Latest Thread Images

The Best audiophile tracks to test equipment
Jul 11, 2016 at 4:05 PM Post #287 of 482
mikemercer said:
  James Blake's "Limit to Your Love"
the 45rpm single from the UK is the best pressing!!
Click to expand...

As a song, it's a real beauty, but both positives useful to test cans and gear require experience and good knowledge of live instruments since the track has a low dynamic range and virtually no soundstage. So:
- instruments separation - no difficulties
- bass extension, easy to hear, but!!! Requires good gear and hp's to hear the lows as perfectly controlled harmonic vibrations. Otherwise, you will hear a mushy rumble becoming boomy in the worst case.
 
Jul 12, 2016 at 5:36 AM Post #288 of 482
mikemercer said:
James Blake's "Limit to Your Love"
the 45rpm single from the UK is the best pressing!!
Click to expand...


Mike great recommendation, hope you are doing well! Would you mind providing a Link to your Blog? Thanks!
 
Jul 12, 2016 at 7:27 AM Post #289 of 482
Get the CD. It is well recorded. This youtube version doesn't do justice to the incredible dynamics of this track. On my HiFiMAN HE-6 off a speaker amp, the kick drums are explosive and should start and stop quickly.
 
 
 
Jul 12, 2016 at 5:35 PM Post #291 of 482
djspaderjader said:
  Some other songs I find really good for testing audio are:
.Mirwais - Disco Science
.Mirwais - Miss You
.Etienne de Crecy - Am I Wrong
.Etienne de Crecy - Punk
Click to expand...


One has to be polite with comrades, so first of all thanks for reminding me about good musicians and theri tracks. But I'll be honest: many people misunderstand "effects" (stunning, funny, what-so-ever) with technical complexity to reproduce sounf correctly. I was unable to find a HQ version of Miss You, so can't make any comments. But Disco Science, in polite words is worthless to test HiFi. Way to simple across al the track, no sound stage at all.
But Mirwais has another, much more famous track: Paradise (Not for Me). This one is way more complex in terms of details and instrument separation. And it has some soundstage, both in width and depth. Quite narrow, but actually it is good since it is percieved as a sound stage, not just stereo panning.
 
As for Etienne de Crecy, his tracks are great to hear.
Once again I was able to find "Am I Wrong" only, in album version and 4 official remixes. Sorry, but... It still sound sound great till today, but is too simple to test any feature. It could be used to test only one detail. Specifically the sound of the track "has" a "metallic taste", but should not be annying or too analytical, it has to be "smooth". It is quite difficult to explain, definitely not for a newbee with a couple of generic cans. Sorry, no personal offense.
 
Jul 14, 2016 at 11:27 PM Post #293 of 482
giogio said:
stuff jones said:
 

Old and not exactly audiophile but I use this to test my highs.
Click to expand...

Old is not a problem for me.
What I do not understand is, where are the highs? The trumpet? You must be very good to isolate highs and mids of one same instrument to test highs.
I would, yeah, ok, be able to distinguish which headphone makes that trumpet sound more bright, but it would be harder than with something which is mostly/only on the high frequencies. And, I would not know if the trumpet should sound like that (so bright, maybe too bright?).
The drums on the background are ok for me as highs but the trumpet is so strong that I cannot concentrate on them.
When I think of highs I mostly think of instruments like shakers, hi-hat, and similar, which would sound very "turned off", not alive, and quiet, if highs are not good.
But I am not really sure if this is a good assumption. Lately Dirac and the XTZ Headphone Divine changed a bit my perception of how highs can sound, and probably should sound (among BT Headphones).
And that effect I have noticed it on those kind of instruments. Percussions. That's why I thought, maybe I need percussions to test highs.
Click to expand...


Try Reckoner by Radiohead.
 
Jul 14, 2016 at 11:49 PM Post #294 of 482
edulov said:
mikemercer said:
 
James Blake's "Limit to Your Love"
the 45rpm single from the UK is the best pressing!!
Click to expand...

As a song, it's a real beauty, but both positives useful to test cans and gear require experience and good knowledge of live instruments since the track has a low dynamic range and virtually no soundstage. So:
- instruments separation - no difficulties
- bass extension, easy to hear, but!!! Requires good gear and hp's to hear the lows as perfectly controlled harmonic vibrations. Otherwise, you will hear a mushy rumble becoming boomy in the worst case.
Click to expand...


You know it's kinda impossible to find a song that can test every single aspect of what system should handle, right?
 
Jul 15, 2016 at 12:01 AM Post #295 of 482
Probably nobody here has heard this album, but La Ley is Chile's most famous band, and their unplugged is stellar, both musically and sonically. Many people recommend Clapton's and Alice in Chains', but this one has a lot more interesting latin instruments like flamenco guitars, congas, bongos, percussion boxes, timbales, even violins. Singing is really good, too, definitely a great listen.




Recommended tracks:

- Mentira
- Aqui
- Delirando
- El Duelo
- Fuera de Mi
 
Jul 15, 2016 at 12:22 AM Post #296 of 482
@ Juanse will have a listen,thanks for the recommendation
L3000.gif

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 4 (members: 0, guests: 4)
Back
Top