AKG C 12 to be inducted into TECnology Hall of Fame

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AKG Acoustics’ legendary C 12 microphone is being inducted into the TECnology Hall of Fame by the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio. The TECnology Hall of Fame recognizes 25 products and innovations that have had a lasting impact on the evolution of audio technology. The induction ceremony is scheduled for Friday October 29th at 5:00 pm in the Nob Hill Room of the San Francisco Marriott Hotel at 55 4th Street during the second day of the Audio Engineering Society convention.

The AKG C 12 was introduced in 1953 and production of it lasted until 1963. The C 12 was the world’s first remote-controllable multi-pattern large-diaphragm microphone and about 3,000 of them were produced during its 10-year run. OEM versions of the C 12 were also produced for Siemens (SM 203, SM 204) and for Telefunken (ELA-M251).

The C 12 is considered "the holy grail" of microphones by audio engineers for its beautiful, 3-dimensional vocal quality—a result of the combination of its hand-tensioned, edge-terminated AKG capsule and the rare GE 6072 triode tube. Original C 12s regularly sell for $10,000 - $15,000 and some have fetched upwards of $30,000—many times their original price (even factoring inflation) thanks to its combination of rarity and high performance.

The C 12 is still influencing the art of large-diaphragm condenser recording microphones more than 50 years after its introduction. It’s CK12’s capsule was the first to have the acoustic “fingerprint� in its frequency response for which other AKG microphones have become famous for---a small dip at around 2 KHz and well-chosen presence rise.

The AKG C 12 and 24 other legendary, influential audio products were selected by a panel of 50 highly-regarded audio professionals, educators and engineers.