What song do you use for impressing the newbies? - Page 2

Hahahahahaha that is classic.

Dido, album No Angel, last track "Take my hand". Not superb recording quality, but it sounds quite improved with better equipment, especially those that can do a big soundstage and not color instruments.

Dido, album no angel, track "Thank you". The drums solo and the guitar in the beginning sounds so smooth and realistic and is just absolutely amazing with my rig.

Ipod touch -> LOD -> Ibasso P3+ heron -> Denon AH-D2000

"The XIth Commandment" from Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good" album.

The guitar solo in the Pulse version of Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd. What an epic solo with the divebombing and all.

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" - Eurythmics, the vocals really bring it home.

If I wanna show off atmosphere and bass....

"Run" by Air from the album Talkie Walkie

The begining of "intruders", by Recoil, and especially when the bass kicks in.

A few years back, I made a trial CDR to test almost any/every system component (need the vinyl versions for turntables).  

It was one of the first recordings I tried out my new Denon AH-D500s on:

Robbie Robertson: Fallen Angel  (Massively expansive sound-stage at the start, rattles the bass units, good vocal positioning)
Tanita Tikaram : Twist In My Sobriety  (crystal clear female vocals with oboe behind, sublimely recorded cymbals/bass drum)
Enya : Cursum Perficio/Orinoco Flow.River (for deep bass Moog notes)
Pink Floyd : One Of These Days (The reason I wanted a hi-fi when I was 17)
Peter Gabriel : Red Rain (full spectrum recording)
Pink Floyd : Time (the clocks destroy dodgy treble reproducers)
The Enid : The Lovers (very quiet solo piano start, massive climax)

The Enid : Judgement/In The Region Of The Summer Stars (best single recoding I know for clarity and pleasure combined)
Oasis : Supersonic/Wonderwall  (bass drum at start/acoustic guitar)
Pink Floyd : The Hero Returns  (Dummy head recording)
Nirvana : Smells Like Teen Spirit (for dynamic range, though highly compressed, and sheer fun)
 

Some near the end are also for familiarity.

In fact you only need one of these:

The Enid - In the Region of The Summer Stars

I played this when I bought my first "serious" hi-fi in 1987, and no-one in the shops had heard it, but it is a mightily impressive record that tests out most aspects of music reproduction over 10 minutes or so.