Audition CDs (or LP's) / Tracks - Recommendations?

All,

Thought this could be an interesting thread to get started up. I'm guessing all of you have CD's (or LP's) and tracks that you use to either demonstrate your existing Hi-fi system, or play to evaluate new equipment. I've split the Hi-fi listening / evaluation process into 4 areas that can be separately looked at. The following are what I consider "good" tracks / albums to test these categories. Please add your recommendations (and if possible try and keep things fairly mainstream - nothing to obscure that people would find difficult to get hold of!!)

Vocals - Antony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now - Track 1 (Hope There's Someone) - reason: amazing track... vocals sound amazing played on a good setup.

Bass - Portishead - Dummy - Any Track!!! - reason: just a bass festival!! Although the Bass is quite "slow" for a faster bass test - The Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust - Alive Alone.

Stereo Imaging - Michael Jackson - Thriller - reason: heard this on a friends LP12 and was blown away by it!

Resolution - The Eagles - Hotel California (Acoustic Version) - reason: so much going on in this one, only a high res source player and pick it all up (also a good one for Bass test as well).

Would love you hear your suggestions. Gives us all a chance to potentially hear something that makes our systems sing even more!!!

Cheers

Simon

[Dave Peachey]

Goldie,

Interesting topic! Haven't had cause to do this for a while but will (hopefully) be auditioning some phono pre-amps in the near future so plan to dust off some of my vinyl favourites

Anyway, my choice of hi-fi test tracks runs something like:

Bass: J-M Jarre - try "Oxygene 11" which starts off with a crackling synth bass to test the speed and bass responsiveness of any system. I've discounted several choices of speakers in the past because they just weren't capable of keeping up!

Vocals: Kate Bush - pretty much anything but I particularly like "The Dreaming" as it's got some wonderfully off-kilter vocal styles. Alternatively try anything by Annette Peacock, e.g: her "X-Dreams" album or her vocals on Bill Bruford's "Feels Good to Me", for some really lucious vocal tones!

Imaging: Interior (Japanese duo on Windham Hill label) - the album "Design" has some near holographic imaging which I'd never before heard coming off a lump of vinyl (might, unfortunately, be difficult to find nowadays)

Resolution: Early stuff by Adrian Legg or Michael Hedges - although it's predominantly acoustic guitar - try and find Adrian's "Kalahari Blues" track from the "Technopicker" album (the best version of this track) or Michael's "Ariel Boundaries" album. It's partly about the imaging but partly about the detail of the fingering of every note

I'm sure I could dig out some more but these work for me as indicators of a system's strengths or weaknesses.

Cheers
Dave

[Squid Doctor]

For some interesting use of stereo effects you could try:

Velvet Underground - The Murder Mystery (The Velvet Underground CD)

or the entire CD of:

Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn

[karkus30]

I dont like to pick albums that have a great sound for auditioning. Not poor recordings, just not easy albums. A mix of male and female vocalists that represent some extremes.


Cyndi Laupers -Seven Deadly Cynns- Track 1

Peter Gabriels- shaking the tree-Dont give up

Nirvana-Nevermind-Smells like teen Spirit

Sting-Ten Summoners Tales-Heavy Cloud burst (no rain).

Miles Davies-Kinda Blue Track one

Laupers voice is unsteady, but raw and powerful and should come across like that and raise the hairs on the back of the neck.

PG has tomtoms played with a bass line, its difficult to distinguish on poor equipment.

Nirvana-KG uses his voice in tandem with the guitar to produce a Yaay sound, I look for this been clearly audible and DG drums should thunder. It should not sound confused, but very dark and intense.

Stings HCBNR has some interesting stops and starts, with a mixture of Jazz style playing on the snare and an awful lot reverb which should be very noticeable.

Finally MD. The double bass should be in the room with you, the ride cymbal should have that nice hollow metallic ring and decay (not splashy) and the drum set should sound like its further away than the bass, but should sound like a real drum set with proper dynamics.

Anything with piano is a great test of hifi performance, the dynamics of a piano are really hard to portray. If there are any rough edges to your speakers (or knackered drive units) this will show them up. I dont use any particular piece, just whatever falls to hand. Most people know exactly how a piano sounds, so its easy to make a judgement.


I play things like 'Aerial Boundaries'(Wynham Hill vinyl), Ella Fitzgerald Clap hands here comes charlie(audiophile recording vinyl) or Paul Simons-Hearts and Bones (on QIEX vinyl) if I want to impress someone. But these albums can make most systems sound good.

[BenW]

Just got gnarls barkelys album and theres one song with some ultra fast bass lines. Its called go-go gadget gospel. Sure i can sort a few people out with a lossless copy if they want

An alternative school of thought is that you should just use the albums you have been listening to most recently.

The danger with playing something you haven't listened to in months is that you can never quite be sure whether it sounds different again after just one or two plays.

[Fat_Buddha]

I was after a reasonable system. In the end I tried 2 (i) The Arcam Solo connected to a pair of Monitor Audio RS1 and (ii) a Linn Classik connected to a pair of Katan.
My choice of music was Genesis Seconds Out, with the track used "Supper`s Ready". Pink Floyd`s Dark Side Of The Moon, a superbly produced album. For the vocals I used Soundgarden`s album Superunknown and for the Bass aspect I took along Massive Attack`s Blue Lines. On hearing The Arcam I was left decidedly underwhelmed by it, especially on Seconds Out & Darkside. However The Linn seemed to perform far better, which is why I bought one. I heard both systems in the same shop. Go with what you feel is best for yourself and your own personal taste.

[mhuk05]

Mine are Pink Floyd "machines", Massive Attack "angels", Barbers Adagio for strings and Eva Cassidy.

[ell-tell]

I used Laurie Anderson:"Bright Red","Life on a String" cds,they have it all, and piano music, "The Emperor", Beethoven.