[Silent One]

Quote:

The National Anthem of The People's Republic of China 

 
lol j/k, actually just any song that was playing in my player.

 
Now you've got me curious about how the Anthem sounds. Will search the Web shortly...

 
I always felt the first track to play for a new piece of gear to be special. Or at least a memorable moment. 

 

[Lorspeaker]

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-6971-densen-demagic-reference-demagnetizer-cd.aspx
 
this would be THE FIRST track i pump thru each of my new headfone

 

[Kukuk]

Pretty much always Creedence Clearwater Revival, usually I Put A Spell On You.
 

 
Of course, I don't use a Youtube version, but this might give you a decent idea of what I'm looking for in a test track!

 

[RoboKrikit]

I test with a bunch of stuff, but I have an old tradition of going to the first two Boston albums first.
 
Here's a few concatenated sample songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E98nCeCIpzo&hd=1
 
Peace of Mind, 00:00 - 05:03
Opens with acoustic guitar and tambourine, then rich electric guitar.  I can usually tell from the first 30 seconds if I definitely dislike the headphone.
 
The Journey, 05:03 - 06:50
The long, deep bass note after 05:29 should have some weight behind it.  It sounds wimpy and veiled on some headphones.  It is normal to hear noise in this track.
 
It's Easy, 06:50 - 11:16
08:35 - 10:06 runs a gamut of acoustic and various electric guitar tone, cymbals, left and right vocals.  The acoustics at 08:59 should be forward and clear.  The kick at 09:10 should have some impact.
 
A Man I'll Never Be, 11:16 -
Sounds awesome on pretty much anything, play it loud and it should work.  If the lead guitar solo at 14:48 sounds bad, your setup may be broken.
 
 
Some stuff that trips up some cans:
 
BlazBlue OST - MotorHead (Iron Tager): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvJk9m_PNgw&hd=1
Opens with bass guitar and some heavy sub bass that won't be reproduced well by some headphones.
There is a section right after 3:17 that gets extremely busy and loud, some cans may fall apart here and sound too congested and overly strident.
 
Bone Thugs N Harmony - Mo Cheese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ias1UIqjT9U&hd=1
Bear with me and click it anyway.  This track has a strong bass line and kick, which should not interfere with the well-mic'd acoustic guitar and female vocals.  It gets a little NSFW-sounding after 1:45.
 
Chris Potter - It Ain't Me, Babe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-B6AP8Kljg&hd=1
The bass clarinet should be full and textured.  The HD650s I sent back were better at this than my Denons.

 

[Schonen]

 

[warrenpchi]

Quote:

when ever I purchasea now type of pair of headphone. I must like to listen song, its name that`s my name. Its really   joyfulness name.

 
Uh, wut?
 
Anyway, mine is "Here They Come!" - John Williams

 

[Kukuk]

Quote:

 
Another good one, though usually I use Soul Love, at least for testing bass response.

 

[Heathen999]

Judas Priest - Metal Meltdown, my favorite song and the first song that every headphone I own gets to play.
 

 

[PyekiM]

Van Halen's first.  The 24Kt gold remastered CD that you cant buy anymore.  Then, music ADD kicks and I bounce around through everything I've ever owned. 

 

[ninjames]

It used to be Killer Queen by Queen, but the natural harshness of that song doesn't generally generate a great first impression from most headphones. My go-to song to start out with has been "I Need A Dollar" by Aloe Blacc. It's near the top of my player and it's incredibly catchy. It's not very intricate, but it is just enough so it's easy to be picked apart well with good headphones.

 

[devhen]

Quote:

It used to be Killer Queen by Queen, but the natural harshness of that song doesn't generally generate a great first impression from most headphones. My go-to song to start out with has been "I Need A Dollar" by Aloe Blacc. It's near the top of my player and it's incredibly catchy. It's not very intricate, but it is just enough so it's easy to be picked apart well with good headphones.

 
Sounds great thanks