br0adband
100+ Head-Fier
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I'm not sure if this should go in the "Music" subforum, but since it's related to the specific music you use for auditioning headphones and audio playback devices (CD players, DAPs, soundcards, speakers, etc), I figure here is as good a place as any. If a Moderator feels it fits better in the Music sub-forum (not as popular as the others, hence my reasoning for posting it here), move it as required. Thanks.
Basically, I'm interested in seeing what music or audio people use when auditioning new hardware like the equipment listed above and why you use that particular artist or music or CD. You can just list a few items if you choose, but I'm really curious about why you choose/chose any specific artists/music/CDs.
I'm sure we all have some particular favorites that we just know the particular nuances of, those songs that have always stood the test of time and equipment because you just know them so well and can count on them always.
Here's the stuff I use when I audition new equipment:
The very first CD I ever purchased way back in 1985 was Dire Straits classic "Brothers In Arms." It was one of the first pure digital recordings released on the still relatively "new" Compact Disc format, and even now 20 years later it stands the test of time as one of the best engineered recordings ever made.
I remember reading a story by the producer of the album that they decided on doing a pure digital studio album because of the availability of the equipment and the opportunity had simply presented itself. The entire recording team and the band itself were totally new to pure digital recording and were simply unprepared for the clarity and the astonishing details that such technology were capable of. It even caused a major glitch at one point, and here's how I remember it being explained:
Because of the quality that a pure digital recording studio is/was capable of, they did most of the recording in multiple track as is still the common way even now. One of the most amazing tracks they recorded is the saxophone solo that starts off track 4, "Your Latest Trick." I'm not talking about the trombone at the very beginning, but the next part after the trombone fades.
The problem they had was twofold:
The first part was a faint clicking noise they kept encountering no matter how many times they tried to get the recording done cleanly. From what I recall, they went through several digital recorders, several mixers, several mics, two different saxophones (the same artist, however) and a multitude of other possible causes for that faint clicking noise but it took like two weeks of time in the studio, wasted time, before they came to the final reality of what caused the noise which was...
The saxophonist's wedding ring.
It was lightly hitting the side of the saxophone itself when he played the solo piece. It was something that even the finest analog technology of the day simply could not and did not pick up on, but using the digital technology it stood out like a sore thumb against the background of the saxophone. Once he took it off, they proceeded normally and caught the resulting solo as it's heard on the CD. That incident gave them all pause to consider just how powerful their decision to go pure digital really was, and definitely gave them some idea of just what lay ahead for the recording industry.
Then disaster struck. That all-too important opening sax solo was lost in a mishap in the studio. After all the trouble they went through to get it recorded finally, they seemed to have lost it in a split second due to some problem with the hardware. When all was thought to have been lost, one of the interns in the studio realized that with this new digital system in place it's just data stored inside the machine someplace. With a bit of flair he toyed around with the storage device and miraculously recovered every single bit of that magnificent solo once more and everything was A-OK from that moment on.
Digital was truly a revolution in those days, and I am happy I chose that album as the very first Compact Disc I ever purchased. The various styles from hard rock ("Money For Nothing") to rockabilly ("Walk Of Life"), as well as the bluesy riffs of "So Far Away" and the jazzy "Your Latest Trick" cover the bases for me musically.
For sheer dynamics, not much can surpass "The Man's Too Strong." For anyone that knows anything about digital recording, if you cross that 0 db threshold the resulting data is simply going to be distorted to hell and back due to the clipping - in a strictly digital sense. I recently took a moment to take the WAV file I ripped with EAC and took a peek at it with Sound Forge.
The peaks in "The Man's Too Strong" are at -.02 db, about as close as anyone would ever care to get, and the first time I ever listened to that song years ago I was simply unprepared for such a dynamic onslaught when it hit. I yanked my then favorite Sonys off my head as fast as I could since I couldn't reach the volume control from where I was listening. Simply amazing stuff, and thanks to digital recording technology, crystal clear through and through.
