What songs do you use to show off your system?

[ImcLoud]

I am renovating my "listening test" playlist...
This is the playlist I play when listening to new equipment or showing off my equipment...

Roger waters- amused to death
Roger waters- perfect sense {every track on this album was good, not stuff you will listen to constantly, kind of contraversal to some, but the Q sound recordings are insane, it will make a pair of bookshelfs seem like they have a soundstage that wraps around you...}

Adele- rolling in the deep {nice bass in this, plus adele is great}

Amber Rubarth- Novacaine {because I know it so well}

tears for fears- women in chains

Seal- violet {I know, but it rocks, I used to have I believe I can fly, but this replaced it}

fairfield four- these bones {some of the deepest vocals I have ever heard, lol...}

Eagles - Hotel California

Pink floyd - the wall and dark side of the moon

Eminem - cleaning out my closet {you think your speakers go low, try this song, clipping is in your future if your not crossed to a sub, I used to use three six mafias late nite tip, but I play them in stores when we go demo stuff and it isn't as well accepted as eminem, you have to admit he is talented}

Grieg- in the hall of the mountain king



But Im still working on it, some will go and some will be added, but it was time for a change, I am going to keep my old playlist, but its time for something new..

What do you guys use?

 

[jinjuku]

The Halo theme song: Instrumental and killer bass

Michael Hedges "Carry your heart". Percussive guitar, awesome vocals

Eric Johnson Austin City Limits Live "Trail of Tears"

 

[fuzz092888]

1812 Overture Telarc Digitally recorded cannons (dangerous to subs).

The Philharmonic Demo CD track 1 ( I have no idea what it's called hopefully someone can help me out).

Fanfar for the Common Man SACD

Keith Don't Go

Some tracks off of the Linkwitz Demo CD

Drum and Track CD (super highly recommended)

 

[Irvrobinson]

1812 Overture Telarc Digitally recorded cannons (dangerous to subs).

Actually, more dangerous to tweeters.

 

[fuzz092888]

Actually, more dangerous to tweeters.

Interesting, I did not know that. Although, last time I played it I was testing out the SDX10, which was very upset with anything above -20 which is probably why I wasn't paying any attention to the tweeters at the time. Before that, was with the Phils and the RAALs just seem to take anything, short of deliberate abuse, in stride.

 

[afterlife2]

I know you said songs, but Seal Live In Paris DVD, Elvis That's The Way It Is Is DVD and Eagles Hell Freezes Over DVD are the concert ones I play alot. It's just fantastic sounding and hope one day they put them all on Bluray one day. I'll add more later...

 

[Irvrobinson]

I seldom show off my system anymore, but when I do:

My own recordings of my wife's rock drum kit.

Malcolm Frager Plays Chopin, Telarc (IMHO, the best piano recording ever made, and I'm a huge fan of solo piano. Frager had incomparable talent.)

The Harper Brothers, Remembrance, Live at the Village Vanguard, Verve (Engineered by David Baker, one of the best who ever practiced the craft. Surprisingly good original classic jazz.)

Peter Erskine New Trio, Joy Luck, Fuzzy Music (Other than my wife, Erskine is my favorite drummer, and this is a true purist recording. This album can sound very close to live on the right system. I almost spent a lot of money after hearing it on Sound Lab electrostatics.)

Herb Alpert, Colors, ALMO (Skillful contemporary jazz, very well recorded.)

Yellowjackets, Blue Hats, Warner Brothers (Track 2 will really exercise a subwoofer. IMO, the best Yellowjackets album.)

Rossini Overtures, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, DG (Just plain fun, well-recorded by a great orchestra that functions without a conductor.)

William Tell & Other Favorite Overtures, Cincinnati Pops, Telarc (IMHO, the best overtures recording ever made. The William Tell Overture is simply awesome on this CD.)

 

[agarwalro]

The new Daft Punk album has some sub workout/demo tracks.

