Germany Fines Sennheiser and Sonova Nearly €6 Million for Price-Fixing Premium Headphones

Germany’s Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) has imposed fines totaling almost €6 million on Sennheiser electronic SE & Co. KG, Sonova Consumer Hearing Sales Germany GmbH, and three individual employees over a long-running price-fixing scheme involving Sennheiser-branded premium headphones. The penalties follow a formal investigation into anti-competitive vertical agreements, as first reported by Android Headlines.

🔍 Sennheiser's Long-Term Price Manipulation

The regulator’s investigation found that since 2015, Sennheiser had been actively monitoring and controlling retail pricing. The company used online price comparison services and specialized software to track pricing by third-party retailers. When prices fell below the recommended retail price (RRP), Sennheiser intervened, pressuring sellers to increase their prices to maintain premium price positioning.

Further scrutiny revealed that Sennheiser employees used coded language in internal communications to disguise the nature of their coordination and avoid regulatory detection.

🔁 Sonova’s Role After Acquiring Sennheiser's Consumer Business

In March 2022, Swiss-based Sonova acquired Sennheiser’s consumer electronics division, taking over the brand and personnel. According to the Bundeskartellamt, the price-fixing behavior continued under Sonova’s leadership until September 2022, when the agency conducted raids as part of its investigation.

🧾 Regulator’s Remarks and Legal Consequences

Andreas Mundt, President of the Federal Cartel Office, stated that Sennheiser’s actions distorted price competition in the premium headphone market over a prolonged period. Notably, he emphasized that although employees had participated in antitrust compliance training, some used that knowledge to obscure illegal coordination rather than prevent it.

The fines were partially reduced due to the full cooperation of both companies during the investigation. Retailers involved in the scheme were not fined, with the authority citing discretionary reasons for their exemption.

⚖️ Why This Matters: Consumer Impact and Fair Competition

This case highlights the critical role of antitrust regulation in safeguarding market transparency and consumer choice. With the unlawful practices exposed and penalized, customers can now expect more competitive pricing and fairer access to high-end audio products.

The verdict serves as a reminder that price-fixing—regardless of how sophisticated or subtle—has no place in modern markets.