The Consumer Electronics Association® (CEA) in the USA has announced that audio pioneer Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser is to be inducted into their CE Hall of Fame. The 95-year-old founder of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG is one of twelve 2008 honourees, and has been chosen by the expert jury in the category “Founders and Inventors”.

“We are as excited about this announcement as is Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser himself,” said Volker Bartels, Speaker of the Sennheiser Executive Team. “Fritz Sennheiser still takes a keen interest in the company he founded, and feels very honoured by this recognition from the American consumer electronics industry.” Under the management of Fritz Sennheiser, who also taught RF wireless technology and electro-acoustics at Hanover University, the family-owned company designed many important innovations. These included the shotgun microphone in the 1950s, open-back headphones in the 1960s, infrared transmission technology in the 1970s and revolutionary developments in multi-channel wireless technology in the early 1980s.

Volker Bartels: “Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser’s motto was to allow his developers to give free rein to their creative ideas, no matter how crazy they might seem. And his staff translated this freedom and trust into innovative audio solutions.” Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of CEA, praised the 2008 inductees: “I am proud to honour the accomplishments of these twelve leaders in the consumer technology industry, which provides the products and services that inform, educate, entertain and keep consumers connected. They inspire all of us.” The twelve honourees will be officially inducted into the CE Hall of Fame during an awards dinner in October.

The CE Hall of Fame was founded in 2000 — every year, a panel of industry experts decides on new honourees. Hall of fame members include inventors and scientists such as Emil Berliner, Heinrich Hertz, Alan D. Blumlein, Alexander G. Bell and Nikola Tesla, alongside current pioneers such as the inventors of the MP3 format, Dieter Seitzer, Heinz Gerhäuser and Karlheinz Brandenburg. Other members comprise executives, engineers, retailers and journalists who provided significant contributions to the consumer electronics industry.

The CEA is the pre-eminent trade association in the US consumer electronics industry, counting more than 2,200 companies among its members. The association supports its members through legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. The CEA also sponsors and manages the annual International Consumer Electronics Show.

The Sennheiser Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. A family firm established in 1945 and based in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, the company recorded sales of over 356 million euros in 2006, 82% of which was generated abroad. Sennheiser employs over 1,800 people worldwide, around 55% of whom are in Germany. Sennheiser has manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA and is represented worldwide by subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as through long-term trading partners in other countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin (studio microphones), K + H Vertriebs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (Klein + Hummel studio monitors, installed sound) and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications A/S (headsets for PCs, offices and call centres). 

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You can find out the latest information on Sennheiser by visiting http://www.sennheiser.com/ or contacting:

Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG 
Press officer • Edelgard Marquardt 
Am Labor 1 • 30900 Wedemark 
Tel: +49 (5130) 600-329 
Fax: +49 (5130) 600-295 
E-mail: edelgard.marquardt@sennheiser.com  

fischerAppelt Kommunikation
Laura Pizzolante
Waterloohain 5 • 22769 Hamburg
Tel:  +49 (711) 17-62723
Fax: +49 (711) 17-63333
E-mail: lp@fischerappelt.de