[SillyHoney]

Eric Clapton - Old love - Unplugged



Buddy Guy - Some songs in Buddy's Badest



B.B.King - Some songs in Riding with the King



Some Metallica, Boyz II Men, some Mariah Carey, Celine Dion old songs

 

[Acix]

My reference songs: http://www.acixrecordings.com/audio/store.htm

 

[jack95]

If i want to check out the bass of my new equipment i always got to Duel of the Iron Mic by GZA the Genius, i dont know why but i just love the beat in this song that is accompanied with the bass.

 

[JeckyllAndHyde]

female vocal by Jennifer Charles, male by Mike Patton in quite "wicked" song "Stroker Ace" great for vocals/vocals separation - on YT bit low quality, but im sure you can find it in flac or cd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKiXYveusc0

 

[Bengt77]

Quote:

There are so many for so many different purposes tbh for me but if I was to choose one (for 'I can determine the most stuff about what it sounds like, it's strengths and it's flaws in one track than the others'):
 
'Protection' by Massive Attack 

Have you heard Brian Eno's remix of that song? It's called 'Protection (The Eno Mix)'. I truly love Massive Attack's album 'Protection' and think the title track is one of their best tracks ever. Yet, Eno's remix is even better. So much emotion and simply stellar mixing. Excellent headphone track!

 

[Beagle]

I don't use music to start off. I go straight to the pink noise. If that sounds like crap, I don't even bother with music.

 

[SpaceCake]

Radiohead - Reckoner
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Buster Voodoo
Queens of the Stone Age - Song for the Dead

 

[vicktnguyen]

In and out of love- Armin van Buuren
Faces - Andy Moor 
Guren - the Gazette
 Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Op. 73- Ludwig Van Beethoven

 

[CEE TEE]

Quote:

Have you heard Brian Eno's remix of that song? It's called 'Protection (The Eno Mix)'. I truly love Massive Attack's album 'Protection' and think the title track is one of their best tracks ever. Yet, Eno's remix is even better. So much emotion and simply stellar mixing. Excellent headphone track!

Thank you for mentioning this...I will get it!

 

[El_Doug]

Jazz at the Pawnshop - Take Five
 
Blueman Group - Piano Smasher
 
Regina Spektor - On the Radio

 

[JeckyllAndHyde]

for the bass resolution and speed - Prodigy "Breathe" - I mean - the whole "The Fat Of The Land" is excellent for heavy bass testing!
 
"Oh my God! That's the Funky crap!"

 

[classakg]

For bass, Any song from "pendulum"
 
Guitars, some metal....like "Amaranth" from nightwish. 

 

[desktophifi]

Jazz songs, classical, or Iron maiden songs. 

 

[wakeride74]

 

[Oktyabr]

I'm deep into vintage speakers too and am used to dragging around a CD of my "reference" tracks with me when I go to demo something new...  I actually have several of these CD compilations but the one song that stands out on all of them, one of my personal favorite songs of all time I suppose, is Pink Floyd's "Fearless" from the album "Meddle".  On a great set of cans you should be able to really hear the reverberation of the guitar strings echoing off of the guitar body in the opening of the track.  They should really "buzz".   I've heard several thousands of dollars worth of speakers that couldn't pull that off accurately.
 
One of the big tracks I use for "full range" towers is Copeland's "Farewell for the Common Man".  At something close to realistic levels the drums and brass will bring lesser stereo systems to their knees in a matter of seconds.  This isn't so much a problem with cans although you will never get a realistic sound level without blowing the transducers (or your ear drums) apart anyway.  At a nice listening level most good cans can do this pretty well.  My AKG-701s loved this track, my new ATH-M50s have more bass presence but also distort in the lower band at the same volume level (not much break in time yet either).
 
For stereo imaging I like George Baker Selection "Little Green Bag" and some Alan Parsons Project.  For depth of soundstage I lean pretty heavily towards Diana Krall's "Live in Paris".