[Inter]

I use Pain of Salvation - 12:5 almost exclusively to test hardware. It is a live recording made of an accoustic concert they did in 2004. The recording quality is the clearest I've ever heard and everything has been captured just the way it was played (and felt).

It's maybe the definitive reference CD in my opinion.

 

[Skylab]

I use Crash Test Dummies "A Worm's Life", the track's "I'm Outlived By That Thing?" and "All of This Ugly".

Why?

First and foremost, I like the tunes

But from a test perspective, it's superbly recorded. There is deep, low bass, and lots of high end, all of which you should be able to hear. There are both male and female vocals: The male vocals are baritone and will expose lower midrange "chestiness" colorations. The female vocals are background, and are a good way to judge midrange trasparency and detail, as well as upper midrange purity. And the treble is right on the edge of brightness -- if should NOT sound sibilant, but if it does, then you have a gear problem.

So the tracks are very good for checking to see if you cave either sins of ommission or commission.

 

[br0adband]

Two of my other favorites that I neglected to mention, especially for live ambience and presence testing, are:

-- Eric Clapton, "Unplugged"
This one really sets the bar pretty high for me in terms of a live recording. The engineering quality, the sound quality, the performance itself, they all come together so damned well it's simply a keeper for me. Clapton's fingering on the fretboard can be made out quite clearly at times, his foot lightly tapping on the stage is easy to pick out with quality headphones.

Just that foot tap really caught me off-guard the first time when it just jumped out of the mix. That bass means something to me in terms of presence because of how it stands out and I expect to hear it in a certain way so that's how I judge the playback equipment. Of course the recording itself is so well done what with it being acoustic. Clapton's guitar work never sounded better as far as I'm concerned.

Kudos to the production outfit that did the recording because it stands out in a world of mostly crap, I'd say.

-- Alice In Chains, "Unplugged"
Seriously, see the above. Again, the engineering, the sound quality, and the recording itself are simply amazing and have to be heard to be believed. It's as close to the actual feeling of a live performance as I've ever been able to locate on a recording.

There are a lot of other Unplugged albums that I like also: 10,000 Maniacs, Pearl Jam (this one kicks hard), and of course, Nirvana.

It's been cool so far seeing the other choices by everyone. That was the idea behind this thread, to locate some different stuff that I might not even be aware of that just might sound fantastic as demo/test material.

Thanks for your contributions, and keep 'em coming.

bb

 

[j0j081]

this thread is giving me some good listening ideas. thanks!

 

[jagged]

I like to pick a wide variety which provides a good range for different tests...

Acoustic test:
(Flamenco)Jesse Cook - Tempest
(Classical) Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker
(Jazz) Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five
(Big Band) Glen Miller Orchestra - In the Mood

Vocal test:
(Female) Imogen Heap - Let Go
(Male) Postal Service - Such Great Heights
(Male Group) Il Divo - Sei Parte Ormai Di Me
(Female) Mariah Carey - Hero

Bass test:
(Electronica) Crystal Method - High Roller
(Electronica) Noir - Salva Nos

Synth test:
Robert Miles - Children

Blend test:
Linkin Park w/ Jay-Z - Numb/Encore
Telepopmusik - Breathe

 

[blumenco]

stereolab mars audiac quintet
stereolab cobra phases...
peace orchestra (track 2 is a good bass test, tonally and dynammicaly)
various organ music
various string quartets.
lee scratch perry - dyon anasawa

i tend to like well recorded stuff to hear how good a system is. i like relatively bad and especially old recordings to hear how great a system is.

the various artifacts/distortion inherent in certain bad recordings can be extremely challenging for a system to separate out, yet present in a pleasing way. the stereolab challenges midrange realism and resolution, while mars audiac quintet has artifacts on top that most systems gloss over. the only headphone systems that have gotten that artifact (it is different in each track) perfect were orpheus and r10/maestro...