So that's my favorite auditioning CD even now 20 years later. I know that CD and every note on it and how it should sound to me with any hardware combination. I know and expect to hear the sharp crack of the snare drum on the tracks. I know and expect to hear the seperation of channels as demonstrated on "Ride Across The River" by the tom-tom in the left ear followed by the bass kick dead center and the final tom-tom hit in the right. I know and expect to hear the dynamics on "The Man's Too Strong" as I just mentioned, as well as that thundering crescendo in the opening of "Money For Nothing."
I just know that CD, really damned well.
And that's what I'm interested in knowing from the other members here. What CD or CDs do you use to judge the sound quality of the hardware you either own or are considering for purchase. And yes, I have other CDs/songs that I use as judging criteria, but Dire Straits "Brother's In Arms" is at the top of the list. Some other selections I use are:
-- Rush, "Signals"
Rush being my favorite band puts them near the top of the list. And this was an analog recording transfered to digital (AAD was the code iirc, I don't have the CD handy at the moment). Amazing engineering on this one. My all time favorite Rush song, "Red Sector A," is on this album. I use that song to judge high frequency response because of Neil Peart's amazing hi-hat work on his drum kit. Definitely one of the best songs they ever made. They don't call Neil Peart "The Professor" for nothing. He gets my vote as the Best Drummer That Ever Lived.
-- Rush, "Power Windows"
Their first pure digitally recorded album start to finish (DDD), and one of the best examples of a well engineered recording I've ever heard. The punch of Neil Peart's bass drum is always spot on across almost every Rush album I've ever listened to.
-- Eric Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, "Time Warp" (on the Telarc CD label)
This one is amazing just for the sheer musicality of it, as anything Telarc puts out is. While this CD is specifically used to showcase orchestral music from some of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, it lends itself to "classical" music because of the style. A lot of John Williams music, and most of us know exactly who he is and his contributions to the world of movie music.
As a sidenote: I've listened to hundreds of classical CDs of various artists, and I have to say that any Telarc version of any song will sound better than any other recording that exists. There is just something about Telarc and their all digital signal path that delights my ears like no other label. Simply amazing.
The opening track on "Time Warp" can destroy audio systems, seriously. The dynamics, even for the aging 16 bit 44.1 Khz technology, has to be heard to be believed - at low levels, of course.
-- Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, "Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture"
THIS album contains some of the most powerful dynamics ever put onto CD (as far as regular 16 bit/44.1 Khz CD technology is concerned). The opening track will push - and easily destroy - audio playback hardware and I'm not kidding in the least. The warning on the CD says: "CAUTION: DIGITAL CANNONS!!!" and it says that for good reason. Even now all these years later those cannons on that CD are still some of the loudest sounds ever recorded with 16 bit 44.1 Khz sampling technology and they push that capability to its absolute limits.
I've taken that CD to stores in the late 80's and had salesmen brag about how dynamic and powerful their hardware is for a particular system. Then I'll simply ask, "Can I listen to this CD, it's what I use for testing equipment." When they smile and say, "Why sure you can," all I can do is smile back.
A few minutes later the salesmen are standing there scratching their heads wondering either why the amp clipped out and went into protection mode or why the speaker cone blew itself clean out of the cabinet with the force of an M-80 grenade.
And good news, Telarc fans, they released an entirely new recording of this all time classic using 24 bit digital equipment from start to finish. It's available in 2 channel and discreet 6 channel SACD versions. Get more info HERE. I can't even imagine an audio system that can handle that 6 channel playback... sweet jesus that must be a monster system if one can handle it accurately and at respectable levels.
If you're serious about audio quality, and you're serious about the hardware you own and purchase, having at least the original Telarc 1812 Overture CD is something I consider to be an absolute must have above and beyond any other CDs, even a lot of those other "audio demo" or test CDs that exist. It simply blows them all away, both figuratively and realistically.
There are several other CDs and songs in particular that I use for such purposes, like some nice jazz ones for additional musicality testing and dynamics, some rap songs that I know will really push drivers hard (Eminem's "Without Me" is one in particular; the bass drum is recorded pretty close to 0 db peaks so it really hits hard, especially with headphones/IEMs), and a wide variety of others. But the ones listed above are the primaries.
