Where audio is made: factory reports and the history of audio brands – 10 selected stories

We share a selection of the most interesting publications about who and under what conditions launched their own production of audio equipment. Stories of various brands – under the cut.

Photo: Audiomania.ru
Photo: Audiomania.ru

Soviet legend: the history of the “Radiotekhnika” plant… Our 1,700-word long read tells how the production began, how its founders coped with difficulties and saved the company at the end of World War II. From the development of legendary models and a broken director to new victories and fading in the 90s – we discuss the course of the history of the plant and what is happening to it now.

Penaudio: true Finnish sound… We shared details about how this business started and talked about the features of the acoustics of the Finnish brand. They talked about the legendary models, paid attention to the founder’s biography and his approach to production. This is a voluminous material, but it will take no more than ten minutes to read it.

“Don’t stop and try new things”: Lehmannaudio in brief… The history of the brand is linked to the personal preferences of the founder. We talk about what system he bought with pocket money, who he studied with and how he found a niche for professional development. The article also contains a couple of words about which audio equipment he prefers to use today. The most notable brand products were not spared either.

From Austria with Love: Getting to Know AKG… From a small workshop to world fame – we are discussing the development of the company, legendary models of microphones and headphones, cooperation with the stars of the music industry and even the Mir orbital station. A small note – reading will take no more than five minutes.

Photo: Brett Jordan.  Source: Unsplash.com
Photo: Brett Jordan. Source: Unsplash.com

The history of the Ortofon brand: from talkie to pickup heads… What the partners who launched this business patented, what their company was secretly doing during the Second World War, what meaning did they put into the brand name and other interesting facts about Ortofon – in the material on the pages of “World of Hi-Fi”.

Please note: Two reports from Ortofon factory [первый, второй]…

“Innovative Conservatism”: The Bang & Olufsen Story… The Danish brand was launched in the attic of the parental home of one of the founders as much as 95 years ago. From the very beginning, this was a story of rivalry between a charismatic founder and a radio geek-inventor – something like that, right? We are discussing what our colleagues managed to release in the pre-war period, what the refusal to cooperate with the Germans led to, and how business has been developing over the past 75 years. By the way, there is a few photos from the brand’s museum

Sennheiser brand history: freedom and vision… The company was launched almost immediately after the signing of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of the German Armed Forces. Surprisingly, they started with tube voltmeters, gradually switched to microphones, and took up headphones only in the early 50s. About how events developed then, and what is worth noting of the modern achievements of the brand, in our material.

A brief history of Klipsch… Another post-war audio brand that has much to be proud of: the Klipschorn is the only loudspeaker to have been handcrafted for over seventy years. But we are talking about others – the Heresy line, an alternative for it called Cornwall, La Scala system, headphones and peripheral audio gadgets.

In the photo: shelf acoustics Arslab Studio 10 / Audiomania.ru
In the photo: shelf acoustics Arslab Studio 10 / Audiomania.ru

“Conservative sound”: discussing Arslab and Penaudio… Artem Faermark, founder of Audiomania, talks about cooperation with a Finnish brand and shares his insights on the approach to acoustics production. Additional reading on the topic of Arslab – interview with Yuri Fomin on the design of acoustic systems… Plus – two large photo stories journalists “What Hi-Fi?” and SalonAV from the factory “Audiomania” in Riga.

Every engineer dreams of making an S-90… We are discussing the history of the launch of the line of acoustic systems manufactured by Audiomania. The owner of the company gives a maximum of details on the topic – Artem Faermark… His experience in business development from the 90s to the opening of a factory in Riga can be learned here


Notes and additional reading:


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