AKG was born out of the crucible of the late-'40s radio, theater, and jazz-club scenes in Austria, where most of the equipment was built on-site or in-house to meet immediate demands. That's where physicist Dr. Rudolf Goerike and the engineer Ernst Pless first met, and within a few years, they and a handful of creative engineers released one of the first truly high-quality dynamic microphones, the AKG D12. The D12 eventually evolved into the C12, the first-ever remote-controlled multi-pattern capacitor microphone, while their early DYN headphones also took off.
By the '70s, AKG had exploded onto the world stage, from the BBC in London to the burgeoning American recording industry. They held over 1,000 patents and had endorsements with top artists, including Frank Sinatra. Today, AKG is one of the world leaders in microphone and headphone production, with many awards and accolades to their name, including a 2010 Technical Grammy for their contribution to the art of recorded music. To Sweetwater, none of that is as important as the satisfaction we can guarantee our customers when we turn them on to AKG.
Use a pair of studio-standard C414 multi-pattern condenser mics, or put on a pair of K series headphones, and you'll hear AKG's peerless standard of sonic accuracy in action. It doesn't matter if you're a passionate artist, broadcast engineer, or recording industry pro, you can't set the bar for sound quality higher than AKG does, and they hold every product they make to it. For instance, if you take a critical look at their microphones, you'll discover details that block out noise and isolate their capsules from external vibration. Likewise, whether your aim is to isolate sound in or out of your headphones or you need absolute authenticity, you won't have to look far to find the AKG headphones that are right for the job.
While AKG holds their gear to an extremely high sound-quality standard, no one's harder on their gear in general than they are. Their process is pretty simple. They start with the toughest materials that won't price their equipment out of reach. Next, they apply the latest research to get the most out of that material while designing their products. When all of that's done and they have a working model in hand, AKG's testers beat the ever-living tar out of it to see how long it will take to break. Anything less than the best won't do.
Worried about your mic taking a hit? Rest assured that before that mic saw the light of day, AKG dropped production models from unreasonable heights onto unforgiving surfaces to make sure it was ready for prime time. Those AKG headphones you have in mind were similarly tested; plus their cable designs get cranked 80,000 times on both ends to ensure the contacts will hold, and the drivers get nailed with countless rounds of 0.5-second, 3-watt noise bursts to see that they hold up to serious levels. Bottom line: if you need great-sounding mics and headphones that last, then AKG gear was made for you.
While artists such as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald may have put AKG on the map, you don't need to be a cultural icon to get the most out of their products. It's true that you'll find the iconic C12 condensers in the world's top recording studios, but you're just as likely to find their P series mics and popular K series headphones everywhere from bedroom studios to the live stage. In fact, AKG takes great pride in their universal appeal, meeting the needs of performing artists, DJs, video sound engineers, podcasters, and many others.
For over 70 years, AKG has provided generations of engineers and artists with the tools they need to capture and experience the best sound possible. Many of us here at Sweetwater were introduced to AKG from the first day of our careers and have never stopped relying on their products. Walk around our campus, and you'll find AKG everywhere, from the condensers in our world-class studios to the headphones at our desks. Their products sound great and fit our needs, and that's why Sweetwater is always happy to recommend AKG to our customers.
