[Steely Dan]

Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill
The Mars Volta - Amputecture
Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage
The Allman Brothers Band - Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival: July 3 & 5, 1970
Rush - Caress of Steel
Camel - Coming of Age
Traffic - On The Road
ELP - Tarkus
YES - Close To The Edge

I could really go on and on, countless Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson and other stuff too, but I can't pick one album.

 

[Big Werm]

Less we forget, MUSIC is the best part of this hobby.

The Beatles- Yesterday

Guitars on the far right, vocals in the middle, then the strings come in on the left. This is a killer test track, highly recommended.

Massive Attack- Angel

Great bass test track. Plus lots of sounds going on. Not the best recording in the world, but damn fun.

Simian Mobile Disco- System

Amazing bass track! This will push any headphone to it's limits.

Keith Greeninger & Dayan Kai- Looking for A Home

I found this CD at RMAF last year. It's off of Blue Coast ESE Sessions (go get this now!). Amazing audio quality on every track, but this one is my fav.

I guess I'll keep the list short, I could go on for days!

 

[charliex]

Dark - Round the Edges
Captain Beyond - same
David Crosby - If I could Only Remember My Name
The Damnation of Adam Blessing - first album
McDonald & Giles
John Martyn - Solid Air
Terry Callier - Alive
Family - Fearless

 

[Shoreman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Werm /img/forum/go_quote.gif Less we forget, MUSIC is the best part of this hobby. The Beatles- Yesterday Guitars on the far right, vocals in the middle, then the strings come in on the left. This is a killer test track, highly recommended.

I'd have to go back and listen to my versions, including the 2009 Remaster, to verify. But, if so, most audiophiles or purists would consider such hard panning (left-middle-right) highly undesirable. It's what much of The Beatles' earlier stereo recordings were criticized for, and why so many prefer the original mono.

 

[Geohound]

Definitely a noob here but I thought Radiohead's Hail to the Thief and Tool's Lateralus sounded great and fitting for headphones listening among what I've listened to recently. I think I remember Postal Service sounding decent too.

 

[analog'd]

my choices this week, almost all vinyl of course:

stevie wonder - (wlp of) innervisions (whole thing)
jeff beck - truth - blues deluxe in mono (new simply vinyl)
abbey road - all of side two - (pro-use jpn pressing)
revolver - stereo - as a single work (the new cd!)
bartok- concerto for orchestra -chicago/rheinhart (45 rpm on classic records)
opeth-damnation - newer vinyl mastering/pressing- all o it
coltrane and johnny hartman - all o it

radiohead - everything after (my favorite which is) ok computer (but is not sonically at the level of whats come since) - every pressing cd and vinyl - is audiophile and amazing via good cans (i know its digital, but...)

 

[VARO]

ugh
Eric Clapton's Unplugged + Grados == Heaven

 

[kb1gra]

Just delved into my catalogue a bit and pulled up "Silent Shout" by The Knife...and it was epic.

New favorite for the moment.

 

[baka1969]

Albums:

Pink Floyd- Meddle, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon

Nirvana- In Utero

Yes- Close to the Edge

Pixes- Surfer Rosa

Steely Dan- Aja

Frank Zappa- Hot Rats, Freak Out

Tool- Lateralus

Queensryche- Operation Mindcrime

Porcupine Tree- The Sky Moves Sideways

Jimi Hendrix- Electric Ladyland

The Moody Blues- Days Of Future Passed

Pearl Jam- Ten

The absolute best song is:

Pink Floyd's Echoes from their album Meddle

 

[Freakygreek]

I'm really enjoying:

Tina Dico "Count to Ten"

Zero 7 "When it falls"

Jimmy Smith "Home Cookin' "

Akira "Symphonic Suite"

Fim Supersounds: Volumes 1 to 3

Los Lonely Boys "Los Lonely Boys"

Blue Man Group "Complex Tour"

Chet Baker "Chet Baker Sings"

Arne Domnerus "Jazz at the Pawnshop"

Sia " Lady Croissant Live"

Feist "Let it Die"

Norah Jones "Not Too Late"

Cheers

Peter

 

[grrraymond]

Animal Collective - Sung Tongs LP & Prospect Hummer EP sound very special through the DBA-02, everything comes into 360 degree view, a wealth of scratchy strings and strained harmonies. My description sounds vile but it's primal, beautiful.
 
Likewise, Panda Bear's Person pitch deserves to be heard on headphones, your brain swims in the microscopic details and sample dust as the layer upon layer of reverbed harmonies reach out to every corner. 'Bros' sounds like Phil Spector in a wind tunnel, a glorious ecstatic surge.

 

[tyagi]

I've recently been really enjoying late night listening to XX by The XX on my Grado SR80s with flat/comfy pads. 
 
XX is a very intimate/up-close album anyway, and listening on the Grados with the flat pads brings it all closer. Fantastic.

 

[NinjaBoot]

This is my list for this moment... In order from most to least rotation...
 
Easy Star Allstars - Radiodread = Best Radiohead cover album of all time.
 
Massive Attack - Blue Lines = All Massive albums but I am a huge fan.
 
BT - These Hopeful Machines = Genius...
 
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away = This recording SUCK's, wait this recording is awesome! or does it suck? I think its awesome... I love this album in all its sucky awesomeness.
 
Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain = EVIL?
 
XX - XX = This was my new band of 2009
 
Muse - Resistance = An amazing example of a new recording which is hard if not impossible to truly appreciate without the use of a good set of headphones.
 
Ben Folds - University A Cappella = Not a Ben Folds fan by any stretch but this is a quality production.
 
Cinematic Orchestra - Ma Fleur = Beautiful, emotional and real, no tricks no polish... 
 
Loreena McKennitt - Nights From The Alhambra = Celtic supreme. 
 
 
 

 

[XiB3R]

My Benchmarks
 
Walk Of life - Dire Straits
Man In the Mirror - Michael Jackson
Get Low - Lil Jon
Tearjerker - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Another Brick In The Wall Pt 2 - Pink Floyd
November Rain - Guns N' Roses
99 Red Baloons - Goldfinger

 

[drofeel71]

Here goes, so much to recommend:

Pet Sounds (in full) - Beach Boys

Officium (in full) - Jan Gabarek

We All Raise Our Voices To The Air (in full) - The Decemberists

A Space In Time (1973 Quad Mix) (in full) - Ten Years After

Holocene - Bon Iver

Junk Bond Trader - Elliott Smith

Hallucinations (Dream Letter: Live In London 1968) - Tim Buckley

Way To Blue - Nick Drake

Scott 4 (in full) - Scott Walker

Loud Planes Fly Low - The Rosebuds

Kettering - The Antlers

This Little Hell - City and Colour

To name but a few