Brandenburg Labs
Brandenburg Labs GmbH develops proprietary Deep Dive Audio spatial rendering technology that simulates multi-channel loudspeaker environments over headphones. It sells the Okeanos Pro B2B monitoring system to audio engineers, universities, and research labs, and is developing consumer (Okeanos Home) and adaptive hearing (PARty) products.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersIlmenau, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Brandenburg Labs does
Brandenburg Labs GmbH is a German deep-technology company founded in 2019 in Ilmenau as a spin-off of Fraunhofer IDMT and TU Ilmenau by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karlheinz Brandenburg, co-inventor of the MP3 format. The company develops and commercializes its proprietary Deep Dive Audio (DDA) spatial audio rendering engine, which combines Room Impulse Response processing, 3D room modeling, generic Head-Related Transfer Functions, and real-time 6DoF head tracking (via HTC Vive sensors) to reproduce externalized, multi-channel loudspeaker environments over headphones. Its first commercial product, Okeanos Pro, launched in September 2024 as a €5,000 headphone-based spatial audio monitoring system for audio engineers, broadcasters, universities, and research labs, integrating with Dante, Ravenna, and AES67 studio networks at sub-10ms latency. The company sells B2B through direct enterprise sales and conference demonstrations at AES, Tonmeistertagung, IFA, and NAMM, supplemented by custom system configurations and consulting services.
Brandenburg Labs has 19 employees across 8 nationalities and holds 13 patents. Its pipeline includes Okeanos Home, a consumer-facing virtual home cinema headphone system in development, and PARty (Personalized Auditory Reality), an AI-augmented adaptive hearing headphone concept currently being validated through a €211,000 SPRIND mandate (March–July 2026) to port DDA to single-board computers with wireless connectivity. The company supplements commercial revenue with publicly funded R&D, including the GROOVE project (over €1.5M BMFTR funding over three years) and the completed MULTIPARTIES XR telepresence project, both conducted with TU Ilmenau, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, and Consensive GmbH. Ownership remains concentrated through Brandenburg Ventures GmbH as the disclosed shareholder (Gesellschafter), with co-leadership by founder Karlheinz Brandenburg (CEO) and Peter Agardi (CFO).
Brandenburg Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Brandenburg Labs
- Legal name
- Brandenburg Labs GmbH
- Website
- https://brandenburg-labs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Brandenburg Labs GmbH develops proprietary Deep Dive Audio spatial rendering technology that simulates multi-channel loudspeaker environments over headphones. It sells the Okeanos Pro B2B monitoring system to audio engineers, universities, and research labs, and is developing consumer (Okeanos Home) and adaptive hearing (PARty) products.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Brandenburg Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Spatial Audio Hardware Systems
- NAICS
- Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (334310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Studio / Pro Monitoring Headphones & Reference Speakers (CRACANAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hearables (True Wireless Earbuds & Smart Headphones) (CRACAIAD), Assistive Listening & Classroom Audio (FM/DM, Soundfield) Systems (EDAKAIAE), On-Device Speech & Audio AI (wake word, ASR, enhancement) (HDAAAJAF)
Keywords
Where Brandenburg Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ilmenau
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Brandenburg Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Systems (Okeanos Pro): Sale of the complete Okeanos Pro headphone-based spatial audio system, which includes the rendering engine PC, HTC Vive tracking components, mounting hardware, and pre-configured software. The system is priced at €5,000 as a one-time hardware purchase with ongoing software updates.
- Custom System Configurations: Bespoke spatial audio systems tailored for specific customer requirements in music production, professional education, virtual acoustic prototyping, and audio research.
- Technology Integration & Consulting: Collaboration with partners to integrate spatial audio technology into professional systems and platforms, plus technical consulting services including project planning and implementation support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Okeanos Pro - Base Configuration |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Okeanos Pro - Custom Configurations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Brandenburg Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brandenburg Labs develops and sells headphone-based spatial audio systems powered by its proprietary Deep Dive Audio (DDA) technology. The flagship product, Okeanos Pro, is a complete hardware-plus-software system that simulates up to 16 virtual multi-channel loudspeakers through headphones using Room Impulse Responses, 3D room modeling, HRTFs, and 6DoF head tracking, enabling professional audio mixing and monitoring without physical multi-speaker installations. The company also develops Okeanos Home for consumer virtual home cinema and PARty, a long-term vision for adaptive AI-powered personalized auditory reality headphones.
