AKG Acoustics
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| AKG Acoustics GmbH | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 |
| Location | Vienna, Austria |
| Employees | about 250 |
| Sector | Manufacturer, Acoustics |
| Products | z.B. Microphones, Headphones, Digital WiFi Systems |
| Website | http://www.akg.com |
AKG Acoustics (originally Akustische und Kino-Geräte Gesellschaft m.b.H., English: Acoustic and Cinema Equipment) is an Austrian manufacturer of audio electronics and accessories for professional and consumer markets. The company was founded in Vienna in 1947, and was acquired by Harman International Industries in 1994. AKG Acoustics' most prevalent product categories are microphones, headphones and wireless audio systems.
Contents |
[edit] History
- 1945 – Dr. Rudolf Görike and Ernst Pless begin supplying movie equipment to theaters in postwar Vienna.[1]
- 1949 – AKG begins producing headphones[2]
- 1953 – introduces the world's first dynamic cardioid microphone[1]
- 1955 – founds a German subsidiary[2]
- 1985 – founds a USA subsidiary[2]
- 1994 – becomes part of Harman International Industries[2]
- 2006 – produces a limited 60th anniversary edition of the celebrated C414 LTD microphone.[3]
- 2010 - AKG Acoustics received a Grammy Award for the work the company has done in the recording field. Dinesh Paliwal, the current Chief Executive Officer, picked up the award on behalf of the company. [4]
[edit] 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 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.
AKG microphones have been used for shooting Hans Hass's movie Adventures in the Red Sea and were installed on the MIR space station. They are also mentioned by Dan Brown in his novels The Da Vinci Code and Deception Point.[5]
Some microphone models include:
- D12E
- D220
- D112
- C414
- C451B
- C535 EB
- D409
- C1000
[edit] Headphones
AKG also manufactures a range of high-specification headphones.
The K-50 model, introduced in 1959 were the world's first supra-aural and open-back headphones.
The K-1000 was the flagship model, but is no longer being produced. It was an electrostatic headphone.
The current flagship model for the AKG headphone line-up is the K701/K702, which are nearly identical. The K702 features a removable cord and is blue, whereas the K701 is white. Both are still in production. The K701s have been largely used by professional musicians and technicians in recording studios.
Many top recording studios use AKG K-240 headphones as a solution for best general use for both monitor and playback. They received particular notoriety from their prominent display in Eddie Murphy's 1985 music video for "Party All the Time".
Another notable, yet short-lived model was the K-280 Parabolic – a multi-driver headphone which focused compression waves to a central point in the earcup.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b AKG history
- ^ a b c d AKG history milestones Last accessed March 30, 2007
- ^ AKG press release
- ^ http://www.newstin.co.uk/tag/uk/166676972
- ^ AKG notable events
