AKG
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAKG is an Austrian-founded professional and consumer audio brand best known for microphones, studio headphones and wireless audio systems.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Overview
AKG is an Austrian-founded audio engineering and manufacturing brand whose history spans cinema equipment, microphones, headphones, wireless systems and consumer electronics. The company was established in Vienna in 1947 by physicist Rudolf Görike and engineer Ernst Pless, initially under the German name Akustische und Kino-Geräte Gesellschaft. Its earliest work supplied technical equipment to post-war cinemas, including loudspeakers, film projectors and light meters. It later diversified into car horns, intercoms, telephone microphone capsules, headsets and loudspeaker products. AKG's reputation was built on transducer and microphone engineering. Its early patents included moving-coil technology and mass-loaded diaphragms intended to improve frequency response. The 1953 D12 dynamic microphone brought the company broad international recognition, particularly in broadcasting and recording. The C12 valve condenser microphone and its successors established AKG as a major studio-microphone maker, while the CK12 capsule became an important part of the company's technical legacy. Later C-series microphones, including the C414 family, extended that reputation across studios, live sound and broadcast applications. The company also developed a significant headphone business. AKG introduced the K120 DYN in the late 1940s and the open-back K50 in 1959. Its studio-monitoring products, including the K240, became familiar in recording environments, while models such as the K701, K702, Q701 and K812 served professional and enthusiast listeners. AKG also produced consumer hi-fi headphones and earphones, and its sound expertise was used in audio products supplied with some Samsung mobile devices after Samsung acquired Harman. AKG expanded internationally through subsidiaries in Germany and the United States. It became a public company in 1984 and was listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange. Harman International Industries acquired AKG in 1994, integrating the brand into a larger portfolio of professional-audio and automotive-electronics businesses. In 2010, AKG received a Technical Grammy Award for its contribution to recording technology. The brand also pursued artist collaborations, including headphone partnerships with Quincy Jones and Tiësto. A major organizational change came in 2016, when Harman announced that AKG's Vienna headquarters, manufacturing and engineering facilities would close in 2017. Brand headquarters and much of the production activity shifted toward Harman's international operations, including facilities outside Austria. Harman itself was acquired by Samsung Electronics in 2017. AKG continues as a Harman audio brand, with current offerings centered on microphones, headphones, wireless microphone systems and related audio accessories rather than on the original Vienna manufacturing structure.
History
AKG's origins lie in post-war Vienna. Rudolf Görike and Ernst Pless began supplying cinema technology to theatres in the period after the Second World War, and in 1947 established Akustische und Kino-Geräte Gesellschaft, commonly abbreviated as AKG. The original business was not limited to recording products: it supplied loudspeakers, projectors and light meters, then expanded into car horns, door intercoms, telephone microphone capsules, headsets and cushion speakers. The company's growth was supported by engineering work on acoustic transducers. Moving-coil designs and mass-loaded diaphragm principles helped AKG pursue wider and more consistent frequency response. In 1953, the D12 dynamic microphone became an important commercial and technical milestone. Its use in broadcasting and studios helped establish AKG internationally, and the company subsequently developed a succession of microphones for vocal, instrumental, broadcast and recording applications. The C12 valve condenser microphone became one of AKG's best-known historical products. Its CK12 large-diaphragm capsule was designed to provide consistent sensitivity and frequency behavior across multiple polar patterns, an achievement that contributed to the company's studio reputation. Related products and successors included the C24 stereo microphone, C414 family, C451 and later C-series models. AKG microphones were used in broadcast and recording environments and were associated with a broad range of professional applications. Headphones became another major line. AKG introduced the K120 DYN around the beginning of its headphone history and released the open-back K50 in 1959. The company later developed studio and hi-fi products including the K240, K1000, K701, K702, Q701 and K812. The K240 became particularly