Bonn, May 7, 2025 — The Bundeskartellamt has fined leading audio electronics manufacturers Sennheiser and Sonova nearly €6 million for engaging in illegal price-fixing practices that stifled competition and kept consumer prices for premium headphones artificially high.
The German competition authority found that Sennheiser, and later Sonova after acquiring Sennheiser’s consumer electronics business in 2022, coordinated with authorized retailers to fix resale prices for high-end headphones. The illicit conduct persisted for years and continued until at least September 2022, when authorities conducted a dawn raid prompted by a request for assistance from Austria’s Federal Competition Authority (BWB).
Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt, criticized the companies’ manipulation of the retail market:
“Price competition is significantly hindered to the detriment of consumers when manufacturers and retailers agree on fixed retail prices,” Mundt said. “Sennheiser not only monitored retail prices closely but actively pressured retailers to raise prices—despite employees having received antitrust training, which they misused to conceal the conduct.”
According to the Bundeskartellamt, Sennheiser employees began fixing retail prices as early as 2015. They monitored online price comparisons and employed special software to track compliance. When prices fell below the company’s recommended resale price (RRP) or when complaints came from retailers, Sennheiser intervened to pressure sellers into raising prices. These communications were veiled in a “code language” internally, often disguised as discussions about distribution compliance.
After Sennheiser sold its consumer division to Sonova in March 2022, Sonova continued these practices, though to a lesser extent, until the dawn raid halted them.
Both companies cooperated with the investigation, and the case was settled without legal challenge. No fines were levied against the retailers involved, and the fine orders are now final.
A public case summary, as required under Section 53(5) of the German Competition Act, will be published on the Bundeskartellamt’s website in due course.
