Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser To Be Inducted Into The Consumer Electronics Hall Of Fame

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that audio pioneer Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser is to be inducted into its CE Hall of Fame. The 95-year-old founder of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG is one of twelve honorees to be inducted in 2008, 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 honored 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 in Germany, 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 honor 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 honorees will be officially inducted into the CE Hall of Fame during an awards dinner in October.

Since the founding of the CE Hall of Fame in 2000, the panel of industry experts has selected new honorees each year. Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser joins impressive company in 2008, capturing the incredible honor alongside such industry greats as Ken Kutaragi, who encouraged the development of Sony's PlayStation gaming console; Martin Cooper and Donald Linder, who developed the first mobile phone, the Motorola DynaTAC, in less than six months; and Joe Clayton, CEO of Sirius Satellite Radio and former head of RCA/Thomson. Past honorees include such inventors and scientists as Heinrich Hertz, Alexander G. Bell and Nikola Tesla.