HEAD acoustics
HEAD acoustics GmbH is a German specialty firm that builds integrated hardware-software systems for acoustic measurement, NVH analysis, and voice/audio quality testing, serving automotive OEMs, telecom equipment makers, and consumer electronics manufacturers globally with a portfolio spanning artificial heads, data acquisition frontends, and modular analysis software.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersHerzogenrath, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What HEAD acoustics does
HEAD acoustics GmbH is a privately held German specialty technology company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Herzogenrath, Germany. The firm designs and manufactures integrated hardware-software systems for acoustic measurement, analysis, and simulation, with primary applications in automotive NVH (noise, vibration, harshness), telecommunications voice and audio quality, and consumer product sound design. Its technology stack spans proprietary artificial-head binaural recording systems (HMS series), data acquisition frontends (SQuadriga III, SQobold, HEADlab II, labCORE), playback and noise-simulation systems (playSeries, 3PASS, SoundSeat, PreSense), and modular software platforms (ArtemiS SUITE for sound and vibration analysis; ACQUA for voice and audio quality testing). Decades of psychoacoustic research underpin the company's differentiation in aurally accurate capture and reproduction.
The company sells to enterprise customers across automotive OEMs and tier-1/tier-2 suppliers, telecom and smartphone manufacturers, consumer electronics makers, rail/air/maritime operators, and environmental/urban planning agencies, with two verticals (automotive and telecom) explicitly flagged as primary. Revenue is generated through five streams: hardware sales, software licenses/subscriptions, engineering services, training programs, and recurring calibration/maintenance contracts. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales, an annual user forum, technical training academies in Germany, France, Italy, and the Detroit area, and a network of subsidiaries and distributors across EMEA, North America, and Asia-Pacific.
Recent strategic activity centers on ecosystem partnerships (interoperability testing with Keysight Technologies for next-generation eCall systems, 2025), standards positioning (3GPP IVAS test solutions for Release 18, 3GPP Excellence Award 2025), and platform extension via new product lines (playSeries playback frontends, BMK helmet-integrated binaural microphone for motorcycle testing, PreSense Drive NVH simulation). The company holds ISO 9001 certification via TÜV, continues an active conference presence across AES Automotive Audio, ISMA, Noise-Con, and Automotive Testing Expo events, and maintains a multilingual digital presence in German, French, English, Chinese, and Japanese.
HEAD acoustics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HEAD acoustics
- Legal name
- HEAD acoustics GmbH
- Website
- https://head-acoustics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- HEAD acoustics GmbH is a German specialty firm that builds integrated hardware-software systems for acoustic measurement, NVH analysis, and voice/audio quality testing, serving automotive OEMs, telecom equipment makers, and consumer electronics manufacturers globally with a portfolio spanning artificial heads, data acquisition frontends, and modular analysis software.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HEAD acoustics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Acoustic Measurement and Analysis Equipment
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microphones, Headsets & Audio Input Devices (HDACAFAH)
Keywords
Where HEAD acoustics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Herzogenrath
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
HEAD acoustics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Products: Sale of acoustic measurement hardware including data acquisition systems (HEADlab II, SQuadriga III, SQobold), artificial heads, playback systems, and accessories.
- Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Software solutions including ArtemiS SUITE, ACQUA, conTEST, and other analysis platforms offered through perpetual licenses or subscription models with modular extensions.
- Engineering Services: Professional consulting services for acoustic testing, product development support, and technical training. Includes on-site engineering support and custom solution development.
- Training and Education: Online and face-to-face training programs covering NVH analysis, ArtemiS SUITE, psychoacoustics, and application-specific topics. Courses offered in multiple languages and locations globally.
- Service and Calibration: Maintenance, calibration, and support services for hardware products ensuring measurement accuracy and system reliability.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
HEAD acoustics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HEAD acoustics develops and manufactures integrated acoustic measurement and analysis solutions combining proprietary hardware (artificial heads, binaural recording systems, modular data acquisition frontends) with modular software platforms (ArtemiS SUITE for sound and vibration analysis, ACQUA for voice and audio quality testing). The company's products enable accurate capture, analysis, simulation, and reproduction of sound and vibration for automotive NVH development, telecommunications device certification, consumer electronics sound design, and environmental noise assessment.