recognizable as a studio-monitoring headphone, while the K701 and related models became common among musicians, engineers and serious listeners. AKG expanded its corporate footprint with a German subsidiary in the 1950s and a United States subsidiary in 1985. It became a publicly traded company in 1984, listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange. Harman International Industries acquired AKG in 1994, bringing the Austrian brand into a multinational audio group. This ownership enabled broader distribution and access to Harman's production and sales infrastructure while gradually separating the brand from its original Vienna manufacturing base. During the 1990s and 2000s, AKG developed wireless microphone systems and continued to serve professional audio, while also expanding its consumer headphone business. In 2010, the company received a Technical Grammy Award. Artist collaborations with Quincy Jones and Tiësto in 2010 and 2012 respectively connected AKG's headphone products with prominent music personalities. In 2016, Harman announced the closure of AKG's Vienna headquarters, manufacturing and engineering facilities during 2017. The change ended the company's historic Vienna operating structure and shifted brand headquarters to California, while most AKG-branded products were manufactured through Harman's overseas facilities. In the same year, former AKG engineers in Austria founded Austrian Audio, a separate competing audio company. Samsung acquired Harman in 2017, and AKG subsequently operated within Samsung's broader consumer and professional audio ecosystem. The brand remains associated with microphones, headphones, wireless audio and audio technologies used in consumer devices.
- 2017
Vienna operations close and Harman joins Samsung
[1]AKG's Vienna facilities close as brand operations move toward California and overseas manufacturing; Samsung acquires Harman.
- 2010
Technical Grammy recognition
[1]AKG receives a Technical Grammy Award for its contribution to recording technology.
- 1994
Harman acquires AKG
[1]AKG becomes part of Harman International Industries.
- 1984
AKG becomes a public company
[1]AKG is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange.
- 1953
D12 microphone gains international recognition
[1]The D12 dynamic microphone helps establish AKG as an international professional-audio supplier.
- 1949
Early headphone production begins
[1]AKG begins producing headphones, including the K120 DYN.
- 1947
AKG is founded in Vienna
[1]Rudolf Görike and Ernst Pless establish Akustische und Kino-Geräte Gesellschaft, the company that becomes known as AKG.
Products and positioning
AKG is positioned as a technically credible audio brand spanning professional recording and live sound on one side and premium consumer listening on the other. Its strongest associations are studio microphones, reference headphones, Austrian engineering heritage and use by broadcasters, musicians and recording engineers. Under Harman and Samsung, the brand also participates in mass-market consumer audio and device-integrated sound experiences.
Microphones · 1953
Professional microphones
AKG's professional microphone portfolio includes dynamic, condenser and valve designs for studio recording, broadcast, live performance and instruments. Historically important models include the D12, C12, D112, C414, C451 and C535. The C-series and CK12 capsule lineage are particularly associated with AKG's studio engineering reputation.
Headphones · 1949
Studio and reference headphones
AKG makes headphones for studio monitoring, professional reference listening and hi-fi use. The K240 became a widely recognized monitoring model, while the K701, K702, Q701 and K812 represent open-back and reference-oriented designs. Some historic models, including the K1000, are discontinued but remain influential among enthusiasts.
Consumer audio
Consumer headphones and earphones
The consumer range extends AKG's tuning and industrial design into portable headphones, earphones and wireless listening products. AKG audio technology has also been used in selected Samsung mobile devices, including headphones and device speaker systems following Samsung's acquisition of Harman.
Wireless audio
DMS wireless microphone systems
AKG's DMS line provides wireless microphone equipment for professional speech, performance and installed-audio applications. It represents the company's expansion beyond wired microphones into wireless transmission and complete system solutions.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Tiësto headphone partnership
International consumer audio · DJ and electronic music markets
AKG announced a headphone collaboration with DJ Tiësto, using the artist's name and profile to support a dedicated product line.
Outcome. The collaboration connected AKG with electronic-music audiences and reinforced its presence in lifestyle and DJ-oriented headphones.
