Dynamic principles

When one thinks about classic microphones and headphones, German engineering instantly comes to mind. Renowned for their quality, pedigree and precision engineering, the endless catalogue of globally renowned transducers all bear the hallmarks of the successful, current manufacturers who herald from Germany. But the country that is home to Brauner, Neumann, Schoeps, Sennheiser and numerous others (AKG is based just over the border in Vienna) was actually put on the microphone map by a company that now resides in Heilbronn, and was founded by Eugen Beyer almost 90 years ago in 1924.

His early fascination and obsession with electro-mechanical engineering and acoustics did not go down well with his father, who wanted him to pursue an academic career. Nevertheless his small company in Berlin was borne out of his passion, and his initial development of electronic components led to the first dynamic transducers finding appreciative ears in cinemas, which were just starting to develop films with sound.

In turn, the cinema loudspeakers were modified for other applications, arguably the most innovative of which was the idea of mounting a pair of loudspeakers onto a person’s head. Encouraged by the phenomenon in recording and new communication techniques, he embarked on a project to create an extremely innovative audio product for the time – the first dynamic headphones, which were thus created in 1937 in the shape of the DT 48.

Two years later, the first dynamic microphone for studio use was developed in the form of the M 19, and this became the standard microphone of German national broadcasting (Reichsrundfunkgesellschaft) in outdoor applications.

The Second World War, however, succeeded in destroying the factory and machines based in Berlin, and Eugen Beyer was hence forced to relocate to Heilbronn in south-west Germany, initially converting a former officer’s mess. But ultimately Beyerdynamic was forced to its current site in Theresienstrasse in 1960 as a result of huge expansion. This was mainly due to innovations such as the DT 49, or stick headphone, which found mass appeal in record shops, and the flourishing consumer market. Meanwhile, the DT 48 S headphones were the first to be developed in both stereo and high fidelity in 1950. Despite a revised design, DT 48s are still produced today and are regarded as an industry standard product for Beyerdynamic, firmly cementing the company’s status among professionals in recording and film studios, and radio stations.

The family run business continued to go from strength to strength in the following generation under the watchful eye of Fred Beyer, who was, after the sudden death of his father, to preside over the company as managing director until late 2002. The first wireless microphone, or ‘transistophone’, was launched in 1962, whilst Beyerdynamic’s venture into ribbon technology encouraged another breakthrough with the development of the M 500 in 1969, which was rugged enough for live sound applications. In terms of endorsees, the 1960s witnessed the Beatles touring with the E 1000s in Germany, while Queen Elizabeth’s first official tour of Australia saw the monarch exclusively use the M 88 directional mic.

Similarly, the 1970s brought with them a swelling of innovation and success, with the introduction of the ET 1000 electrostatic and DT 204 quadrophonic headphones. But it was the development of the DT 770 and DT 990 studio headphones in 1985 which enhanced the Beyerdynamic reputation to as-yet unreached heights. Decades of experience and a commitment to further research and development had allowed the German manufacturer to penetrate further into the recording studio, live sound, TV and radio broadcasting, conferencing and theatrical markets throughout the world.

The company broadened its horizons in the 1990s, introducing an array of innovations such as the MCD 100, launched as the world’s first digital studio microphone, the RSS 433 wireless headphones and the MCE 7, which ranked among the world’s smallest studio clip-on microphones. Other successful launches included the S 200 and 300 VHF wireless systems and SHM 200 and 300 goosenecks, which were designed to blend in with their architectural backgrounds. Similarly, the SMS 600 stereo in-ear monitoring system made its mark among broadcasters and performers who were starting to demand freedom of movement, while the live Opus range of microphones, the MCW-Digital wireless conferencing system and the MC 900 true condenser series all made an impact.

With the launch of the MCW-Digital series, conferencing technology quickly established itself as the main thrust of Beyerdynamic’s sales, and as such the company has led this niche market for the past decade. The acquisition of fellow German company Interkom in 2005 consolidated its product development and with the subsequent launch of the MCS-D series – or Revoluto – it has assumed a firmer grip on the sector. Revoluto microphone array technology integrates microphone cardioid capsules to provide a so-called ‘corridor characteristic’, ensuring high quality voice reproduction and allowing the speaker to move freely.

Beyerdynamic’s headquarters and factory in Heilbronn – together with the production and service / logistics centres that sit no more than 5km away – is home to 300 skilled assemblers, researchers, designers, sales and administrative personnel, many of whom have established long careers within the company. Meanwhile, as well as being known worldwide as a high-profile manufacturer, the company is also responsible nationally in Germany for being a distributor of other brands. One of these is the Taiwanese manufacturer Mipro, with whom it formed a powerful symbiotic relationship in 2001, leading to the exchange of various product designs and developments.