Product overview
Brandenburg Labs develops immersive audio technology for headphone-based applications, powered by its proprietary Deep Dive Audio (DDA) rendering engine. The product portfolio consists of three named offerings: Okeanos Pro (B2B, professional studio reference headphones launched September 2024 at €5,000), Okeanos Home (B2C/B2B2C virtual home cinema in headphones, in development), and PARty (Personalized Auditory Reality — a long-term AI-driven adaptive headphone vision). All three products share the Deep Dive Audio core technology. Additionally, the company participates in publicly funded research projects (MULTIPARTIES and GROOVE) applying its spatial audio to XR telepresence and social VR. The company also offers consulting services in immersive audio and provides technology demonstrations at global conferences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Okeanos Systems: Product line of headphone-based spatial audio systems including Okeanos Pro for professionals and Okeanos Home for consumers.
- PARty (Personalized Auditory Reality)
- Deep Dive Audio (DDA)
Products and services
- Okeanos Pro Headphone-based spatial audio mixing and monitoring system powered by Deep Dive Audio. Simulates up to 16 virtual multi-channel loudspeakers through headphones with 6DoF head tracking, providing reference-grade spatial audio for audio engineers, music producers, broadcasters, universities, and research labs without the need for physical multi-channel speaker installations.
- Okeanos Home Consumer-facing virtual home cinema system for headphones that recreates multichannel loudspeaker experiences (movies, music, gaming) using Deep Dive Audio with 6DoF head tracking and room-adaptive rendering. Connects to multimedia devices via HDMI, USB, and Wi-Fi, and supports multi-user shared listening. Currently in research and development.
- PARty (Personalized Auditory Reality) Adaptive AI-powered headphone concept that combines Deep Dive Audio spatial rendering with source separation, audio scene analysis, and selective noise cancellation to deliver personalized listening, speech enhancement, and super-hearing capabilities. Currently in advanced concept and technology validation phase.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 16 virtual loudspeaker channels supported with spatial accuracy comparable to physical speaker systems
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Brandenburg Labs
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Brandenburg Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability3 records
Feature6 records
Brandenburg Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TU Ilmenau (Technische Universität Ilmenau)coreClose collaborative relationship as spin-off origin. Multiple departments participate in joint research projects including MULTIPARTIES and GROOVE. The Audiovisual Technology department, Virtual Worlds and Digital Games department, and Electronic Media Technology department contribute expertise in spatial audio, VR systems, and communication research.
- Fraunhofer IDMT (Institute for Digital Media Technology)coreSpin-off origin institution. Brandenburg Labs builds on decades of audio research from Fraunhofer IDMT, where founder Karlheinz Brandenburg served as institute director. The company maintains collaborative relationships with the institution for ongoing research.
- Consensive GmbHcorePartner in MULTIPARTIES and GROOVE projects. Consensive provides 3D representation and interaction expertise for mixed reality environments using their VR4More platform. The Weimar-based startup contributes digital twin technology for creating shared virtual spaces.
- Bauhaus-Universität WeimarcoreResearch partner in the GROOVE project. Three departments contribute expertise in tangible and embodied interaction (HCI working group), virtual reality systems, and psychophysiological interaction design.
- PlazzminorCollaborator in the MULTIPARTIES research project for multi-party augmented reality telepresence system development.
- VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbHminorProject trustee for the MULTIPARTIES project, managing funding and project coordination on behalf of the German government.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Brandenburg Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dear Reality: Dear Reality develops dearVR spatial audio plugins and binaural rendering software that simulate immersive 3D sound over headphones for audio production. It is the closest direct peer to Brandenburg Labs in the binaural/spatial-audio-over-headphones category, both serving audio engineers and producers with HRTF-based and room-acoustics-based rendering.
- Waves Audio (Nx): Waves' Nx range brings spatial audio and immersive monitoring to headphones, targeted at music producers, mixing engineers, and content creators. It competes head-to-head with Brandenburg Labs' Okeanos Pro in the pro-audio-headphone-monitoring category, with overlapping use cases in mixing and immersive monitoring.
