[AudiA4]

I am just concerned with soft music like classical or new age. It mean I do not care about rock and pop music. My test songs are as followed:
1. Hotel California (The Eagles)
2. The four season - Winter (Vivaldi)
3. Canon in D (Pachelbel, string version)
4. O sole mio (Pavarotti)
5. Walking in the air (Celtic Woman)
What about yours and what IEM are you using to listen to that kind of music? I'm using a SoundMagic PL12 and going to buy a PL50.
Any ideas?

 

[PouncePony]

Songs you are very familiar with; ones you have an expected sound stage for; ones you have an expected volume level for each instrument/vocal piece; a mix of a very simple songs (i.e. ones with a lot of clarity) and busy songs .....

I'll test with:
Something in the way she moves - James Taylor
She's on fire - Train
Time - Sarah McLachlan
Fruits of my labor - Lucinda Williams

-Pony

 

[bjaardker]

FM - Steely Dan
Albinoni Adagio
Anything by Kings of Convenience

 

[yunaforever009]

Great choice with Kings of Convenience.

I always try a few remastered Simon & Garfunkel songs
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright
My Immortal by Evanescence
Any piece by Bond or Moby

 

[timmyGCSE]

I usually just sit there for a few hours going through all the songs on my dap lol.
But Arizona by Kings Of Leon is always a must

 

[Azathoth]

During recent meets, I usually go with really complex multi-layered songs so I can gauge the amount of detail that the IEM's are capable of (judging them against my gold standard of detail, the Grado SR325is).

Three of my favorites are "At The Left Hand Ov God" by Behemoth, "Metropolis - Part 1" by Dream Theater and "Al Di's Dream Theme" by Al Di Meola.

 

[Hentai11]

I've made a reference CD for myself, songs that do a particular thing so well that they penalize inferior quality:

Chant (Making of Cyborg), Ghost in the Shell Soundtrack--loud treble AND loud bass; most average phones distort something.

Vaughan Williams, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Boughton and the English String Orchestra--big string piece.

Fantasy, Earth, Wind and Fire--male vocals, including falsetto.

Is It A Crime, Sade--small instrumental ensemble, female vocals from a breathy performer

Vaughan Williams, Sym. No. 2, Previn & the LSO--large instrumental ensemble.

Lord, Save Thy People, Fennell and the Dallas Winds--pipe organ piece with some very low tones. Separates true bass extension from the bloated midbass some phones favor.

Anything with Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony--a conductor who believed in a round, forward sound for the full choir.

I prefer acoustic and vocal music to judge quality since I find it much easier to detect inaccurate vocal or instrumental performances than I can electronic tones.

 

[bjaardker]

One other artist I like to use is Rufus Wainwright. His stuff has so many different layers that it gives most drivers a real workout.

 

[mark2410]

various but predominantly beverly craven

 

[barleyguy]

I typically use:

- Sirens of the Sea, Oceanlab
- Converting Vegetarians, Infected Mushroom
- Anniversary Collection, Jethro Tull
- Bellatrix, Rene Gruss

And then whatever comes up on shuffle...

 

[Brandon3003]

Oceanlab usually does it for me.
Also anything that's recorded live, acoustic type things usually work pretty well for me.

 

[ibis99]

All of them.

 

[TopPop]

The Jerky Boys: Frank Rizzo

 

[bcpk]

Radiohead - Idioteque for channel seperation
Massive Attack - Antistar for BASS

 

[gopack87]

Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here: acoutisc intro especially
Phoenix- 1901: Bass
Pink Floyd- Comfortably Numb: soundstage, overall depth
Led Zeppelin- Stairway to Heaven