Berlin, February 2019: The XMIC+ NEXUS A/D converter from Berlin-based manufacturer STAGETEC has been used to digitize historic radio recordings of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The recordings were made from 1939 to 1945 and were conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler. The concerts were to be digitally sampled as faithfully as possible in the highest audio quality and post-processed and remastered in 24-bit resolution.
"In the extremely sensitive process of transferring the historical tapes, optimal signal quality combined with absolute reliability had the highest priority for us, " explains Christoph Franke, Recording Producer at Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings. "Since the number of dubbing operations had to be kept as low as possible, the extreme headroom with always ideal operating point and the absolute linearity of the STAGETEC converters was a decisive criterion for us. The high resolution of the conversion allows for reserves during later processing, which also has a positive effect on the comparatively low useful signal range of these historical recordings."
Dr. Helmut Jahne, Managing Director at STAGETEC, adds: "The extremely high dynamic range of almost 160 dB of the TrueMatch® converter used was decisive, as it allows the finest tonal nuances to be digitized even deep below the noise floor of the original signal and preserved for posterity. In addition, the TrueMatch® converter has the lowest phase errors of any AD converter available on the market. Our TrueMatch® converter is known worldwide for absolute neutrality in the sound image and outstanding impulse fidelity, so that the now digitized recordings correspond exactly to the original with the highest precision and do not differ from it in terms of sound. Thus, the historic recordings of the Berliner Philharmoniker will be preserved for future generations."
Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings are releasing the remastered recordings on 22 CD/SACD in an edition dedicated to Wilhelm Furtwängler, the orchestra's principal conductor at the time. It includes 21 symphonies and solo concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Bruckner and Schubert, among others. The original material ended up in the Soviet Union after World War II and did not return to Germany until the early 1990s.
The edition is available since February 8, 2019:
