What (music) do you use when auditioning speakers?

[gixxerific]

Well, like the title say's what do you use.

I know lot of you guy's are big with jazz or symphonic music I however am not.

I mainly to listen to hard rock\alternative, techno\industrial, punk and even rap. Though I have a VERY open mind when it comes to music. The above mentioned genres, for the most part, usually don't come with extreme quality levels, though some do.

One more thing Would MP3's be a total no-no in speaker auditions? I have a whole lot more in MP3 format than on CD or LP or whatever.

I don't hate jazz or the like but I don't sit down and jam it in my spare time. Any recommendations for bringing out the best of a speakers performance, or maybe something that will tell if a speaker just can't cut it with certain types of music. I need speaker that will cover a broad spectrum of genres and production values.

Thanks Dono

 

[jamie2112]

Hey Dono I would highly recommend NOT using mp3 format to audition. I use alot of stuff but since you are ok with heavy stuff.....I tune concert pa's with the same material I audition speakers with. I use Michael Jackson's(Billie Jean) then I use Pantara (5 Minutes Alone) then I use Rage against The Machine'S(Bullet In The Head)Then I will listen to Dr Feelgood by the Crue and I rap it up with Don Henley ( Garden of Allah) and Sade (Smooth Operator). These all have very good dynamics and are very good production. I am sure others will chime in.....

 

[bandphan]

Try to find the simplest music you like, the fewer the instruments the better and accoustic if possible. The reason is you should know what accoustics instruments sound like(including vocals) making the demo easier to pallate and deciede.

 

[jliedeka]

I think a mix of material is good. My taste is fairly eclectic so I want speakers that sound pretty good with everything. I have a few discs that cover most of what I care about:

Beatles - Abbey Road - for male vocals, drums/cymbals and Paul's bass

Sade - The Best of - for female vocals, imaging, bass and microdynamics

Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherzade - to make sure the midrange doesn't get muddy when there are a lot of instruments playing loud. Usually that problem is cabinet resonance. Also good for microdynamics and macrodynamics.

Then some jazz with acoustic instruments like Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, etc mostly just to listen for natural sounding instruments.

Jim

 

[gixxerific]

Thanks i'm sure I will find something in my cd collection to audition with. Though most of it is hard edged. I'm afarid If I walk into a place selling $30,000 a pice speakers they might kick me the **** out if throw on some Rage Against The Machine.

 

[jamie2112]

Thanks i'm sure I will find something in my cd collection to audition with. Though most of it is hard edged. I'm afarid If I walk into a place selling $30,000 a pice speakers they might kick me the **** out if throw on some Rage Against The Machine.

That 1st Rage disc is "audiophile" rated. They won't say anything if you are buying a set of speakers...

 

[MidnightSensi]

Lotsa good stuff mentioned here.

I also bring along some Nine Inch Nails... Trent Reznor has always been pretty into how things "sound" and I think his CDs sound pretty good. I like listening to hear how the synths sound.

 

[jostenmeat]

100% acoustical, unamplified music. Always.

At least one choral work. Always.

At least one orchestral work. Always.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I would use what ever you like and listen to the most.

 

[jamie2112]

100% acoustical, unamplified music. Always.

At least one choral work. Always.

At least one orchestral work. Always.

.Use what you are used to is always the default move if you don't have any of the above..

 

[gixxerific]

I do have all the NIN at least one of them is even 5.1. The first Rage audiophile, huh?

 

[MidnightSensi]

...I think a Nine Inch Nails Blu-Ray may have come out now too that is supposed to be absolutely stunning.

You said you like rap also... 3 6 Mafia - Late Nite Tip is a good tune to test subwoofer output with.

 

[highfigh]

Well, like the title say's what do you use.

I know lot of you guy's are big with jazz or symphonic music I however am not.

I mainly to listen to hard rock\alternative, techno\industrial, punk and even rap. Though I have a VERY open mind when it comes to music. The above mentioned genres, for the most part, usually don't come with extreme quality levels, though some do.

