AKG (company)

Lore & Background

AKG was founded in Vienna in 1947 by Rudolf Görike and Ernst Pless, initially supplying film equipment to post-war theaters. The company soon developed moving coil technology and mass load membranes, leading to the D12 microphone in 1953, which set a standard for voice transmissions and brought international fame. Throughout the 1950s and beyond, AKG produced landmark microphones such as the C12 and C414, and in 1959 introduced the K50, the world's first supra-aural and open-back headphones. The company became public in 1984 and was acquired by Harman International in 1994. In 2016, Harman announced the shutdown of AKG's Vienna facilities, with brand headquarters moving to California in 2017. That same year, a group of former AKG engineers formed Austrian Audio. AKG microphones have been used in notable contexts, including Hans Hass's film Adventures in the Red Sea and on the MIR space station, and are referenced in Dan Brown's novels The Da Vinci Code and Deception Point.

Reader's Guide

AKG's significance lies in its pioneering contributions to professional audio, particularly microphones and headphones. The company's early moving coil technology and mass load membranes enabled extended frequency ranges, and the D12 microphone (1953) became a global standard for voice transmission. The C12 and its successors, including the C414, are among the most celebrated studio microphones, featuring the CK12 capsule designed by engineer Konrad Wolf. In headphones, the K50 model (1959) was the first supra-aural open-back design, and the K240 became a studio staple, notably appearing in Eddie Murphy's 1985 music video. The K701 and K702 models have been widely used by professionals. AKG received a Technical Grammy in 2010, and its microphones have been used in space and referenced in popular literature. The brand's legacy continues through its parent company Samsung, which uses AKG tuning for its flagship devices' headphones and speakers.

Did You Know?

• AKG originally stood for Akustische und Kino-Geräte Gesellschaft m.b.H.
• The company introduced the world's first dynamic cardioid microphone in 1953.
• AKG microphones were installed on the MIR space station.
• The K50 model from 1959 was the world's first supra-aural and open-back headphones.