Sennheiser named as CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Award
Honoree for its IE 800 High-End Headphones
New York, 16 November 2012: Audio specialist Sennheiser today announced
that it has been named an International CES Innovations 2013 Design and
Engineering Awards Honoree for its IE 800 ear-canal phones. Products
entered in this prestigious program are judged by a preeminent panel of
independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the media to
honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting-edge consumer
electronics products across several different product categories.
The IE 800 high-end headphones, which feature a sleek
design
and
scratch-resistant
ceramic
housing,
are
manufactured in Germany to meet the most discriminating
demands of audiophile listeners. The dynamic, audiophilegrade, ear-canal phones offer brilliant trebles, a precise bass
response and a detailed, lifelike sound with a frequency
response of 5 to 46,500 Hz.
Outstanding ear-canal sound system
The interior of the IE 800 conceals many innovations, the centerpiece of which is
Sennheiser’s specially developed Extra Wide Band (XWB) driver. With a diameter
of just 7 mm, it is the smallest wide-band sound transducer currently available in
dynamic headphones. Its operating principle ensures distortion-free sound. The
miniature XWB driver developed by Sennheiser is able to perfectly reproduce the
entire audible frequency spectrum and beyond. The advantage: music is played
back with crystal-clear clarity and with absolute time precision.
The IE 800 also features a vented magnet system. The idea is actually quite simple
and was used for the first time on Sennheiser’s HD 700 high-end headphones.
“The oscillating motion of the diaphragm produces an air flow in the magnet
system housing that causes the diaphragm to wobble slightly,” explained Axel
Grell, Product Manager High-End at Sennheiser. “By positioning two precisely
defined vents in the housing directly under the magnets, we can cause the air to
flow in a specific direction. This minimizes the wobbling motion of the diaphragm
and reduces total harmonic distortion to less than 0.06 percent.”
Highest wearing comfort
The optimum sound properties of the IE 800 are
further enhanced by excellent wearing comfort. The
housing is made of skin-friendly ceramic, while the
ear sleeves are made of silicone. This rules out any
risk of allergies or skin irritation. To guarantee a
perfect fit, Sennheiser has developed new ear
adapters with an oval shape based on extensive
international studies in ergonomics. The IE 800
includes a selection of oval (S/M) and round
(S/M/L) ear adapters for a custom-like fit.
About the CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards
The prestigious Innovations Design and Engineering Awards are sponsored by the
Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the producer of the International CES
and have been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering
since 1976. The Best of Innovations honor is awarded to the products with the
highest judges’ scores and will be featured in the Innovations Design and
Engineering Showcase at the 2013 International CES.
The Innovations entries are judged based on the following criteria: Engineering
qualities, based on technical specs and materials used; aesthetic and design
qualities; the product’s intended use/function and user value; unique/novel
features that consumers would find attractive; how the design and innovation of
the product compares to other products in the marketplace.
Products chosen as an Innovations honoree reflect innovative design and
engineering of the entries. Examples may include the first time various
technologies are combined in a single product or dramatic enhancements to
previous product designs. Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering honoree
products are featured on www.CESweb.org/Innovations, which lists product
categories, as well as each product name, manufacturer information, designer,
description, photo and URL.
About Sennheiser
The Sennheiser Group, with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover,
Germany, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones,
headphones and wireless transmission systems. The family-owned company,
which was established in 1945, recorded sales of around €531 million in 2011.
Sennheiser employs more than 2,100 people worldwide, and has manufacturing
plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA. The company is represented worldwide
by subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany,
Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Canada,
Mexico and the USA, as well as by long-term trading partners in many other
countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin
(studio microphones and monitor loudspeakers), and the joint venture Sennheiser
Communications A/S (headsets for PCs, offices and call centres).
You can find all the latest information on Sennheiser by visiting our website at
www.sennheiser.com.
US Press Contact
Jeff Touzeau
Public Relations
Hummingbird Media, Inc.
Tel: (914) 602-2913
Email: [email protected]
Global Press Contact
Mareike Oer
Public Relations Consumer Products
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG
Tel: +49 5130 600 719
Email: [email protected]
Captions:
CES Innovations Award.jpg: Award logo of the prestigious CES Innovation Awards
IE 800.jpg: The IE 800 high-end ear-canal phones