AKG at Revox B795 LP-player (3870710127crop)

AKG Acoustics (originally Akustische und Kino-Geräte Gesellschaft m.b.H., en, Acoustic and Cinema Equipment L.L.C.) is an

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acousticia ...

engineering and

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

company. It was founded in 1947 by Rudolf Görike and Ernest Plass in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. It is a part of Harman International Industries, a subsidiary of

Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of the Samsung chaebol, acc ...

. The products currently marketed under the AKG brand mostly consist of

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publ ...

headphone Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an a ...

s, wireless

audio system Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording te ...

s and related accessories for professional and consumer markets.

History

The company was founded in Vienna, Austria in 1947 by two Viennese: physicist Rudolf Görike and engineer Ernst Pless. Originally, its main business was to provide technical equipment for cinemas:

loudspeaker A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or ...

s, film projectors and

light meter A light meter is a device used to measure the amount of light. In photography, a light meter (more correctly an exposure meter) is used to determine the proper exposure (photography), exposure for a photograph. The meter will include either a Di ...

s. The business slowly expanded and AKG started selling car horns, door intercoms,

carbon microphone The carbon microphone, also known as carbon button microphone, button microphone, or carbon transmitter, is a type of microphone, a transducer that converts sound to an electrical audio signal. It consists of two metal plates separated by gra ...

capsules for telephones, headsets and cushion speakers. About this time, the company developed its first patents, the moving coil technology and the principle of mass load membranes, allowing its products to have extended frequency ranges. With the creation of the D12 microphone in 1953, AKG achieved international fame, setting the standard for voice transmissions. Being the world's first dynamic

cardioid microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...

, it possessed excellent sonic qualities for that time, making its way into radio stations and recording studios from across the world. The product was improved through subsequent upgrades, spanning the famous C414 and C12 microphones. By the end of the 1970s and into the 1980s

magnetic cartridge A magnetic cartridge, more commonly called a phonograph cartridge or phono cartridge or (colloquially) a pickup, is an electromechanical transducer that is used to play records on a turntable. The cartridge contains a removable or permanentl ...

s were produced, such as the P25 in 1982. In 1984, AKG became a public company, listed on the Vienna stock exchange. As a blue chip company, it was one of the most traded stocks. The company was acquired by the American company Harman International Industries in 1994. By this time, AKG's United States subsidiary had been established (in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in 1985). AKG Acoustics USA, still headquartered in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

, also houses regional offices for

Crown Audio Crown International, or Crown Audio, is an American manufacturer of audio electronics, and is a subsidiary of Harman International Industries, which has been part of South Korea-based Samsung Electronics since 2017. Today, the company is known ...

, another Harman Industries subsidiary. In 2010, the company received the prestigious Technical Grammy award. In 2016 it was announced that the AKG Vienna facilities (headquarters, manufacturing, and engineering) would be shut down in 2017, with a transfer of brand headquarters to California, USA. Most current AKG-branded products are made in Harman's overseas production facilities. In 2017, a group of former AKG engineers based in Austria formed Austrian Audio, competing with AKG.

Timeline

* 1945 – Rudolf Görike and Ernst Pless begin supplying film equipment to theatres in post-war Vienna. *1949 – AKG founded by Görike and Pless as Akustische und Kino-Geräte Gesellschaft m.b.H. *1949 – AKG begins producing

headphones Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an a ...

,AKG history milestones
Last accessed March 30, 2007 the first model being the K120 DYN. *1953 – introduces the world's first

dynamic Dynamics (from Greek δυναμικός ''dynamikos'' "powerful", from δύναμις ''dynamis'' "power") or dynamic may refer to: Physics and engineering * Dynamics (mechanics) ** Aerodynamics, the study of the motion of air ** Analytical dyn ...

*1955 – founds a German subsidiary *1985 – founds a U.S subsidiary, based in Northridge, Los Angeles, California *1991 – produces its first wireless microphones, the WMS100 and WMS900 *1994 – becomes part of Harman International Industries *2006 – produces a limited 60th anniversary edition of the celebrated C414 LTD microphone. *2010 – AKG Acoustics received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for the work the company has done in the recording field.

Dinesh Paliwal Dinesh C. Paliwal (born December 17, 1957) is an Indian American business executive. He was the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Harman International, a provider of audio and infotainment systems for the automotive, consumer, and ...

, the current Chief Executive Officer, picked up the award on behalf of the company. *2010 – AKG announces a partnership with

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

to manufacture a signature line of headphones featuring stylized designs and modified drivers. *2012 – AKG announces its partnership with disc jockey

Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was v ...

to start manufacturing headphones under

's name. *2016 – Harman decided to shut down all facilities in Vienna in 2017. *2017 – Harman was bought by

. *2017 - Headquarters of the AKG brand is transferred to California,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Microphones

Among its professional products especially noteworthy is the first C 12 (introduced in 1953) and its successors and alternate versions, which include the

Telefunken Telefunken was a German radio and television apparatus company, founded in Berlin in 1903, as a joint venture of Siemens & Halske and the ''Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft'' (AEG) ('General electricity company'). The name "Telefunken" ap ...

