Photo of the entrance to German Maestro headquarters and manufacturing facility

Our History

Our heritage isn't just a story. It's over 60 years of uncompromising German engineering, passed down through generations of craftspeople who refused to let quality die.

Our History

Our heritage isn't just a story. It's over 60 years of uncompromising German engineering, passed down through generations of craftspeople who refused to let quality die.

1962-1967: The Beginning

It started with a company called "MB," short for Mikrofonbau, which means "microphone building" in German. Founded in 1962 (officially registered in 1963), MB began by manufacturing OEM products for major brands like Telefunken, Grundig, and ITT. Their specialty? Microphones, headphones, headsets, and other precision audio components.

In 1966, MB introduced their first headphones and headsets under their own brand label, marking the beginning of a reputation for quality that would span decades. A year later, they began manufacturing condenser microphones, though they weren't the primary focus at the time.

1974: Crisis Strikes

When condenser microphones became the new industry standard, most of MB's dynamic microphone customers switched suppliers. A failed development project for an answering machine for Grundig was the final blow. MB went bankrupt, and 600-700 employees lost their jobs.

It could have been the end of the story. But it wasn't.

Vintage photo of the Peerless MB PMB1000 Headphones from an advertisement in the 1970s

1975-1978: Rebuilding

Danish audio company Peerless saw the value in what MB had built and acquired the assets and trademarks. The new company, "Peerless Mikrofonbau" (or Peerless MB for short), started with just 30 employees. Over the following years, it grew to around 100 employees, proving that the craftsmanship and knowledge were worth preserving.
Photo of the German Maestro Headquarters, at the time called Peerless MB, when it had just officially opened in 1978
The German Maestro Obrigheim facility completely flooded shortly before our opening
In 1978, the new production facility in Obrigheim opened its doors. But before the official opening could even happen, the factory was flooded by high water from the Neckar River. Despite this setback, the team pressed on.

1983-1989: The MB Quart Era Begins

Photo showing 1980s era MB Quart drivers

Peerless decided to exit the European market and sold Peerless MB to Alfred Götz. The company was renamed "MB-Electronic GmbH." Starting in the mid-1980s, the company expanded into home audio and car audio products.

Headphones manufactured in German Maestro's facility from the 1980s

The brand name changed from "MB" to "Quart," but Japanese retailers weren't fans of the new name. So a compromise was reached: "MB Quart" was born.

Headphones manufactured in German Maestro's facility from the 1980s

Over the following years, the company developed many excellent home audio speakers and innovative headphone models.

In 1989, the company name was updated to "MB Quart Akustik & Elektronik GmbH."

1990s: Dominating the Competition Circuit

Throughout the 1990s, MB Quart became the brand to beat in sound quality competitions. Their car audio products dominated IASCA and EMMA competitions worldwide, with competitors consistently choosing MB Quart speakers for championship-winning builds. This era cemented Obrigheim-Lead MB Quart's reputation as the gold standard for audiophile-grade car audio.

1992: Passing the Torch

Owner Alfred Götz left MB Quart and passed leadership to his predecessor, Dr. Busch.

2001-2004: American Ownership and Struggle

US brand Rockford Fosgate acquired MB Quart. The company developed a high-end home speaker line called "Vera" with enormous financial investment in engineering and tooling. Unfortunately, sales didn't meet expectations, and Rockford Fosgate decided to end its engagement with MB Quart, putting the company into bankruptcy in 2004.

2005-2007: The Final Corporate Chapter

Maxxsonics USA bought the assets and brand names of MB Quart and founded the German subsidiary "Maxxsonics GmbH." But in 2007, Maxxsonics USA decided to leave Germany as a manufacturing base and planned to move MB Quart production to Asia. Maxxsonics GmbH was put into bankruptcy, and MB Quart Germany went bankrupt too. The brand name was taken away from the original factory in Obrigheim, Germany.

2008: The Rescue

A group of former MB Quart employees and a German investor bought the assets of MB Quart in Germany. They founded "Maestro Badenia Akustik & Elektronik GmbH," took over the entire production facility, and rehired about half of the workers.

They had everything they needed. Except one thing: a brand name.

2008-Today: German Maestro is Born

In May 2008, the management team and a private German investor completed their buyout and founded Maestro Badenia Akustik & Elektronik GmbH. The company name "Maestro Badenia" is a tribute to the former "MB" name.

Since that day, headphones, headsets, car audio, and home audio products have been engineered, manufactured, and sold under the brand name German Maestro. The philosophy of the company goes back to its original roots, with a focus on products with excellent sound performance, reliability, and functionality.

Our Philosophy Today

German Maestro represents a deliberate return to our roots: building exceptional professional audio equipment with end-to-end German development and manufacturing. We don't chase trends or cut corners. We perfect the physical speaker to solve acoustic problems at their source, offering an "analog-first" approach for audio purists who demand authentic sound reproduction.

Over 60 years later, we're still here. Still German. Still uncompromising. Still building audio equipment the right way.

Because some things are worth preserving.

Photo of the entrance to German Maestro headquarters and manufacturing facility