Your Top 3 Recordings for Testing a Sound System?

[bizmord]

I always wonder what are the best recordings to test speakers, sub, etc on>? I'd say those 3 have to be very different kinds of records. I assume .... one can be more of classical strings, organ, etc. Another one would be smooth jazz with saxophone, etc and 3rd one can be pop/dance that would emphasize on vocals and drum machine?

Anyway .... please share your top 3 songs you'd use to test the quality of a sound system.

My are:

1) Queen - Made in Heaven
at 17 seconds into the song ... major sound to see how your system can handle it.

2) Grover Washington - Can you stop the rain
your every day smooth jazz for saxophone, bass guitar, drum.

3) Bass Test - !i love big speakers!
this will harass the **** out of your sub.

I am still looking for amazing classical piece to test speakers on.

So .... please share,

 

[slipperybidness]

I have a few albums I tend to use as test pieces. Mostly b/c I know exactly "how they should sound", different genres of music, dynamics etc.

1) For electonica: Nightmares on Wax's Smoker's Delight. Nice dynamics, good bass, female vocals, good mix.

2) For jazz: Getz / Gilberto. In particular the tracks Girl from Impanena and Corcovado or you may see it called quiet nights of quiet stars. Wow, the female vocals, the sax! Amazing. With very detailed and good-imaging speakers, listen for the brushes on the drums at the back left channel. Only thing is, I don't think the album was originally recorded at the best quality. The 45rpm re-issue on 180g vinyl is the way to go on this one.

3) For guitar: Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. Again, I prefer the original vinyl pressing on this one.

 

[walter duque]

Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms"
Janis Ian "Breaking Silence" the title song. Very high quality album.
And for dusting of the cones now and then: Primus "Pork Soda"

 

[Steve81]

Interesting question since (assuming the stars align) I'll be demoing at Philharmonic Audio next weekend for a bit of fun.

I'll definitely be bringing The Wall and The Very Best Of Jethro Tull with me. I'm not old enough to have heard either band in their heydey, so I can't claim to be intimately familiar with them. However, both albums are well recorded, most obviously in dynamic range as compared with most newer recordings. If I had to narrow it down to two songs in particular, I'd probably pick Bungle In The Jungle and In The Flesh, mostly because I like them and have listened to them on more than a few occasions with a variety of speakers.

As to something I'm more familiar with, that becomes complicated. I've been to plenty of country concerts, so in some sense, I guess I have an idea of how Keith Urban or Brad Paisley sound. On the other hand, it's not like I've actually personally talked to these guys, so its hard to say that I really know what they sound like. If I had to pick something that I've heard performed in concert though, I'd probably pick Whiskey Lullaby since it's a duet Brad performed with Alison Krauss and consequently happens to be a great vocal piece.

 

[dkane360]

As to something I'm more familiar with, that becomes complicated. I've been to plenty of country concerts, so in some sense, I guess I have an idea of how Keith Urban or Brad Paisley sound. On the other hand, it's not like I've actually personally talked to these guys, so its hard to say that I really know what they sound like. If I had to pick something that I've heard performed in concert though, I'd probably pick Whiskey Lullaby since it's a duet Brad performed with Alison Krauss and consequently happens to be a great vocal piece.

Hearing a performance at a concert shouldn't be your metric for measuring how something sounds. I think what slipperybidness meant by "how they should sound" is that you are familiar with what the track sounds like because you have heard it multiple times on your own system. When you know what it sounds like on your system, you can compare it to how it sounds on a different system.

Now of course, if you are very familiar with the sound of live instruments (unamplified), you could use your experience hearing those to compare how certain instruments sound on a set of speakers (assuming a quality recording).

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Hearing a performance at a concert shouldn't be your metric for measuring how something sounds. I think what slipperybidness meant by "how they should sound" is that you are familiar with what the track sounds like because you have heard it multiple times on your own system. When you know what it sounds like on your system, you can compare it to how it sounds on a different system.

Whole heartily agree to this. I personally always try to listen to few Pink Floyd Tracks. In Wish you were there (the song) right in beginning guitarist touches strings unintentionally twice. This usually tells me the speaker's sound is detailed or not. Start of "Time" and "Money" are good too to see if the sound is fatiguing and harsh to you

 

[Steve81]

Hearing a performance at a concert shouldn't be your metric for measuring how something sounds. I think what slipperybidness meant by "how they should sound" is that you are familiar with what the track sounds like because you have heard it multiple times on your own system. When you know what it sounds like on your system, you can compare it to how it sounds on a different system.

What good is that if you've got no real base of reference? It's great to be familiar with a given song as it sounds on your own speakers, but if you've got serious room problems, horrible speakers, etc and you've grown accustomed to the sound, what good is that really? It seems rather like trying to measure one line in the sand with another in meters, without having any idea how big a meter is... Granted, a concert isn't an ideal situation to get a reference for how a performer sounds, but it's certainly better than no reference at all. In the former example, maybe you've seen a meter stick in school once or twice...

Now of course, if you are very familiar with the sound of live instruments (unamplified), you could use your experience hearing those to compare how certain instruments sound on a set of speakers (assuming a quality recording).

Ultimately, I think this is probably the more effective way to evaluate a loudspeaker than the former, but obviously not everyone is terribly familiar with the sound of live instruments. The best thing I've got is a recording from the church in my wife's home town. I've been there and heard the organist and pianist play at least a dozen times over the last few years, so I know not only the instruments involved but the acoustics as well, and the quality of the recording isn't bad. Still, I'd hesitate to say my audio memory or my ears are that pristine...

