Neumann, famous for its microphones, will soon start offering speakers.
A recent demo at the Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt outlined the approach Neumann will take. Pro audio vets recognized the “Neumann” speakers as being from Sennheiser stable-mate, Klein+Hummel, a respected if not particularly well-known speaker maker. The first speakers with the Neumann badge are legacy Klein+Hummel boxes and will be called the KH Line. The first new studio monitors will be launched later this year.
“We anticipate a strong synergy effect here,” stated a company official, and a logo emphasizes the intended product message of mics and speakers.
Klein + Hummel has been part of the Sennheiser Group since 2005. “Most of the former Klein + Hummel engineers continue to work for the Sennheiser Group,” in support of installed sound operations at Sennheiser and studio monitor systems at Neumann, the company stated.
This isn’t Neumann’s first foray outside of its microphone practice.
For decades Neumann was a major player in the vinyl disc cutting equipment industry. In the early 1960s Neumann began developing high-end, highly customized mixing consoles that it sold to major recording studios and broadcasters, mostly in Germany. That business was phased out in 1993.
