{"id":11317,"date":"2022-11-09T12:09:27","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T22:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/?p=11317"},"modified":"2025-10-27T12:51:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T22:51:57","slug":"akg75-retrospective-studio-headphone-icons-that-set-the-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/akg\/akg75-retrospective-studio-headphone-icons-that-set-the-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"AKG 75th Anniversary Retrospective: Studio Headphone Icons That Set The Standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past 75 years, AKG<\/a> has introduced thousands of audio products. In the early days, AKG\u00a0manufactured everything from cinema sound systems to exposure meters, car horns, intercoms, telephone handset capsules and cushion speakers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Eventually, we narrowed our focus to a few key categories, and today we\u2019re best known for our professional microphones<\/a> and headphones<\/a>. In this latest installment of our AKG 75th Anniversary<\/a> retrospective series, we\u2019re looking back at some of our most memorable headphones over the years.<\/p>\n

AKG introduced its first headphone, the K120 DYN, in 1949. The K120 DYN was an over-ear design; because foils were not available, it had diaphragms made from pressed granules of trolitul, a plastic\u00a0material used to manufacture stamps. Headphone production was slow in the early days, as the factory had just a single winding machine and gluing machine.<\/p>\n

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AKG’s first headphone, the K120 DYN, was an over-ear design; because foils were not available, it had diaphragms made from pressed granules of trolitul.<\/p><\/div>\n

The success of the AKG K120 DYN, along with our early microphones, eventually paved the way for the company to move beyond cinema speakers to focus on products for sound recording, performance, and broadcast.<\/p>\n

In 1959, AKG made history with the debut of the world\u2019s first over-ear, open-back headphone, the K50. Optimized for professional sound monitoring, it was an instant best-seller, and working models can still be found today.<\/p>\n

By the 1960s, AKG had established a solid reputation as a producer of high-quality sound equipment. Many of our products were used at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria\u2014perhaps most notably our lightweight, rugged K58 headset, which was derived from the K50. Later that decade, we introduced the \u201chumanized\u201d D60 headphone, which exhibited a frequency response that mimicked the characteristics of human hearing.<\/p>\n

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Interest in AKG K240 headphones by many of the world’s biggest music artists was clearly apparent in the music video for the 1985 hit “We Are the World<\/a>“. The song was produced by Quincy Jones, legendary producer and AKG headphone connoisseur<\/a>. (Image from AKG YouTube<\/a>.)<\/p><\/div>\n

The K180, which debuted in 1969, featured metal earcups and a very unique feature called SCS, for Subjective Controlled Sound: speakers could be repositioned within the earcups to customize acoustic response. It worked by adjusting a knob in each earcup that could be turned to create more distance between the ears and the drivers, which were mounted in a rubber baffle.<\/p>\n

In 1974, we got a little experimental with our first wireless headphone, the Libero. After exploring ultrasound transmission, engineers decided to employ infrared light to pick up the sound signal because it was less suspectable to interference. The futuristic technology was met with resistance among consumers, however, and it was eventually withdrawn from the market. It would be a decade before we returned to wireless headphone technology.<\/p>\n

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Vintage K240s in their iconic red box. (Special thanks to worthpoint.com for borrowed use of image.)<\/p><\/div>\n

1975 marked the introduction of our iconic K240<\/a> over-ear, semi-open-back studio headphone, featuring new diaphragm technology that greatly improved bass response and imaging. The K240 became an instant classic, adopted by artists and studios everywhere. Interest in AKG K240 headphones by many of the world’s biggest music artists was clearly apparent in the music video for the 1985 hit “We Are the World<\/a>“. The song was produced by Quincy Jones, legendary producer and AKG headphone connoisseur<\/a>, and went on to sell more than 20 million physical copies. The K240 also makes an appearance in the video for Eddie Murphy\u2019s hit \u201cParty All the Time<\/a>“, written and produced by multi-genre music innovator Rick James.<\/p>\n

Modern K240s<\/a> and their variations, the K240 MKII<\/a> and the K240 Studio<\/a> are go-to monitoring solutions in top studios around the world. Their advanced 30mm transducers with patented Varimotion diaphragms deliver a wide dynamic range, increased sensitivity, and high sound pressure levels, while their semi-open design delivers solid bass and extremely clear highs.<\/p>\n

Discussing the AKG Reference Response Acoustics Curve for Headphones<\/h3>\n
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Dr. Sean Olive and Nic Harcourt discuss how the AKG Reference Response Acoustic Curve was developed for AKG professional headphones.<\/p><\/div>\n

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