MUMBAI: When Fritz Sennheiser cobbled together a lab in Wennebostel back in 1945, few would have guessed his garage-born dream would become a global heavyweight in audio innovation.

But 80 years on, the family-owned Sennheiser Group continues to make noise in all the right ways, combining legacy with the lust for what lies ahead.

Marking its 80 anniversary this June, Sennheiser is using the milestone not to bask in nostalgia, but to chart its future. “We live and breathe audio in everything we do”, said co-CEO Daniel Sennheiser. “That’s what defines us”.

His brother, Andreas Sennheiser, echoed the sentiment, “When we look back on our company history, it’s less about the number of years and more about what we have learned from the past for our future”.

And what a noisy past it’s been. From the first wireless mic in 1957 to the recent launch of Spectera in 2024—a bidirectional, digital broadband system—Sennheiser has turned tuning forks into sonic revolutions. Spectera stands as the brand’s most daring leap yet in wireless technology, built with the wisdom of decades and customer input.

The company’s signature creative discontent remains its not-so-secret sauce. Fritz Sennheiser once quipped that engineers need space for "crazy ideas"—a motto that led to the DM 2 mic (1947), the MD 421 (1960), and the open-back HD 414 headphones (1968). The HD 25s (1988) became club favourites, while the HD 800 (2009) thrilled audiophiles, and the HE 1 (2015) reimagined the iconic Orpheus.

Under Jörg Sennheiser, the brand expanded internationally, capturing stages, studios, and even historic moments. “Our products tell stories of people from all over the world”, said Daniel. “These stories are what bring our technology to life—because they show how sound can touch people”.

But Sennheiser is not just looking back. It invests over 8 per cent of its turnover annually into R&D, building hybrid hardware-software ecosystems and pushing the limits of sound tech. As Andreas puts it, "Innovation is not a destination, but a path. And on this path, each of our products contains 80 years of experience".

Throughout this year, Sennheiser will showcase these legacy milestones online, with behind-the-scenes stories, interviews, and deep dives into the quirks and quirks of its most famous (and failed) innovations. Because sometimes, a product that flopped paved the way for one that rocked the charts.

For more about its products and anniversary campaign, visit www.sennheiser.com.