Behind the Scenes: 90 Years of beyerdynamic

It all began with the ‘talkies’: in 1924, electrical engineer Eugen Beyer founded his own company in Berlin, laying the foundations for one of the world’s leading producers of headphones, microphones and conference systems. Beyerdynamic can now look back on a 90-year history marked by historic successes, including producing audio equipment for stars like ABBA, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Udo Lindenberg.

2014 is a jubilee year for the audio equipment manufacturer from Heilbronn – perfect occasion to present a look back at its fantastic nine decade history at Prolight + Sound 2014. Included was the ancestor of all beyerdynamic headphones, the DT 48, which was manufactured almost unchanged until 2013, giving it one of the longest production runs in the history of entertainment technology. It was joined by microphones and conference technology, interpreters’ desks, tour guide systems, gaming headsets, and numerous other audio products.

Passionate about Perfect Sound Quality

Today as back then, their success speaks for itself. In 1966, the Beatles went on tour with a tailor-made version of the E 1000 ribbon microphone. Beyerdynamic conference systems can be found in the German Bundestag and in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, not to mention countless city halls, administrative offices, and other public buildings the world over, including the Swedish government in Stockholm, the Hungarian defence ministry, and Gaudí’s world-famous Sagrade Familia in Barcelona. And with Custom One Pro headphones, every music lover has the chance to design their own personal headphones.

“Even after 90 years, we still feel bound to the traditions of the family business, and the values exemplified by Eugen Beyer, the visionary pioneer and company founder, that we have inherited,” says Violetta Schiller, Head of Marketing at beyerdynamic. “Staying at the cutting edge of technology, constant innovation, and maintaining the very highest quality levels are our mottos.” To this day, premium headphones and microphones are designed by beyerdynamic in Germany and made by hand in Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg.

The first beyerdynamic headphones DT 48