a more global , customer-oriented approach ,” he offers . “ Those are changes that we know have been beneficial for our customers , and thus , also for us .”
The company has a well-earned reputation as an innovator , and Dr . Sennheiser makes it very clear that maintaining that reputation is paramount . As such , a key idea he and his brother are championing company-wide is that the probability of having a good idea is higher when you have many ideas .
Another is being able to recognize incoming trends as early as possible , and not being afraid to take risks in pursuing opportunities related to them .
“ So for instance , if you look at areas where we ’ re a leader , like solutions for AR and VR , that happens because we looked at those trends at a very early stage and made a bet that they ’ d become significant ,” he reveals . “ We try to figure out what ’ s happening at the ground level , below most people ’ s perception , and if you look at things where we ’ re strong right now , 15 or 20 years ago , those may have come from that little bit of noise that other people didn ’ t hear at the time , but we did .”
As far as currently emerging trends where he and his team recognize some potential , Dr . Sennheiser offers a quick peek at his hand : “ New audio and video formats that allow you to have a real , lifelike experience at home .” He elaborates : “ With VR goggles now , you ’ re just locked into your own world and the audio reproduction is usually poor ; in five or 10 years , we ’ re probably going to be used to technology where the barrier between reality and reproduction is going to be torn down .”
As such , Sennheiser has started to partner with content creators investing in volumetric video capture , including some that have shot major blockbuster films – “ so basically capturing all angles at the same time , so the viewer can move within the scene being reproduced and take any position they want ,” the CEO explains , “ and we ’ re developing the corresponding audio solutions for that .”
When it comes to making major decision , like which risks might yield long-term rewards , Dr . Sennheiser works in close tandem with this brother . Instead of dividing responsibilities between them , they prefer to tackle challenges together to benefit from one another ’ s unique perspectives .
“ My brother is an industrial designer and I ’ m an engineer , so we can look at the same topic from really different angles ,” he shares . “ If we divided responsibilities , I think we ’ d lose that advantage .”
The company is currently experiencing strong growth in the vertical of corporate and educational communications as an evergrowing number of companies and institutions increase their virtual collaborations – including Sennheiser itself .
Looking ahead to the rest of 2018 and early 2019 , Dr . Sennheiser cites a few upcoming product releases , including extensions of the Digital 6000 wireless series , the much-hyped Momentum True Wireless earbuds , and the company ’ s first consumer sound bar , which he describes as being equivalent to a 9.1 surround system in a single unit .
Calling them things “ the world has been waiting for ” likely isn ’ t an overstatement , either , not only considering the company ’ s many benchmark innovations , but also the fact that now more than ever , those innovations are being driven by direct input from customers and partners around the globe .
Of course , that includes Canada , and the fancy new digs certainly won ’ t hurt in generating that input going forward .
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Sound .
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