The Neumann Company

Here, you are looking at a microphone nucleus. This is the diaphragm blank in the earliest stage of our microphone production. And it already defines the eventual sound.

20 picometers, the size of a hydrogen atom: That is the movement of the diaphragm when it catches a soft whisper. Our electronics translate these 20 picometers into a pristine signal. No matter if you whisper in a song or record an opera tenor: Our diaphragms will catch the smallest subtleties. And the level of detail this needs starts with picometers, for example. We might be a bit … German in this case, but there is a reason for this.

We cannot allow for tolerances here. You cannot see the difference, but you would hear it. That is why every single diaphragm goes through a painfully detailed series of measurement procedures. We lose a few along the way. But those which pass the test are symmetry-proven and ready to deliver the finest signal for decades.

Excuse us for not showing more of this production process at Neumann. Even after more than 90 years, we tend to keep some secrets about our production (which is uncopied to the present day). One secret of the Neumann sound? We choose quality over profit when it comes to production and assembly. Our quality control is harsh, to say the least. This is one reason for our pricing: We do not go for “best for market”. We choose “Best for a reliable result – for decades”. We are not willing to lower standards. Because 20 picometers, you know.

At the end, this is one of the details that separates a true original from a nice try. It’s our way to serve your expectations.

Everybody knows those detailed frequency charts that illustrate how your microphone responds over the audible spectrum.

Interestingly, not every manufacturer publishes them (same for monitors). Anyway: Georg Neumann was convinced that further development in electroacoustics would have to go hand in hand with improved techniques of acoustic measurement. But back in the 1930s there were none. So he invented the level recorder to end the guesswork and work with facts.

The logarithmic scale to cover a wide range, equal to the human ears’ sensitivity, was one of many contributions to the next stages, the next breakthroughs. It was quickly adopted as a standard in the field of electroacoustics – and has remained one until today. In 1956, the team also developed the "pistonphone”. It allowed to calibrate microphones to an accuracy of a tenth of a decibel in the range of 20 to 800 Hz – another ingenious invention that catapulted base accuracy into formerly unknown regions. In short: we developed key indicators that make reference sound measurable. We added some additional dimensions and key indicators over the decades, of course. And we keep learning. Until today, the dimensions of how we understand sound and electroacoustic grow. That is why we stay one step ahead.

On that journey, the Neumann R&D archive is an ever-inspiring well of (previous) experience for our present colleagues. And we hope you can hear that!

It is about time to reveal a secret. Look closely! These are our insignia:

In the 1930s to 1940s, almost the entire electroacoustics industry was in Berlin. The members of this elite tech club recognized fellows by two simple details. First, the Neumann slide rule (with both Napier and decibel scales), and second, the Neumann pocketbook: A highly appreciated source in which Neumann colleagues condensed all the scientific data and charts they needed for their everyday work.

(Yes, we still have some copies of the pocketbook. And yes, they look incredibly used.)

Today, immersive 3D sound is everywhere. When we introduced the dummy head KU 80 in 1973, mostly radio broadcasters loved the new opportunities for their programs. It actually took the audio world decades to develop an interest in our trailblazing dummy head, today listed as KU 100. The rise of new formats and mobile listening changed the scape. Orders for the KU 100 have increased tenfold. The working routine stayed simple. All you need for stunningly realistic 3D sound for headphones: place the KU 100 where your ears would hear the magic. That is it. Since 1973.

Shortly after we introduced the world’s first multipattern microphone, we added a remote controlled version in 1951: The M 49.

Its sound made it a worldwide standard. Today, rare pieces are traded for ranges up to 25.000 €/$ and are loved for their sound. Back then, it was also their features: From cardioid to omni? Continuously adjustable from the power supply. (We will not ramble about the level of symmetry this needs.) For sound engineers back then, this feature was a revolution. Both the multipattern option and the remote control streamlined their workflow enormously.

Today, multipattern options are a standard we select with a quick switch. Going through our archive, we can follow the steps our colleagues took and see how they researched to achieve these features. It is insightful to look back, because we see all the details our pioneering predecessors took care of. Although these technical options are wide spread and taken for granted nowadays, we can still see that the holistic understanding and level of detail it needs to do it right – is not.

Legends like Frank Sinatra loved their “Telly”. A microphone which never existed, technically.

“Telly”. That is what they called this microphone. Its real name: Neumann U 47. Everyone loved it, as it captured so much more of their vocal excellence. Back in the 1950s, sound reproduction was still …evolving. The “Telly” had a sound unlike anything ever heard before – and was in fact a Neumann microphone. The Telefunken badge on the microphone was due to the fact that they were Neumann’s US distributor until the late 1950s. The then German Telefunken company never developed or produced any studio microphones on their own.

Fun fact: Frank Sinatra’s favorite microphone is still in heavy frequent use at Capitol Studios in Hollywood.

And an additional nerdy note: technically, it was a Neumann U 48, not a U 47, as often assumed. The engineers at Capitol preferred the variant with an optional figure 8 pattern instead of an omnidirectional one.