On November 23, 1928, in Berlin, brilliant acoustic inventor Georg Neumann and financier Erich Rickmann founded Georg Neumann & Co. Creating the world's first commercially viable condenser microphone—the legendary CMV 3 "Neumann Bottle"—and subsequently the immortal U 47, Neumann permanently defined the sonic signature of twentieth-century symphonic recordings, radio broadcasting, and world-class music studios.
The Berlin Laboratory of 1928: Georg Neumann and the CMV 3 Bottle
In the late 1920s, the emergence of electrical sound recording and radio broadcasting faced an acute limitation: existing carbon and dynamic microphones produced severe harmonic distortion, narrow frequency response, and intrusive background hiss. On November 23, 1928, young engineer Georg Neumann (1898–1976) opened his acoustics workshop on Michaelkirchstraße in Berlin.
Neumann engineered an ultra-thin gold-sputtered collodion diaphragm coupled to an integrated triode vacuum tube preamplifier, launching the CMV 3 (“Condensatormikrofon Verstärker 3”). Shaped like a cylindrical bottle with interchangeable capsule heads (including the famed M 7 omni/cardioid capsule), it captured human voice and symphonic instruments with unprecedented lifelike fidelity.
The Golden Standard of Abbey Road to La Scala: The U 47 Legacy
In 1949, Neumann achieved another acoustic summit with the release of the U 47—the first switchable pattern condenser microphone, featuring a Telefunken VF 14 M steel tube. Revering its velvety warmth and presence, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles at Abbey Road, and opera legends from Maria Callas to Luciano Pavarotti made the Neumann U 47 their indispensable studio instrument.
Today, preserving its dedicated acoustics laboratory in Berlin under the Sennheiser family, Neumann approaches its 2028 centenary as the undisputed gold standard of professional electroacoustics worldwide.
Inside the Radio Studio: Acoustic Transmission, Broadcasting, and Studio Microphones
Original historical newsreel from the Istituto Luce Cinecittà Archive documenting period radio broadcast studios, acoustic transmission rooms, and the first studio condenser microphones. (This is period footage illustrating the era and does not show the company itself). (Source: Historical Archive Istituto Luce Cinecittà / Period Newsreels)
Interactive 360° Street View: Georg Neumann Global Headquarters & Acoustic Measurement Laboratories
Historical Location: Ollenhauerstraße 98, 13403 Berlin, Germany (Coordinates: 52.5695, 13.328)
Territorial Map & Location Overview
Sources
- S1 — Peus, Stephan, and Jörg Sengpiel. Mikrofone: Technik und Praxis. Elektor-Verlag, 2004. ISBN 978-3-89576-147-8.
- S2 — Boré, Gerhart, and Stephan Peus. Microphones: Methods of Operation and Type Examples. Georg Neumann GmbH, 1999. ISBN 978-3-9806497-0-4.
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