[marios_mar]

Name the top 3 recordings (technically not musically) that could be used also for testing equipment.

 

[john_jcb]

Maybe not the top 3 but ones I use:

Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue Raincoat"

Holly Cole "Dont Let the Smoke Get in Your Eyes"

Mark Knopfler "Ragpickers Dream"

 

[MusicLover]

My testing recordings are:

Sting - Fields of Gold
Enigma - Greatest Hits
Rush - The Spirit of Radio

In my opinion, they are good recordings. However, I have not heard many really good recordings, except for classical.

 

[nick danger]

Ronnie Earl "Grateful Heart - Blues and Ballads"
Donald Fagen - "Nightfly"
Cyrus Chestnut - "Earth Stories"

and concur with Jennifer Warnes - "Famous Blue Raincoat"

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Lou Reed, Metal Machine Music
Controlled Bleeding, The Drowning
Merzbow, Merzbox
...
JUST KIDDING
...
Einsturzende Neubauten, Silence is Sexy
Nine Inch Nails, Broken
Stabbing Westward, Darkest Days

are a couple of my favourites

 

[ProtoCat]

Quote:

Originally posted by Dusty Chalk Merzbow, Merzbox

I actually almost bought that thing. I still intend to at one point..

Anyway, three discs I like to use for auditioning are:

Autechre - LP5
Dead Can Dance - Into the Labyrinth
October Project - Self-Titled

I'm not sure if I'd consider them technical acheivements.. However, they're not poorly mastered and offer a good range of what I'm looking for. I might begin using the remastered Cocteau Twins' Treasure, which is one of my favorite albums ever.

That Enigma disc mentioned by MusicLover might not be a bad idea. I'd check it out if I didn't already own all the albums. >.<

 

[imported_maverick_12]

Darkest Days came to mind, Maybe DSoTM, or Tubular Bells, I'm bad at figuring out this type of thing.

 

[strohmie]

Two that are up there on my list:

Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Craig Armstrong - The Space Between Us


Both feature some heavy bass and clear highs that only a good system can get right. Technically excellent recordings. Again, this is just based on what I've heard. "Angel" from the Mezzanine tends to be my reference bass recording.

 

[grinch]

white stripes - elephant: why doesn't every rock recording sound this good? full AAA all the way if you pickup the vinyl.

tom waits - alice / blood money: there are so many things going on in this album, i wonder if they were meant to be put there.. or if it just happened to come out that way. full AAA all the way if you pickup the vinyl.

sampler from mapleshade records: whether or not i really enjoy the performance and/or music on this $8 sampler, the recording quality is simply incredible. mapleshade records actually lists what cables were used on the mics for the recording. very neat stuff. i swear on omega 2's it sounds like it was recorded binaurally.

 

[gus_tavo]

The Prophecy - LOTR: Fellowship of the Rings - this is my benchmark in testing treble and high frequencies.

The Battle - Gladiator - this track is outstanding in the bass region. The track is a bit long but along the way, the trancients reveal themselves to distinguish the lowest of lows and mid lows. The later part of the track is also great for testing the close intimacy of the mids.

Joni Mitchel - Blue - Now this is my mid frequency hunter. But only good for multiple pairs since there's no way to compare a single can using this album since you'll find the mids would automatically shine with any track. The better the phones' response with the frequencies, the more eargasmic Joni sounds. A personal favorite is River. Analog version of this album is more recommended.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by ProtoCat Quote: Originally posted by Study Klach Merzbow, Merzbox I actually almost bought that thing. I still intend to at one point..

Someone on this board has it. Jeff Guidry? I forget...

 

[chadbang]

"Buena Vista Social Club"
"Cafe Blue" Patrica Barber (though I don't really like all the tracks
"Crime of the Century" Supertramp

 

[averydonovan]

This is kind of tough since a lot of music I have sounds good but has mastering and producing of questionable quality. But here goes:

Project Pitchfork Daimonion: Wide range of sounds on this album, from mid-tempo electronic songs to fast-paced guitar driven tracks
Steve Perry For The Love of Strange Medicine: Mainly for detail and midrange testing
Absurd Minds Damn the Lie: Bass testing, midrange testing, and soundstage testing

This list does change a lot though. But these generally stay near or at the top.

 

[Jeff Guidry]

Quote:

Originally posted by Dusty Chalk I actually almost bought that thing. I still intend to at one point..

Someone on this board has it. Jeff Guidry? I forget... [/QUOTE]

back from the dead...

had it. sold it. The Merzbox has a way of proving to you how big a Merzbow fan you really are...I came to think of it as nothing more than a conversation piece, a sort of totem proving how odd your musical tastes are...since no one I know knows or cares about Merzbow or any other sort of experimental music, I didn't even have bragging rights. Though much of the music was fun to listen to, especially the early tape loop work, his power electronics phase to the present is just tedious. I didn't think it was a good idea to keep 500 dollars worth of music around that I was rarely going to listen to, so I sold the box off for not much less than I paid for it.

 

[robert]

here's two; when i dredge through the stack i may add another

Breaking Silence - Janis Ian
A Meeting by the River - Ry Cooder

edit:
Standing in the Safety Zone - Fairfield Four