[Scotty757]

So maybe I'm new to this whole game, but what tracks do you guys use to test the sonics of headphones? I just got my k701's and im trying to figure out how they sound under different stresses.

Right now I'm doing a/b comparisons with other cans using:
Massive Attack: Angel (bass bigger than life)
Josh Groban: All'improviso Amore (male voice)
Wicked: Defying Gravity (female voice)
Meshuggah: I (heavy metal)
Rent: Finale B (harmonized voices)


Any other recommendations?

 

[saab]

In my opinion, the best music to test headphones with is the music you are the most familiar with. These would be the songs you know inside and out.

 

[PeeeMeS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saab In my opinion, the best music to test headphones with is the music you are the most familiar with. These would be the songs you know inside and out.

x2

Definitely

 

[michaelconnor]

I dunno...crappy low-res compressed tracks won't easily reveal the full potential of your hardware. Recordings with good resolution, dynamics, and transparency should sound better with higher-fidelity equipment, and thus create a noticeable performance disparity.
Your familiarity with, and the quality of the recording are the two critical factors.

Here are the albums I refer to in the order I reach for them;

The Ultimate Demonstration Disc - Chesky Records
Live at Luther College - DMB
One Quiet Night - Pat Methany
the Best of - Dire Straights
Live In Paris - Diana Krall
Michael Jackson - History

 

[ogewo]

For classic rock I like to test with Rush - YYZ. It's a great example of classic rock, but the breaking glass will still give me chills on nice systems.

 

[GlendaleViper]

Nice buy with the 701s. I'm loving mine more and more every day.

I tend to use the following (and yes, these are intimately familiar to me, so take it with a grain of salt) to hear what I'm getting myself into:

Rock - Wolfmother. Good, heavy rock album with lots of punch, and a haunting organ of Doom. It's my favourite disc right now, so it gets on there no matter what I listen with.

Classical - Best of Bach. Complex arrangements really show off the 701's ability to seperate instruments, and the copy i have has a good "hall" recording sound, pulling the soundstage back. Music for 18 Musicians is in rotation right now too, but I am finding it hard to get into, since it's a continuous track with multiple movements, but I bought it off iTunes, so every track is seperated with 2 seconds of dead space.

Jazz - Mostly Buena Vista Social Club and Mambo Sinuendo. Great guitars, excellent production values, and a good range of musical style throughout the two albums. I'm also rekindling my love affair with Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. These cans do jazz real good.

Metal - Protest the Hero, "Kezia" and Anthrax's new double CD "no-hit wonders". My Grados kill the 701s here in impact, but the sound is still wonderful. Same goes for Wolfmother above.

Electronic - Welcome to bliss. These phones turn a good stereo mix from exciting to mind-altering. Mouse on Mars' "Idiology", Aphex Twin's "Richard D James Album" and Beef Terminal's "Isolationist" are in heavy rotation.

Hip-Hop - The 701s are great here too. Public Enemy's latest greatest hits album, Danger Mouse and MF Doom's "Danger Mouse" and MC Paul Barman's "Paulelujah".

Country/Rockabilly - Stray Cats, Johnny Cash at San Quentin, Reverend Horton Heat, Matadors and Tiger Army are all in high rotation. Acoustic Bass sounds great here.

 

[quoteunquote]

thanks for the massive attack recommendation. really shows what the bass of my ksc35/cmoy combo is capable of.