Product overview
HEAD acoustics is a technology company specializing in acoustic measurement, analysis, and simulation solutions. The product portfolio consists of integrated hardware and software systems organized around core platforms: ArtemiS SUITE (modular sound and vibration analysis software) and ACQUA (voice and audio quality testing software) serve as the primary software platforms. Hardware offerings include data acquisition frontends (SQuadriga III, SQobold, HEADlab II, labCORE), artificial head systems (HMS V, HMS II.3 series), binaural recording equipment (BHS II, BMK), and playback/simulation systems (playSeries, 3PASS, PreSense, SoundSeat). The products work together as an integrated ecosystem—from sound capture via artificial heads and microphones, through analysis in ArtemiS SUITE and ACQUA, to reproduction using playback systems. Applications span automotive NVH, telecommunications, consumer electronics, environmental acoustics, and industrial noise control. The company also provides engineering services, training, calibration, and consulting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ArtemiS SUITE Comprehensive modular sound and vibration analysis software platform supporting benchmarking, order analysis, psychoacoustics, sound source localization, structural dynamics, and automated testing workflows for automotive, aerospace, and industrial applications.
- ACQUA Voice and audio quality testing software for telecommunications and audio device testing, supporting mobile telephony, VoIP, Bluetooth, DECT, and speech recognition system testing with standardized test suites.
- SQuadriga III Mobile 8-channel recording and playback system for field sound and vibration measurements, serving as a portable frontend for data acquisition in automotive testing, environmental analysis, and industrial applications.
- SQobold Mobile 4-channel recording and playback system providing a compact frontend for portable sound and vibration data acquisition in testing and field measurements.
- HEADlab II Next-generation modular and scalable mobile sound and vibration data acquisition system supporting diverse sensor types with flexible module configuration for laboratory and field applications.
- labCORE Compact voice and audio quality testing data acquisition module for communication and audio quality measurements.
- AQuire V4 Frontend for End-of-Line (EoL) testing in manufacturing environments, enabling automated quality verification of product sound and vibration characteristics.
- HMS V Digital artificial head for binaural sound recording featuring a high-fidelity ear simulator with human-like ear canal geometry for perceptually accurate acoustic measurements.
- HMS II.3 Series Family of artificial head systems (HMS II.3, HMS II.3 LN, HMS II.3 LN HEC, HMS II.3 ViBRIDGE) for voice and audio quality testing with sending and receiving direction measurement capabilities, low-noise options, and bone conduction simulation.
- Binaural Microphone Kit (BMK) Helmet-integrated binaural microphone kit for real-world acoustic testing on motorcycles, providing rider comfort and measurement accuracy.
- BHS II Headset for aurally accurate binaural recordings, providing a portable headset-based recording system for subjective sound capture.
- playSeries Advanced binaural playback frontends (playBasic, playPro, playStudio) for authentic audio reproduction in critical listening evaluation and acoustic reproduction scenarios.
- 3PASS Software Suite Automated background noise simulation software (3PASS lab, 3PASS flex, 3PASS reverb, HAE-car) for laboratory testing, enabling reproducible acoustic environment simulation for automotive and consumer device testing.
- PreSense NVH simulator (PreSense and PreSense Drive) for virtual vehicle sound evaluation, enabling subjective assessment of noise and vibration characteristics in virtual driving scenarios.
- SoundSeat Multimodal playback system for vehicle interior noise, combining audio, vibration, and motion feedback for immersive NVH evaluation.
- SQala Software for jury testing and subjective sound evaluation, supporting multiple test methods including paired comparison, ranking, category judgment, and semantic differential for product sound assessment.
- HEAD VISOR Acoustic camera for sound source localization using advanced beamforming algorithms, enabling precise identification of noise sources in product development and troubleshooting.
- VoCAS Voice recognition system testing software providing automated testing for evaluating speech recognition performance in devices and applications.
- PROGNOISE Transfer Path Analysis (TPA) software for identifying and quantifying noise transmission paths in vehicles and machinery.
- conTEST Modular software for End-of-Line testing, providing automated quality control testing for manufacturing production lines.
- coreBT2LE-EVO Bluetooth LE audio testing solution expanding capabilities in wireless audio testing for communication quality assessment.