- 2010Quincy Jones signature headphone partnership
International consumer audio
AKG worked with Quincy Jones on a signature headphone range featuring artist-led styling and modified drivers.
Outcome. The partnership broadened AKG's consumer visibility by linking its headphone business with a highly recognized music producer and performer.
Brand decisions
2017
Samsung acquires HarmanM&ABackground
Samsung sought to expand its connected, automotive and audio-electronics activities.
Action taken
Samsung Electronics acquired Harman International Industries, including its AKG brand.
Aftermath
AKG became part of Samsung's broader technology ecosystem and its audio tuning was used in selected Samsung consumer devices.
2016
Close Vienna facilities and relocate brand headquartersStrategyBackground
Harman reviewed AKG's operating structure and announced the closure of the historic Vienna headquarters, factory and engineering facilities.
Action taken
The Vienna facilities were scheduled to close in 2017, with brand headquarters transferred to California and production shifted largely to Harman's overseas facilities.
Aftermath
The decision ended AKG's historic Vienna manufacturing base. Former Austrian AKG engineers later established Austrian Audio as a competing company.
1994
Join Harman International IndustriesM&ABackground
AKG had developed from an Austrian specialist into an internationally distributed audio company.
Action taken
Harman acquired AKG and incorporated the brand into its global professional and consumer audio portfolio.
Aftermath
AKG gained access to Harman's international distribution and manufacturing network while continuing as a distinct audio brand.
Recent events
- 2017
Samsung completes acquisition of Harman[1]
M&A
Samsung Electronics acquired Harman, making AKG part of Samsung's wider portfolio of connected, automotive and consumer audio brands.
- 2017
Samsung Electronics completes acquisition of Harman[1]
M&A
Samsung Electronics acquired Harman International Industries, bringing AKG into Samsung's brand portfolio through Harman.
- 2017
AKG brand headquarters moves from Vienna to California[1]
Other
Following the planned Vienna shutdown, the AKG brand's headquarters function was transferred to California and production was increasingly handled through Harman's overseas facilities.
- 2016
Harman announces closure of AKG's Vienna facilities[1]
Leadership change
Harman announced that AKG's Vienna headquarters, manufacturing and engineering operations would close in 2017, with brand headquarters moving to California and production relying more heavily on overseas facilities.
- 2012
AKG announces Tiësto headphone partnership[1]
Campaign · Product launch
The company announced a collaboration with DJ Tiësto to develop headphones carrying the artist's name.
- 2010
AKG receives Technical Grammy Award[1]
Other
AKG was recognized for its contribution to recording technology and audio engineering. Harman executive Dinesh Paliwal accepted the award for the company.
- 2010
AKG announces Quincy Jones headphone partnership[1]
Campaign · Product launch
AKG partnered with musician and producer Quincy Jones on a signature headphone line combining artist-oriented styling with modified driver designs.
- 2010
AKG receives a Technical Grammy Award[1]
Other
AKG was recognized for its contribution to recording technology. Harman executive Dinesh Paliwal accepted the award on the company's behalf.
- 2010
AKG announces Quincy Jones signature headphone partnership[1]
Campaign · Product launch
AKG announced a collaboration with Quincy Jones to develop a signature headphone line combining artist-led styling with modified acoustic designs.
Sources7 sources
- 1AKGen.wikipedia.org
- 2Samsung launches 4 new AKG headphones in India | Samsung launches 4 new AKG headphones in Indiaasianage.com
- 3Samsung launches AKG Y100, Y500, N200 and N700NC M2 wireless earphones and headphones in India starting at Rs. 6699fonearena.com
- 4Samsung launches four AKG headphones in India, price starts Rs 6,999themobileindian.com
- 5Samsung launches four new AKG headphones - OrissaPOSTorissapost.com
- 6Samsung launches four new AKG headphones in Indiachennaionline.com
- 7Samsung launches four new wireless AKG headphones in India with prices starting at Rs 6,699timesnownews.com
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