 

[gtpsuper24]

Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms"

+1

The DVD-Audio of Brothers in Arms is awesome. The 2channel PCM is my favorite to try out or test a new speaker.

 

[j_garcia]

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/loudspeakers/81249-good-vocal-songs-test-out.html

 

[cschang]

I have a handful that I rotate through, but the one that is always in the rotation is Ray Montford's "One Witness" from his Shed Your Skin disc....I often use that track and another from that disc while it is in the player.

 

[slipperybidness]

Whole heartily agree to this. I personally always try to listen to few Pink Floyd Tracks. In Wish you were there (the song) right in beginning guitarist touches strings unintentionally twice. This usually tells me the speaker's sound is detailed or not. Start of "Time" and "Money" are good too to see if the sound is fatiguing and harsh to you

Yes, the beginning of Wish You Were Here track is freaking amazing. You can hear the ridges in the fingertips just running down the ridges in the strings and it is incredible on a very detailed rig.

 

[3db]

Tchaikovsky "violin concerto in D" great acid test on mids and highs

Richard Strauss "also spracht zarathustra" great bass test

Dire Straits "Brother In Arms" vocals

 

[slipperybidness]

What good is that if you've got no real base of reference? It's great to be familiar with a given song as it sounds on your own speakers, but if you've got serious room problems, horrible speakers, etc and you've grown accustomed to the sound, what good is that really? It seems rather like trying to measure one line in the sand with another in meters, without having any idea how big a meter is... Granted, a concert isn't an ideal situation to get a reference for how a performer sounds, but it's certainly better than no reference at all. In the former example, maybe you've seen a meter stick in school once or twice...



Ultimately, I think this is probably the more effective way to evaluate a loudspeaker than the former, but obviously not everyone is terribly familiar with the sound of live instruments. The best thing I've got is a recording from the church in my wife's home town. I've been there and heard the organist and pianist play at least a dozen times over the last few years, so I know not only the instruments involved but the acoustics as well, and the quality of the recording isn't bad. Still, I'd hesitate to say my audio memory or my ears are that pristine...

When I say "how it should sound", I am not just referencing it on "my speakers". That is to say, I have 3 sets of speakers divided up b/w 2 rigs. One set of speakers on a pioneer elite receiver. 2 sets of speakers that I swap out on a separates rig in a different room. 2 cars that have 2 different stereo systems in them. Friends rigs that I listen to. I take these discs with me when I check new speakers, etc.

That being said, I think I have a pretty good idea of "how it should sound", which means that I am very, very familiar with these recordings on various playback devices and formats. These are my go-to recordings b/c I know exactly what to expect and when. If something is different in a good or bad way, then I can pick it out.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone

Dark Knight Rises Soundtrack

Dave Mathews and Tim Reynolds Live at Radio City Hall

 

[ousooner2]

1. Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains (MTV Unplugged)

2. Nils Lofgren - Keith Don't Go
- Should be extremely rich and detailed sounding with no harshness; if you have fatigue then there's a problem area(s)

3. Christina Aguilera - too many to list

4. Dire Straits

5. Deftones - Diamond Eyes
- this can really bring out problem areas

 

[dkane360]

What good is that if you've got no real base of reference? It's great to be familiar with a given song as it sounds on your own speakers, but if you've got serious room problems, horrible speakers, etc and you've grown accustomed to the sound, what good is that really? It seems rather like trying to measure one line in the sand with another in meters, without having any idea how big a meter is... Granted, a concert isn't an ideal situation to get a reference for how a performer sounds, but it's certainly better than no reference at all. In the former example, maybe you've seen a meter stick in school once or twice...



Ultimately, I think this is probably the more effective way to evaluate a loudspeaker than the former, but obviously not everyone is terribly familiar with the sound of live instruments. The best thing I've got is a recording from the church in my wife's home town. I've been there and heard the organist and pianist play at least a dozen times over the last few years, so I know not only the instruments involved but the acoustics as well, and the quality of the recording isn't bad. Still, I'd hesitate to say my audio memory or my ears are that pristine...

I agree, neither option is really ideal for the average person, which is why us Audioholics like measurements

 

[slipperybidness]

Another Good One

Just another good one I wanted to throw out there. Nirvan: Unplugged in NY, The man who sold the world.

Wow! You have to find a good recording of it, and there are some good ones out there but also some not-so-good since it is live. The bassline is awesome, the little puffs of air hitting the mic, simply amazing. I can close my eyes and just picture the entire stage and exactly where every member is sitting.

 

[afterlife2]

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/general-av-discussions/78328-high-quality-sound-albums.html
and
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/musical-goodness/76611-jazz-cd-bass-focus-emphasis.html

 

[walter duque]

Just another good one I wanted to throw out there. Nirvan: Unplugged in NY, The man who sold the world.

Wow! You have to find a good recording of it, and there are some good ones out there but also some not-so-good since it is live. The bassline is awesome, the little puffs of air hitting the mic, simply amazing. I can close my eyes and just picture the entire stage and exactly where every member is sitting.

I have been listening to the original "The man who sold the world" David Bowie 1972 and it still is an amazing recording, even to this day.
This is not my type of music, but what a recording. Turn system to max and hang on. The detail and punch is just incredible.

 

[Steve81]

I agree, neither option is really ideal for the average person, which is why us Audioholics like measurements

Bingo! Bango and Bongo too.