Ela M 250 and M 251 (1960), the C 24 stereo microphone, the C 412, and over a dozen different models which have carried the designation "C 414" in various forms. Those microphones are equipped with the famous CK12 large diaphragm capsule designed by AKG's engineer Konrad Wolf. The CK12 was a milestone in transducer technology and the first to offer constant frequency response and sensitivity for all polar patterns (omni to figure eight). AKG microphones have been used for shooting

Hans Hass Hans Hass (23 January 1919 – 16 June 2013) was an Austrian biologist and underwater diving pioneer. He was known mainly for being among the first scientists to popularise coral reefs, stingrays, octopuses and sharks. He pioneered the making of ...

's film '' Adventures in the Red Sea'' and were installed on the

MIR space station ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

. They are also mentioned by Dan Brown in his novels ''

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Lang ...

'' and '' Deception Point''. Some microphone models include: *D12E - a dynamic cardioid microphone with a bass boost between 60 and 120 Hz utilized for sources with high

sound pressure Sound pressure or acoustic pressure is the local pressure deviation from the ambient (average or equilibrium) atmospheric pressure, caused by a sound wave. In air, sound pressure can be measured using a microphone, and in water with a hydrop ...

and low-frequency content *D130 - an omnidirectional microphone often used by reporters *D19c - dynamic cardioid mic. Often used by Norman Smith and

Geoff Emerick Geoffrey Ernest Emerick (5 December 1945 – 2 October 2018) was an English sound engineer and record producer who worked with the Beatles on their albums ''Revolver'' (1966), ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1967) and ''Abbey Road'' ...

as drum overheads on Ringo Starr's drums on Beatles recording sessions (1964-1967) *D190 *D222 - a dual capsule dynamic microphone used at the despatch boxes of the UK parliament *D220 *D330 - a high-end dynamic vocal microphone used by ABBA. *D112 - a large diaphragm dynamic microphone, popular for bass drums and other bass instruments *C12 - a valve condenser microphone - the original version is now a collectors' item selling for around $10,000 *C12VR - "The C12 VR is an enhanced version of the original C12, from the capsule sound to the original 6072A vacuum tube carefully handcrafted in Vienna, Austria." *C214 - a large diaphragm condenser with single Cardioid pickup pattern *C314 - a large diaphragm condenser with 4 variable pickup patterns, -20 dB Gain, 100hz HPF *C414 - a large diaphragm condenser with 9 variable pickup patterns, -6/12/18 dB Gain, 3 variable HPF *C451 - a small diaphragm condenser microphone, originally made between the 1960s and 1980s, recently reissued *C535 - a high-quality condenser vocal microphone. AKG made a gold-plated one for Frank Sinatra. *D409 *D5 AKG C1000S microphone

C1000 C1000 was a Dutch supermarket chain. Founded on 1 April 1977, the chain had 500 stores in 2012, with a market share of 12.1%. The supermarket chain operated in a rather unusual manner for supermarkets in the Netherlands, using the franchise syste ...

- a small diaphragm condenser * C2000 - a side-address, small diaphragm condenser * C3000 - a large diaphragm condenser * SolidTube - (discontinued) A large-diaphragm microphone, cardioid polar pattern, dating from 1997. Use of a vacuum tube, (an ECC83 /

12AX7 12AX7 (also known as ECC83) is a miniature dual- triode 6AV6 vacuum tube with high voltage gain. Developed around 1946 by RCA engineers in Camden, New Jersey, under developmental number A-4522, it was released for public sale under the 12AX7 ide ...

), for which spares are readily available, resulted in low-level distortion that may be perceived as an enhancement "warmth" to the sound. It featured a ground lift switch on the power supply, which can be useful in combating ground loop problems. Standard accessories included a spider type shock mount, pop screen and strong carrying case.

Headphones

AKG also manufactures a range of high-specification headphones. The K50 model, introduced in 1959 were the world's first supra-aural and open-back headphones. The K1000 was the flagship model, but is no longer being produced. It was a unique fully open headphone. The current flagship model for the AKG headphone line-up is the K812. The K702 features a removable cord and is black, the K701 is white. The Q701 also has a detachable cable and comes in three color variants: white, black, and a lime green. All three models are still in production. The K701s have been largely used by professional musicians and technicians in recording studios. Many top recording studios use AKG K240 headphones as a solution for best general use for both monitor and playback. They received particular notoriety from their prominent display in

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

's 1985 music video for "

Party All the Time "Party All the Time" is a song by comedian and actor Eddie Murphy, written and produced by Rick James. It was the lead single from Murphy's 1985 debut musical album ''How Could It Be''. It reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for t ...

" (which features the K240 Monitor). Another notable, yet short-lived, model was the K280 Parabolic, a multi-driver headphone which focused compression waves to a central point in the earcup. As well as studio headphones, AKG also manufactures a range of Hi-Fi headphones and earphones for domestic use. One notable use includes Samsung, their parent company, using AKG to tune their headphones that come equipped with Samsung's most-recent flagship devices, starting with the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the stereo speakers as of the Galaxy S9, S9+, S10E, S10+, Note 9, and the Note 10 (USB Type-C connector). In 2017, the Y50 model was awarded Product of the Year for on-ear headphones by ''What Hi-Fi?'' magazine. Image:AKG Stereo headphones K-66.JPG, AKG K-66 Stereo headphones File:AKG K240 headphones.jpg, AKG K240 headphones File:AKG K701 headphones.jpg, AKG K701 headphones

References

External links