For decades, Neumann has been regarded worldwide as the standard-setting, leading manufacturer of studio microphones.
Many products introduced in the history of the company have become milestones of professional audio technology. It is no accident that when listing their equipment, audio studios almost always put Neumann microphones at the top of the list – they are a recognized sign of a highly professional operation.
The U 47 (1949) - a legendary Neumann microphone
Our decades of success are based on an uncompromising, quality-oriented approach, in both the development and manufacture of our products. On the rare occasions that servicing is required, Neumann Berlin repairs all of its microphones produced since the second world war, to a large extent using the original spare parts. This is a servicing pledge which is hard to equal.
All this gives the customer the certainty of acquiring a product with unsurpassed sound quality, reliability and lasting value, an investment that usually survives several generations of audio engineers. Although Neumann microphones certainly are not cheap, professionals know from their daily experience that they are worth the cost. Many owners of home recording studios also dream of having “a real Neumann” of their own.
U 87 – Probably the best known Neumann microphone
In addition to countless audio engineers who use Neumann microphones in their studio productions, users include world-famous musicians. No matter what style or generation you prefer, to find users of these high-end products from Berlin the best approach is to begin simply by listing your own favorite musicians.
However, the company that was founded in Berlin in the year 1928 was also concerned for a long time with other technology in addition to microphones. The versatile inventive genius and pioneer Georg Neumann simultaneously developed phonograph record-cutting machines and rechargeable batteries. The technology of the latter remains the basis for today's omnipresent storage batteries.
A Neumann disc cutting lathe in the 80s
For many years, the company also built highly customized sound production units for radio studios, theaters and concert halls. In the year 1991 Neumann became an important part of the Sennheiser Group.
Technical Grammy 1999 - A highlight of the history of the company so far was certainly the Technical Grammy of 1999, awarded in recognition of all of its technological accomplishments.
Since 2010, Neumann offers this expertise in electro-acoustic transducer technologies to the studio monitoring market, and will provide optimum solutions to its customers in the areas of TV and radio broadcasting, recording, and audio productions.
KH 120 D, a monitor of the Neumann KH Line with digital input module
The company headquarters, with the development, marketing, sales and service departments, continues to be located in Berlin, where the 75th anniversary of the company was celebrated in 2003 and the 80th anniversary in 2008.
As of a few years ago, manufacturing in ultraclean room conditions which meet the highest international standards is carried out in Wedemark, near Hannover. Despite all the progress in machines and production technology, manufacturing a high-quality microphone involved a great deal of handicraft, upon which the quality of these transducers and a reputation such as Neumann's ultimately depend.
Assembling a capsule in the production
To meet the operating conditions encountered in the studio the microphones are subject to testing throughout their manufacture. The capsules alone undergo more than 50 different tests before final assembly.