- Engineering Services Professional consulting services for acoustic testing, product development support, on-site engineering support, custom solution development, and technical training for enterprise customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- First helmet-integrated binaural microphone system (BMK) for motorcycle acoustic testing
Companies that use HEAD acoustics
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
HEAD acoustics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature6 records
HEAD acoustics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Keysight TechnologiescoreKeysight Technologies and HEAD acoustics successfully completed an interoperability test for next-generation eCall systems. This collaboration demonstrates the compatibility of their respective technologies for automotive communication testing, specifically for emergency call system validation.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
HEAD acoustics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HBK (Hottinger Brüel & Kjær): HBK is the dominant global player in acoustic and vibration measurement, offering artificial heads, measurement microphones, data acquisition systems, and PULSE/TEAC analysis software that directly competes with HEAD acoustics' hardware and software portfolio across automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers.
- Polytec: Polytec is a leading manufacturer of laser vibrometry and acoustic measurement equipment, providing overlapping capabilities in NVH analysis, sound source localization, and vibration measurement that compete with HEAD acoustics' offerings in automotive and industrial accounts.
- Audio Precision: Audio Precision manufactures audio analyzers and testing software that compete directly with ACQUA in telecom, hearable, and consumer electronics acoustic testing, particularly for codec and transducer validation.
- GRAS Sound & Vibration: GRAS Sound & Vibration is a direct competitor in measurement microphones, artificial ears, and acoustic test transducers, serving similar automotive NVH, consumer audio, and industrial noise control customers as HEAD acoustics.
Emerging players
- Microflown Technologies: Microflown Technologies specializes in acoustic particle velocity sensors and sound source localization tools, providing partial overlap with HEAD acoustics' HEAD VISOR acoustic camera and NVH measurement offerings from a smaller, niche position.
- Listen Inc (SoundCheck): Listen Inc's SoundCheck platform is an audio testing software suite that competes with ArtemiS SUITE and ACQUA for headset, hearable, and smart speaker test applications, primarily in the consumer electronics segment.
Broad incumbents
- Keysight Technologies: Keysight Technologies is a broad incumbent in electronic measurement and a strategic interoperability partner of HEAD acoustics for eCall; it competes in telecom voice/audio testing while offering a much larger test & measurement portfolio to enterprise customers.
- Siemens Digital Industries: Siemens Digital Industries offers industrial simulation, testing, and digital twin software that overlaps with HEAD acoustics' PreSense NVH simulation tools, particularly in automotive and industrial manufacturing customers.
- NI (National Instruments): NI provides data acquisition, instrumentation, and test platforms that overlap with HEAD acoustics' HEADlab and SQuadriga hardware lines, particularly in sound and vibration measurement for industrial and research customers.
- Bosch Engineering: Bosch Engineering offers automotive NVH, eCall, and active sound design solutions that compete with HEAD acoustics within automotive OEM accounts, leveraging Bosch's deep tier-1 supplier relationships and broader systems integration capability.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HEAD acoustics social profiles
Digital presenceHEAD acoustics compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
HEAD acoustics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HEAD acoustics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
HEAD acoustics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HEAD acoustics 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 HEAD acoustics
What does HEAD acoustics do?
HEAD acoustics develops and manufactures integrated acoustic measurement and analysis solutions combining proprietary hardware (artificial heads, binaural recording systems, modular data acquisition frontends) with modular software platforms (ArtemiS SUITE for sound and vibration analysis, ACQUA for voice and audio quality testing). The company's products enable accurate capture, analysis, simulation, and reproduction of sound and vibration for automotive NVH development, telecommunications device certification, consumer electronics sound design, and environmental noise assessment.
Is HEAD acoustics a public or private company?
HEAD acoustics is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was HEAD acoustics founded?
HEAD acoustics was founded in 1986. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is HEAD acoustics based?
HEAD acoustics is headquartered in Herzogenrath, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does HEAD acoustics make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Hardware Products are the primary driver. The others are software Licenses and Subscriptions, engineering Services, training and Education and service and Calibration.
Who are HEAD acoustics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HBK (Hottinger Brüel & Kjær), Polytec, Audio Precision and GRAS Sound & Vibration. Emerging players are Microflown Technologies and Listen Inc (SoundCheck). Broad incumbents are Keysight Technologies, Siemens Digital Industries, NI (National Instruments) and Bosch Engineering.
Does HEAD acoustics have an API?
No public API is recorded for HEAD acoustics.
What industry is HEAD acoustics in?
HEAD acoustics's product category is Acoustic Measurement and Analysis Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDACAFAH, Microphones, Headsets & Audio Input Devices. Its NAICS code is 3345 and its SIC code is 3823.