Broad incumbents
- Sennheiser (AMBEO): Sennheiser's AMBEO line delivers spatial audio capture and playback across consumer and pro products (AMBEO Smart Headset, AMBEO Soundbar). As a broad incumbent in pro and consumer headphones — and a current Brandenburg Labs demo partner (HD560S) — Sennheiser competes at the consumer end while collaborating at the component level.
- Sony 360 Reality Audio: Sony's 360 Reality Audio is a mass-market spatial-audio format shipping across Sony headphones, speakers, and partner streaming services. As a broad incumbent with integrated hardware, content distribution, and a headphone ecosystem, Sony is the kind of platform competitor Brandenburg Labs could eventually license into or compete against at the consumer level.
- Apple Spatial Audio: Apple's Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos ships across AirPods, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, giving hundreds of millions of users integrated spatial audio for music, movies, and FaceTime. As a broad incumbent, Apple defines consumer expectations for 'spatial audio done simply,' raising the bar Brandenburg Labs' Okeanos Home must clear.
- Dolby Atmos for Headphones: Dolby Atmos extends the cinema-grade Atmos object-based spatial audio format into headphones via mobile apps, TVs, and OEM integrations. As a broad incumbent with deep content-industry relationships (studios, streaming platforms, device makers), Dolby defines the spatial audio standard for both content creation and consumer playback.
Others
- Genelec: Genelec is the dominant pro audio reference monitor manufacturer whose speakers (8020D, 8010A) are used in Brandenburg Labs' demo configurations and whose studio ecosystem Okeanos Pro is positioned to complement (or partially substitute) for headphones. It is a partner in demos rather than a direct competitor, but it represents the incumbent whose market Brandenburg Labs is trying to convert.
Emerging players
- Two Big Ears (Meta): Two Big Ears, the spatial audio company acquired by Facebook/Meta in 2017, brought immersive audio to the VR/AR ecosystem and now underpins audio on Meta Quest devices. It is an emerging player in interactive spatial audio whose work overlaps with Brandenburg Labs' XR telepresence and social VR research (MULTIPARTIES, GROOVE).
- Hooke Audio: Hooke Audio makes binaural recording headphones and 3D audio capture/playback technology for content creators. As an emerging player, it overlaps with Brandenburg Labs in the consumer-facing binaural audio space, though focused on capture rather than rendering over headphones.
- Spatial Audio Designer by New Audio Technology: New Audio Technology's Spatial Audio Designer is a VST/AU/AAX plugin that renders immersive 3D audio for headphones in DAW-based music production. It competes with Brandenburg Labs in the studio/plugin layer of headphone-based spatial monitoring and serves a similar audio engineer and producer audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Brandenburg Labs social profiles
Digital presenceBrandenburg Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Brandenburg Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Brandenburg Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors4 records
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Brandenburg Labs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Brandenburg Labs
What does Brandenburg Labs do?
Brandenburg Labs develops and sells headphone-based spatial audio systems powered by its proprietary Deep Dive Audio (DDA) technology. The flagship product, Okeanos Pro, is a complete hardware-plus-software system that simulates up to 16 virtual multi-channel loudspeakers through headphones using Room Impulse Responses, 3D room modeling, HRTFs, and 6DoF head tracking, enabling professional audio mixing and monitoring without physical multi-speaker installations. The company also develops Okeanos Home for consumer virtual home cinema and PARty, a long-term vision for adaptive AI-powered personalized auditory reality headphones.
Is Brandenburg Labs a public or private company?
Brandenburg Labs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Brandenburg Labs founded?
Brandenburg Labs was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Brandenburg Labs based?
Brandenburg Labs is headquartered in Ilmenau, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Brandenburg Labs make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Systems (Okeanos Pro) is the primary driver. The others are custom System Configurations and technology Integration & Consulting.
Who are Brandenburg Labs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dear Reality and Waves Audio (Nx). Broad incumbents are Sennheiser (AMBEO), Sony 360 Reality Audio, Apple Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos for Headphones. Genelec is listed as an others. Emerging players are Two Big Ears (Meta), Hooke Audio and Spatial Audio Designer by New Audio Technology.
Does Brandenburg Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Brandenburg Labs.
What industry is Brandenburg Labs in?
Brandenburg Labs's product category is Spatial Audio Hardware Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRACANAK, Studio / Pro Monitoring Headphones & Reference Speakers, with a secondary code of CRACAIAD, Hearables (True Wireless Earbuds & Smart Headphones). Its NAICS code is 334310.