So, what do you listen to when trying out new hardware?
bb
Basically, I'm interested in seeing what music or audio people use when auditioning new hardware like the equipment listed above and why you use that particular artist or music or CD. You can just list a few items if you choose, but I'm really curious about why you choose/chose any specific artists/music/CDs.
I'm sure we all have some particular favorites that we just know the particular nuances of, those songs that have always stood the test of time and equipment because you just know them so well and can count on them always.
Here's the stuff I use when I audition new equipment:
The very first CD I ever purchased way back in 1985 was Dire Straits classic "Brothers In Arms." It was one of the first pure digital recordings released on the still relatively "new" Compact Disc format, and even now 20 years later it stands the test of time as one of the best engineered recordings ever made.
I remember reading a story by the producer of the album that they decided on doing a pure digital studio album because of the availability of the equipment and the opportunity had simply presented itself. The entire recording team and the band itself were totally new to pure digital recording and were simply unprepared for the clarity and the astonishing details that such technology were capable of. It even caused a major glitch at one point, and here's how I remember it being explained:
Because of the quality that a pure digital recording studio is/was capable of, they did most of the recording in multiple track as is still the common way even now. One of the most amazing tracks they recorded is the saxophone solo that starts off track 4, "Your Latest Trick." I'm not talking about the trombone at the very beginning, but the next part after the trombone fades.
The problem they had was twofold:
The first part was a faint clicking noise they kept encountering no matter how many times they tried to get the recording done cleanly. From what I recall, they went through several digital recorders, several mixers, several mics, two different saxophones (the same artist, however) and a multitude of other possible causes for that faint clicking noise but it took like two weeks of time in the studio, wasted time, before they came to the final reality of what caused the noise which was...
The saxophonist's wedding ring.
It was lightly hitting the side of the saxophone itself when he played the solo piece. It was something that even the finest analog technology of the day simply could not and did not pick up on, but using the digital technology it stood out like a sore thumb against the background of the saxophone. Once he took it off, they proceeded normally and caught the resulting solo as it's heard on the CD. That incident gave them all pause to consider just how powerful their decision to go pure digital really was, and definitely gave them some idea of just what lay ahead for the recording industry.
Then disaster struck. That all-too important opening sax solo was lost in a mishap in the studio. After all the trouble they went through to get it recorded finally, they seemed to have lost it in a split second due to some problem with the hardware. When all was thought to have been lost, one of the interns in the studio realized that with this new digital system in place it's just data stored inside the machine someplace. With a bit of flair he toyed around with the storage device and miraculously recovered every single bit of that magnificent solo once more and everything was A-OK from that moment on.
Digital was truly a revolution in those days, and I am happy I chose that album as the very first Compact Disc I ever purchased. The various styles from hard rock ("Money For Nothing") to rockabilly ("Walk Of Life"), as well as the bluesy riffs of "So Far Away" and the jazzy "Your Latest Trick" cover the bases for me musically.
For sheer dynamics, not much can surpass "The Man's Too Strong." For anyone that knows anything about digital recording, if you cross that 0 db threshold the resulting data is simply going to be distorted to hell and back due to the clipping - in a strictly digital sense. I recently took a moment to take the WAV file I ripped with EAC and took a peek at it with Sound Forge.
The peaks in "The Man's Too Strong" are at -.02 db, about as close as anyone would ever care to get, and the first time I ever listened to that song years ago I was simply unprepared for such a dynamic onslaught when it hit. I yanked my then favorite Sonys off my head as fast as I could since I couldn't reach the volume control from where I was listening. Simply amazing stuff, and thanks to digital recording technology, crystal clear through and through.
So that's my favorite auditioning CD even now 20 years later. I know that CD and every note on it and how it should sound to me with any hardware combination. I know and expect to hear the sharp crack of the snare drum on the tracks. I know and expect to hear the seperation of channels as demonstrated on "Ride Across The River" by the tom-tom in the left ear followed by the bass kick dead center and the final tom-tom hit in the right. I know and expect to hear the dynamics on "The Man's Too Strong" as I just mentioned, as well as that thundering crescendo in the opening of "Money For Nothing."