 

[cpp]

[h=1]Holst-Planets Suite-Mars-Proms 2009 [/h]Here's a YouTube example of the songs I use.
[video=youtube;AGGlL1wexQk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGGlL1wexQk[/video]

Kronos Quarter : Pieces of Africa [video=youtube;_aG6c_1RkJ4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aG6c_1RkJ4[/video] nice soundstage

Steely Dan, Can't Buy A Thrill, Pretzel Logic, Aja most of their music is well engineered, clear with nice backgrounds,
John Coltrane 'My Favorite Things'.
Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits

 

[afterlife2]

These are the ones I test everything with. All recorded beautifully IMO: Amazon.com: Walking With My Bass: Music

Amazon.com: Mojave: Jazz Therapy Series 3: Music

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005KJOF/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Luis-Miguel/dp/B000005TPN/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1379624961&sr=1-1&keywords=luis+miguel

 

[j_garcia]

Most tracks from these:

Jazz at the Pawnshop
Patricia Barber Companion (live acoustic) (SACD preferred)
Steely Dan Gaucho
Beck Sea Change
Dan Auerbach Keep It Hid
Fiona Apple When The Pawn... or Extraordinary Machine
Tool Lateralus - specifically the tracks Disposition and Reflection

There's also this thread:http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/general-av-discussions/78328-high-quality-sound-albums.html

 

[Irvrobinson]

Jazz at the Pawnshop

An oldie but a goodie.

 

[j_garcia]

An oldie but a goodie.

The SACD is pretty phenomenal. Only a subtle upgrade from the CD which was already amazing.

 

[TLS Guy]

I use the opening of Mahler's symphony No.5 on a BD from the Lucerne Festival. That gets them hooked every time. The quiet opening trumpet, with a distant perspective and then the Orchestra just explodes. It never fails to produce a "wow: I've never heard anything like that before moment." However I usually start with solo piano, with a detailed recording. The piano is well located and the speakers have the perfect perspective of the piano, sounding like really good bookshelves but with a better deeper highly detailed bass. The speakers just seem refined and incapable of the full concert hall sound I then demonstrate.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I use the opening of Mahler's symphony No.5 on a BD from the Lucerne Festival. That gets them hooked every time. The quiet opening trumpet, with a distant perspective and then the Orchestra just explodes. It never fails to produce a "wow: I've never heard anything like that before moment." However I usually start with solo piano, with a detailed recording. The piano is well located and the speakers have the perfect perspective of the piano, sounding like really good bookshelves but with a better deeper highly detailed bass. The speakers just seem refined and incapable of the full concert hall sound I then demonstrate.

Is this the BD? May need to try it myself, thanks.
MAHLER, G.: Symphony No. 5 (Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Abbado) (Blu-ray, Full-HD) - 2054074

ps. found it on YouTube. certainly the audio is blah but got the idea.

 

[TLS Guy]

Is this the BD? May need to try it myself, thanks.
MAHLER, G.: Symphony No. 5 (Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Abbado) (Blu-ray, Full-HD) - 2054074

ps. found it on YouTube. certainly the audio is blah but got the idea.

No, it is this version. The audio is superb. The boxed set from this series, symphonies 1 through 7 is well worth the money.

 

[afterlife2]

Man I hate these threadS they make me broke. Symphonies 1 through 7 Is one I know I won't afford, maybe Redbox has them. I do have a Naxos CD boxset I bought back in the 90's that I play now and then.

 

[fuzz092888]

No, it is this version. The audio is superb. The boxed set from this series, symphonies 1 through 7 is well worth the money.

TLS, is this the box set?

Amazon.com: Abbado Conducts Mahler Symphonies 1-7 [Blu-ray]: Mahler, Lucerne Festival Orch, Abbado: Movies & TV

 

[j_garcia]

Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - Wake Up and You Oughta Know

 

[Whitey80]

for just audio in the theater room, BlueMan Group "audio" track 8 (i think) they add percussive pieces individually as the song progresses. people think that the impact and snap of the sound is getting pretty impressive about the midpoint, but when the big 100' pipecomes in at the end, the extreme lows are pounding. gets em every time!

For the 2channel "audiophile" system. it depends on whos listening, gotta be something theyll dig.
Robert Earl Keen " A Bigger Piece of Sky" sacd, title track
Ben Howard "Every Kingdom" LP
Leonard Cohen "Everybody Knows" on Im Your Man LP
NickCave and theBad Seeds "we know who you are" on push the skyaway LP
Van Morrison "Moondance" cd
Eddie Vedder "Society" into the wild ost, cd
Garth Brooks "thunder rolls" double live cd