Unlike many manufacturers in Western Europe, the smell and feel of the factory is of a manufacturer rather than an assembler. Raw aluminium and steel rods and sheets enter the factory to be cut, moulded, bent, shaped and processed into headphone and microphone parts, whilst the electronics are almost completely produced on-site. Plastic injection moulding, wiring and soldering on the large production lines are spread out over three buildings on three floors. Nothing is left to chance with numerous checks and tests conducted en-route to the final destination of packaging and shipping, ensuring tight quality controls is maintained.

In recent years, the company has invested significant sums of money into its in-house production processes, substantially increasing both the output and efficiency of its manufacturing throughput. The microphones and rack-mountable PCB boards that are inserted into the MCS, MCW-D, MPR Revoluto, Headzone, MM 1, MPC 22, MCE 86, SHM 930, Opus 53, MCE 7 and other models are all manufactured in Heilbronn using the latest robotic insertion machinery. Skilled workers insert the larger components by hand in the latter stages of the circuit boards’ production, and at each stage the boards are both visually and electronically tested using PCs, Marantz optical inspection chambers and various other equipment. All the boards are then registered with serial numbers, and their individual details are stored in a central database, allowing them to be recalled. Any glitches unearthed further down the production line can be attributed to the workstation where it originated, allowing the problem to be quickly assessed and fixed.

Elsewhere, an RF-shielded room provides 100 per cent protection from radio frequencies, meaning the PCB boards can be properly tested without interference. The coil-working facility – inspired by Eugen Beyer – dates back to when the new site was built. Mr Beyer was almost fanatical with the concept of producing perfect audio for transformer balanced microphones, and as such his legacy of transformer engineering has continued to the present day in which the Q factor is almost zero.

Some 10 per cent of the workforce is directly employed in the R&D department, where the next generation of pro audio, consumer, aviation and acoustic designs are being finalised by software, firmware and electronics engineers. The fully lined anechoic chamber housed in this division was Europe’s largest until 1982 and is completely isolated via shock mounts from the foundations and the rest of the building.

Each workstation has been designed with efficiency in mind using the same Kanban techniques employed by large Japanese corporations such as Toyota. Kanban is a concept relating to lean and just-in-time production and is a scheduling system that tells a manufacturer what, when and how much to produce. It promotes a large degree of flexibility allowing varying batches of products to be assembled in a steady and logical flow. Having been initially rolled out in the consumer production areas in 2005, the Kanban principle of production has spread to the rest of the factory including the final assembly areas, where OEM designs for varying applications such as transportation communications are also produced. Once assembled, all the products are fully tested and the results logged prior to shipping.

The company reaches out to its distributors and customers on a regular basis by hosting video conferences from its own main boardroom. Seminars and discussions such as the differences between boundary and hanging microphone models are explained in detail while the website hosts video clips promoting the advantages and features of the company’s product range. ‘Generally speaking, telephone companies fully understand our technology,’ illuminates conferencing business unit manager Matthias Holz. ‘Following a video conference with such a client, a sale normally follows. The market has increasingly accepted our Revoluto line array technology, but it has taken time. We too have been learning more from our customers. For example, that is why we develop the housings in non-reflective Nextel now, so that delegates aren’t dazzled by the sun, projectors or lighting shining off the discussion units.’

Conferencing product sales account for around half of the company’s turnover now, but Beyerdynamic is developing other pioneering technology outside the Revoluto family of products. Its boundary microphones (the BM 32, 33 and 34 models) are gaining increasing market share in the Indian market, while new overhead and gooseneck families will be unveiled in early 2011. The Synexis UHF wireless series is being developed for guided tours and assistance listening. Votum is a newly developed voting system that is compatible with all Beyerdynamic’s conferencing systems, but operates on an independent network. The Stegos wireless boundary microphone can operate for up to 14 hours and was designed for use with standard video conferencing systems. The latter consists of a receiver that can work with up to four wireless boundary mics within the approved 2.4GHz frequency range and offers immunity against high noise and unauthorised listening with its Spread Spectrum and 128-bit encryption key.

At the start of 2003, Fred Beyer stepped down as managing director, having spent 42 years at the helm. This pivotal moment in Beyerdynamic’s long history saw, for the first time, a non-family member take the company’s helm in the shape of qualified mechanical engineer Wolfgang Luckhardt. It is a testimony to the manufacturer that he is only the third MD in the company’s rich 87 year history. Perhaps this smooth transitional management style has contributed to the stability and progressive outlook that characterises the company from the shop floor to exhibition halls around the world.

Since the golden age of silent movies, Beyerdynamic has written its way into the history books by continually pioneering, developing and progressing within a diverse, competitive marketplace. The Beyer name may have found itself firmly at home in the realm of A/V – namely conferencing and boardroom installations – but its R&D ingenuity, its manufacturing ethos and the experienced hands in which it lies will ensure that it continues to charter new markets when they arise.

www.beyerdynamic.com