I just know that CD, really damned well.
And that's what I'm interested in knowing from the other members here. What CD or CDs do you use to judge the sound quality of the hardware you either own or are considering for purchase. And yes, I have other CDs/songs that I use as judging criteria, but Dire Straits "Brother's In Arms" is at the top of the list. Some other selections I use are:
-- Rush, "Signals"
Rush being my favorite band puts them near the top of the list. And this was an analog recording transfered to digital (AAD was the code iirc, I don't have the CD handy at the moment). Amazing engineering on this one. My all time favorite Rush song, "Red Sector A," is on this album. I use that song to judge high frequency response because of Neil Peart's amazing hi-hat work on his drum kit. Definitely one of the best songs they ever made. They don't call Neil Peart "The Professor" for nothing. He gets my vote as the Best Drummer That Ever Lived.
-- Rush, "Power Windows"
Their first pure digitally recorded album start to finish (DDD), and one of the best examples of a well engineered recording I've ever heard. The punch of Neil Peart's bass drum is always spot on across almost every Rush album I've ever listened to.
-- Eric Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, "Time Warp" (on the Telarc CD label)
This one is amazing just for the sheer musicality of it, as anything Telarc puts out is. While this CD is specifically used to showcase orchestral music from some of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, it lends itself to "classical" music because of the style. A lot of John Williams music, and most of us know exactly who he is and his contributions to the world of movie music.
As a sidenote: I've listened to hundreds of classical CDs of various artists, and I have to say that any Telarc version of any song will sound better than any other recording that exists. There is just something about Telarc and their all digital signal path that delights my ears like no other label. Simply amazing.
The opening track on "Time Warp" can destroy audio systems, seriously. The dynamics, even for the aging 16 bit 44.1 Khz technology, has to be heard to be believed - at low levels, of course.
-- Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, "Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture"
THIS album contains some of the most powerful dynamics ever put onto CD (as far as regular 16 bit/44.1 Khz CD technology is concerned). The opening track will push - and easily destroy - audio playback hardware and I'm not kidding in the least. The warning on the CD says: "CAUTION: DIGITAL CANNONS!!!" and it says that for good reason. Even now all these years later those cannons on that CD are still some of the loudest sounds ever recorded with 16 bit 44.1 Khz sampling technology and they push that capability to its absolute limits.
I've taken that CD to stores in the late 80's and had salesmen brag about how dynamic and powerful their hardware is for a particular system. Then I'll simply ask, "Can I listen to this CD, it's what I use for testing equipment." When they smile and say, "Why sure you can," all I can do is smile back.
A few minutes later the salesmen are standing there scratching their heads wondering either why the amp clipped out and went into protection mode or why the speaker cone blew itself clean out of the cabinet with the force of an M-80 grenade.
And good news, Telarc fans, they released an entirely new recording of this all time classic using 24 bit digital equipment from start to finish. It's available in 2 channel and discreet 6 channel SACD versions. Get more info HERE. I can't even imagine an audio system that can handle that 6 channel playback... sweet jesus that must be a monster system if one can handle it accurately and at respectable levels.
If you're serious about audio quality, and you're serious about the hardware you own and purchase, having at least the original Telarc 1812 Overture CD is something I consider to be an absolute must have above and beyond any other CDs, even a lot of those other "audio demo" or test CDs that exist. It simply blows them all away, both figuratively and realistically.
There are several other CDs and songs in particular that I use for such purposes, like some nice jazz ones for additional musicality testing and dynamics, some rap songs that I know will really push drivers hard (Eminem's "Without Me" is one in particular; the bass drum is recorded pretty close to 0 db peaks so it really hits hard, especially with headphones/IEMs), and a wide variety of others. But the ones listed above are the primaries.
So, what do you listen to when trying out new hardware?
bb
