Just a few months ago, Sennheiser announced that it was looking for a buyer for its consumer products business, including its popular audiophile headphones. Sennheiser announced that it would be acquired by Swiss hearing aid company Sonova later this year.

The €200 million ($243 million) acquisition will give Sonova ownership of the Sennheiser brand and product lineup. Sennheiser will now focus primarily on its professional product line.

However, the Sonova HD 800 S will not replace the flagship Sennheiser HD 800 S in stores. The agreement also includes future licensing of the Sennheiser brand, ensuring that the Sennheiser brand will remain the face of consumer headphones.

In addition, as part of the agreement, the two companies have agreed to permanent cooperation terms. What this means for the design of future products is unclear, but if it helps keep future Sennheiser consumer products close to the Sennheiser tradition, it will be beneficial to all. Sennheiser's unshakable reputation in the audiophile market has been consistently earned over the years with decent high-end headphones, and it would be a shame to see it shaken at all.

Sennheiser also employs about 600 people in its consumer division. All of these employees should be moving to Sonova, as a complete transfer of operations is intended as part of the new contract.

You can read what co-CEOs Andreas and Daniel Sennheiser, the third generation family owners of this audio company, think about this transfer in this message on the Sennheiser website. [Sennheiser co-CEO Daniel Sennheiser said, "There is no better partner for our consumer electronics business than Sonova. Sonova is a powerful and well-positioned company." Not only do we share a passion for unique audio experiences, but we also have very similar corporate values. This gives us an excellent foundation for our future success together."

This is not the first time Sennheiser has licensed its brand to other brands. In fact, the company's gaming headsets, particularly the GSP lineup, were manufactured and produced under a joint venture between Sennheiser and Demant, then known as Sennheiser Communications. This was dissolved in 2020, leading to the formation of EPOS as an independent headset brand offering both new EPOS-branded headphones and co-branded Sennheiser legacy headphones.