Frequently Asked Questions

The renaissance of vinyl records is unstoppable. Analogue playback is for many the only true “High Resolution”. The editions are produced in “180 gram, virgin vinyl” quality according to the most modern standards in renowned German pressing plants and meet the highest audiophile demands.

In addition to CD, initial releases are available as Pure Audio Blu-ray Disc, on vinyl or as an uncompressed digital audio file. Older titles and certain initial releases are available as what are called CD/SACD hybrids. Find out all about the advantages and requirements of the different formats:

Pure Audio Blu-ray Disc

Our Pure Audio Blu-ray disc can be played on any standard Blu-ray player. The audio signal provides uncompressed studio quality. In addition, you will find concert videos and bonus films in HD.

Navigation without a screen:
You can also listen to the music without switching on the TV screen. Use the remote control as with a CD player and the usual buttons: play, pause, skip, track number, etc.
The red and yellow buttons on your Blu-ray remote control allow you to change sound formats, even while listening.

High Resolution Audio / 24-bit studio quality

Today's technology allows digital audio playback at a resolution that goes far beyond the level of a standard CD. Sound recordings in 24-bit correspond to the quality level of a professional recording studio, but not every device can play files of this format.

Vinyl

The renaissance of vinyl records is unstoppable. For many, analogue playback is the only true “High Resolution”. The editions, which are released on “180 gram, Virgin Vinyl” quality standard long-playing records are produced according to the most modern standards in renowned German pressing plants and meet the highest audiophile demands.

In addition to the CD format, our recordings are available as Pure Audio Blu-ray Disc, on vinyl, or as uncompressed digital audio files. Here you can find out all about the advantages and requirements of the different formats.

If you are a retailer and are interested in stocking our products, please contact us at recordings@berliner-philharmoniker.de.

To be able to play 24-bit files, the following is required:

1. A storage location
2. A player and software that can handle the files
3. Under certain circumstances a digital-to-analog converter
4. A good amplifier and speakers (or headphones) are recommended

Storage location

If you manage many digital music files and listen via your stereo system, you should ideally set up a network hard drive which your player can access.

If you want to play the files directly on a PC/Mac, you can save the files there.

For streaming devices and AV receivers, external USB hard drives can be used.

Player

In general, a standard PC or MAC with appropriate software (JRiver, iTunes, VLC Media Player, Audirvana, Roon etc.) is sufficient.

You can also use designated network players, more and more of which can now be controlled by smartphone apps. Other models have their own remote controls. These generally serve as a D/A converter so you can skip point 3.

Of course, you can use an AV receiver, which completely covers the points 2-4. Or special mobile players that are optimized for 24-bit files.

D/A converters (“DAC”)

The D/A converter in standard PCs and Macs are not sufficient. When used as a player, you should connect them digitally (e.g. optically or by HDMI) to a D/A converter or directly to an AV receiver with a D/A converter. Popular D/A converters (which can also be connected to smartphones) include “Dragonfly” and “Chord Mojo”.

Amplifiers and speakers

If you have an “old” analogue amplifier at home, you will also need to use a D/A converter between the player and the amplifier. This can be integrated in the player, or an external device.

Everyone who purchases a release from Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings* is entitled to download a digital file of the entire album in the highest available studio quality free of charge. The release contains a link to a page in our shop which can only be accessed by this link. On this page, you can select a download format, add it to your cart, then download using the code, free of charge.

Our reliable, high quality download service is accessed through your user account in our shop. Existing accounts for the Digital Concert Hall are also valid in this shop. If you do not have an account, we ask you to register after adding the download product to your shopping cart. The advantage of this lies in the fact that if you experience technical problems, you can return to your user account to try the download again.

To prevent fraud, the download offer is set up like a regular product, including a price. To access the files, it is necessary to complete the entire purchasing process. Your voucher code means a 100% discount, so there are no costs involved. The code will not work for editions in CD format.

Follow these steps for your free dowload:

1. Add download product to cart
2. Enter code and click “apply voucher” (Price will change to 0.00 Euro)
3. Click “proceed to checkout”
4. Use the payment method “voucher code”
5. Go to “My Downloadable Products” in your account

Some antivirus programmes warn the user before downloading ZIP-files as they can potentially contain viruses. Although our files have been tested for viruses, we assume no liability.

*Releases on other labels (e.g. Deutsche Grammophon or Sony) and the Furtwängler-Edition “The Radio Recordings” do not include download codes.

If you have ordered a product to a country outside the EU, it is possible that it is still in customs. In our experience, the US authorities need a particularly long time to check shipments.

Unfortunately, it is also possible that your order has been lost. If this is the case, please contact us at help@berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com so we can look into the matter.

Click here for a detailed overview of shipping costs.

Do I have to pay customs duties if I am ordering from outside the EU?

When shipping your order to countries outside the EU, additional taxes or costs (e.g. customs duties) may be incurred. These are not covered by us and cannot be added to your invoice. Any additional costs must be paid directly by you to the relevant customs or tax authorities. Please contact the relevant authorities for details.

The delivery time in Germany is up to 2 working days, up to 7 business days in Europe, and up to 21 working days to all other countries. These figures are for guidance only.

If delivery has not been effected within this time frame, we ask for your patience. If it looks like your delivery will not arrive, please contact us at: help@berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com

After receipt of payment, your order will be shipped by our logistics partner. You can choose between standard and parcel shipping. Upon receipt of your order, you will receive a shipping confirmation within one business day and a tracking code if you have selected parcel shipping.

A shipment can only be tracked if you have selected “DHL package delivery” as the shipping method. In your shipping confirmation you will find the tracking code to track your package. You can track your package on this website:

www.dhl.de

In some countries outside of Germany, you cannot fully track your shipment to its destination on the DHL website. Please then use the internationally valid “UPU match code” for your shipment indicated on the DHL website to look for your shipment with the local postal service of the destination country.

Here a selection of standard mail services abroad:

Accepted methods of payment include credit card, online bank transfer, Pay Pal and direct debit. Payment on account is not possible.

If you wish to cancel your order, please contact us at help@berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com.

We do our utmost to pack and ship the goods in the best possible condition. In the case of damage or loss, please contact us quoting the shipment or order number:

help@berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com

If you have ordered the wrong product, please contact us as soon as possible at help@berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com so that we can cancel the order. If it is too late to cancel it, please return the wrong goods to us, then we can refund you, and you can place a new order.

If you have received a wrong product, please contact us at help@berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com and send the item back to us. We will then send you the correct product as soon as possible.

Usually undelivered shipments will be kept at your local post office for 7 to 14 days. Please check with your local post office.

Once the shipment is returned to us, we will resend the item.

If you notice an error in the shipping address provided by you, please contact us as soon as possible at help@berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com so that we can pass it on to our sales department.

No, but there are German, English, French, Spanish, Japanese and Korean subtitles.

Yes, the region code on our video products is “0” (DVD) or “ABC” (Blu-ray), which means they can be played worldwide.

The DVDs are formatted in "NTSC", but they can also be played with “PAL” devices.

Some of our concerts are available in our online-shop as CD/DVD/Blu-ray. All other recordings are produced exclusively for the Digital Concert Hall and for legal reasons can only be viewed there.