organ music is great to get an idea for the "jump" of a system. how well can you hear the symmphony hall/church as an acoustic space? reverb? can you hear the organist singing along? also, only a few speaker systems and fewer headphone systems give me an idea of where the ranks of pipes are and which pipes are sounding/where they are in the stereo image.

string quartets (i tend to use philip glass string quartet number 5) and especially violins give a great idea of how anemic/dry a system is. of course, i have never really heard a violin reproduced by a stereo even remotely acceptably in comparison to hearing one in performance (except by those systems that were only made to play violins!)

i tend to not like to listen to symphony music on stereos. i think that no stereo comes even close to doing enough of the right things. i work in a symphony hall, so i listen to and enjoy our symphonies.

i like old reggae to figure out if a system can do truely bad recordings in a pleasing nature. i certainly listen to as much real music as possible, and i just cant stand it when those ugly details are overly stressed rather than naturally presented. also, the bass in especially alot of old lee scratch perry stuff is among the fullest i have ever heard. also, I find that MONO recordings give an idea of STEREO balance...

sometimes i like to listen to weak radio stations to see how the weather is... a truely good system can do it.

the traditionally best cd players let you hear all the flaws of the digital nature in which it was recorded. i tend to like a little more naturalness and roundedness that one would find on vinyl or even analogue tape.

if i really get to spend alot of time with a system, i like to bring a freind along who is not into stereos and see if they like it. we can all tend to get pretty insular and forget about the importance of mass appeal. i tend to find that most people are quite talented at listening when they are told to go off of their gut instincts, something that alot of us (including me) can sometimes forget to do.

all in all, it is rare that i actually "test" a system like this. i tend to bring a nice piece of music over to someone's place, not necessarily even one that i know very well and i can tend to get about 95% of a complete picture of a system. i have been listening to different stereo systems, live music, different recordings critically for so long that alot of things start sounding quite similar, instantly recognizable, and categorizable. i am also blessed with a decent amount of perfect pitch, so that helps too... course, it is not as big of a deal as most musicians make of it. training and hard work is far more important...

i tend to find that while alot of systems can be nicely tonally neutral, well balanced, and highly detailed, very very few really inspire me. funny enough, two systems that i get tons of inspiration from are the triode based stereo that i have been making and tweaking for a year now and also the old 1950s admiral radio with el84 tubes that i bought for thirty bucks at a thriftstore and have not tweaked a bit! that radio renders me and my freinds into major guitar-gasms quite frequently. no joke. rolling on our backs on the floor, eyes shut, drumming with our entire boddies, etc. it happens no matter what the source. that thing is INTENSE!!! the radio just has life (and good/quick and relatively deep bass, hf extension and overall detail. the thing aint just a toy no doubt). however, the radio has relatively simple speaker drivers, (wide range with supertweeter, a single paper oil cap for the crossover, very simple transmission line enclosure, and little regulation on the relatively large power supply (which is i think the key to its pentode glory) it hums slightly, is fairly colored, does not get ultra loud, rolls off at 40hz, and 16000. though i am still struggling to comprehend the full genius of this radio, it has shown me that no amount of exotic materials or scientific analysis replaces a truely talented (and artistic) and patient stereo designer with a nack for how to impliment components effectively, who is not scared to bring his or her own ideas to the table and not be afraid to have a little colour, distortion, or frequency bumps in order to simply bring a stereo system to life.

Clark

 

[blumenco]

one of the funnest tests that i have ever done was to plug in my freind's solid maple body electric guitar into the amp and listen through my speakers and headphones. cutting out the recording process entirely gives an interesting aspect of a system that is not acheivable any other way.

 

[blumenco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iSleipnir My Bloody Valentine - Loveless It took three years and half a million dollars to produce. There are so many ghost melodies and interweaving patters and details I can tell when a headphone or peice of grear throws it out of harmony. (I love it with the DT 880s). I know the album very well. I also agree. This is a great thread and better story. Thats the kind of headfi stuff I love to read!

agreed!!! that music is incredible!!! thanks so much for letting me use it.

Clark