One more thing Would MP3's be a total no-no in speaker auditions? I have a whole lot more in MP3 format than on CD or LP or whatever.

I don't hate jazz or the like but I don't sit down and jam it in my spare time. Any recommendations for bringing out the best of a speakers performance, or maybe something that will tell if a speaker just can't cut it with certain types of music. I need speaker that will cover a broad spectrum of genres and production values.

Thanks Dono

If you listen to music that's stored as MP3 files, you should use some for auditioning but that's not a great source in terms of the ultimate quality. Using music that you aren't familiar with would be a waste of time unless you have become somewhat interested in it and think you'll listen to more in the future. You'll probably know if you like a particular speaker for many types of music because they won't annoy you when you listen to what you're not familiar with, IMO.

 

[fredk]

gixxerific. Most the advice I have ever seen suggests you should audition with music you are familiar with.

What I did was list some stuff I had and got opinions on which of my collection was the best recorded. I then went with those. In my case it was older stuff like the ELP debut album and Dire Straits Live at the BBC.

 

[Haoleb]

One of my favorite discs is the original Pirates of the carribean soundtrack, you'll find the limits of speakers pretty quick if your not afraid to turn it up a bit. Its best to know where some parts are because you can also bottom woofers out pretty easy with it too if your not careful.

 

[AEwave]

Try to find the simplest music you like, the fewer the instruments the better and accoustic if possible. The reason is you should know what accoustics instruments sound like(including vocals) making the demo easier to pallate and deciede.

^^^^ I agree completely... you definitely need to use something that you KNOW and are familiar with. a good genre of music if you like harder stuff is ska/punk. Something that has the horns and brass in there too. i use Real Big Fish and it works GREAT!! Anything with a good snare drum hit and high end flow (that makes the speaker pattern easier plot out and find gaps.)

 

[PSWii60]

Check out Ben Harper's album "Diamonds on the Inside". It's a great album with a blend of rock, reggae, acoustic, it has great vocals also. It's my new favorite. I use it as reference material also.

 

[3db]

Try to find the simplest music you like, the fewer the instruments the better and accoustic if possible. The reason is you should know what accoustics instruments sound like(including vocals) making the demo easier to pallate and deciede.

That approach is good for getting a bead on tonal accuracy but I think too that music such as Dave Matthews Band which is very crowded and layered is a good way of telling a speakers' resolution ability. I think this is very IMO.

 

[3db]

Well, like the title say's what do you use.

I know lot of you guy's are big with jazz or symphonic music I however am not.

I mainly to listen to hard rock\alternative, techno\industrial, punk and even rap. Though I have a VERY open mind when it comes to music. The above mentioned genres, for the most part, usually don't come with extreme quality levels, though some do.

One more thing Would MP3's be a total no-no in speaker auditions? I have a whole lot more in MP3 format than on CD or LP or whatever.

I don't hate jazz or the like but I don't sit down and jam it in my spare time. Any recommendations for bringing out the best of a speakers performance, or maybe something that will tell if a speaker just can't cut it with certain types of music. I need speaker that will cover a broad spectrum of genres and production values.

Thanks Dono

1st, stay away from MP3s unless you've ripped them yourself and are either lossless or above 256Kbps.

2nd, bring a mix of music that you are intimiatley familiar with becuase you know in your mind how the music should sound as opposed to what it sounds like. Knowing this well help you make better decisions.

3rd, bring a mix of music. Bring material with just a few instrumnets and voices to listen for tonal accuracy (what things should sound like) . Also bring music that is crowded and very layered with lots of instruents. This test's a speaker to resolve complex material. If while listening to a busy music passage and your able to discern many individual instruments, the speaker is doing a great job in that segment.

Dave Matthews Band likes to mix it up with both simple and multilayered material. Anything "blues" with an acoustic bass is good for tonal accuracy. Jethro Tull is another old rock group that comes to mind as having a good mix betwween busy and simple tracks. Hope this helps.

 

[zumbo]

Primus-Brown Album-Hats off

Tommy the Cat-Seas of Cheese

Lacquer Head-Antipop