Audio Equipment Sound Testing

AJR

AJR

Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2017
Messages
822
Location
Singapore
We all have our top 5-10 tracks or so that we know inside out and use to test any new potential component in our system.

What are yours? What are the tracks you know so well that they become a benchmark to judge equipment?

Here are mine (in no particular order):

1. Caravan (Whiplash version). Tests system’s ability to produce lots of sounds, at the same time.

2. Decks Dark - Radiohead. Tests timbre, bass, vocals and ambient guitar.

3. Lateralus - Tool. Drum rhythms. My drummer friends say the time signature is extraordinary. Profound lyrics too.

4. Massive Attack - Angel. Tests vocals. I have other ones so agree this is not definitive. Another one is Katie Noonan’s version of Black Hole Sun.

5. Still thinking ☺️
 
Mine is;

Eric Clapton - Slow Hand. Not audiophile, although it does sort of have a live in the studio recording sound, but, I've heard that CD on so many system and there's things I listen for. Like ever notice Clapton's lipse or skur on All The Way?

Then I have a hand full I listen to when evaluating something new in my system. Usually,

Christian McBride - Getting to it
patricia Barber - Modern Cool. ( piano, drum slolo her voice,, last track has choral, good stuff )
Concord Jazz Sampler 2
Ozone Percussion Group - Labamba
B Tribe - 5
Led Zeppelin 2
Stevie Ray Vaughn - Couldn't Stand The Weather (I don't consider this a good recording but again I've heard it so much on so many systems)
Steely Dan - Gold ( I feel the band has a distinct production and I'm so familiar it usually gets a spin

After these it just depends and this list isn't always a definite, a couple could very or get left out.
 
I have about 24 tracks some Pcm and some dsd a few I can list are
SHM
elton John tumbleweed connection talking old soldiers , come down in time , love song
your song it's on a 5 sacd SHM set I have .dsd
next also SHM Ella and Louis why can't we be friends and the 5 one sorry Cannot remember the name now. Dsd
Anolog productions billi holiday body and sole titAl track Pcm sourced dsd
the worlds greatest vocals , one male and one female . dsd
count Basie Kansas City shout Pablo all tracks all great . Pcm
glorai estafone Mia Tierra two first tracks pcm
antonio farcioni quartet Pcm. Heart beat , African dAwn .
Elvis stereo 57 analog productions dsd first three tracks .
also track 7
jessica Williams vol 1/2 live at YOSSI Pcm
beethtovin sym 9 chorals 5/6 where the solo and chorus sing .
 
I don't have any particular tracks I use. Normally I use music I just happen to listen to at the time. Some times I listen to a lot of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds then I use them. Other times it's Anathema, Einstruzende Neubauten, Heather Nova, Pink Floyd etc.
 
Acoustics instruments are fundamental. I specially care about double bass, piano and guitar.
It´s hard to select only 1 or 2 songs from a good album, but here they go

Wim Mertens – Epic that never was – Humility; The Belly Of An Architect
Jacques Loussier – Plays Bach “Encore” - Disco 1 – 3 Largo; 8 Andante
I look for the timbre and dynamic of the piano, extension and resolution of the low frequencies

Renaud Garcia-Fons (Arco-luz) – 40 days ; Entremundo
Looking for impact, tone and “dimension” of the double bass.

Paris Texas Soundtrack – Brothers; Nothing out there
Nils Lofgren – keith don´t go (live)
Marisa: Fado em Mim (Chuva; Que Deus me Perdoe; Por Ti)
Cristina Branco: (Navio Triste; Porque me olhas assim;
In guitars i look for harmonics, transients, lack of grain and extension of high frequencies

Charlie Haden The Montreal Tapes – Mopti
Extension and timbre of the high frequencies

Dvorak: Symphony of The New World (4th movement)
Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien
In classic music I look for resolution and stage
 
Anything but :

1. Hotel California - Eagles.
2. Take Five - Dave Brubeck
3. Keith Don't go - Nils Lofgren
4. Tin Pan Alley -SRV
5. Any Diana Krall

Sick and tired of hear these songs on every audio show and dealer :)
 
Steely Dan - Aja, Black cow
Stephen Stills - Treetop flyer
Supertramp - Dreamer, School
Dire Straits - Water of love, ride along the river
Steely Dan - Babylon sister, hey nineteen
Roger Waters - Ballad of Bill Hubbard
Porcupine Tree - Lips of ashes
Hidden Orchestra - Anything from them
Roger Waters - Pros and cons of hitchhiking (the whole album)
Beatles - Eleanor Rigby from Love album
Cat Stevens - where do the children play
 
Through the Sound Barrier final licensed selections from my RoomPlay & RoomPlay Reference playlist:


  1. “Spaseniye Sodelal” - Turtle Creek Chorale – Postcards – Reference Recordings
  2. “These Bones” – Fairfield Four – I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray – Word Entertainment
  3. “Going Back to Bed” - Tony Joe White –The Beginning - Audium
  4. “Pie Jesu” – Rutter: Requiem – Turtle Creek Chorale –Reference Recordings
  5. “Hahn: À Chloris” – Susan Graham, Roger Vignoles – La Belle Époque: Songs of Reynaldo Hahn – Sony Classical
  6. “If Ever I Would Leave You” – Cassandra Wilson –Rendezvous – Blue Note
  7. “Muito Pouco” – Maria Rita – Segundo – Warner Music Latina
  8. “Uni de Felice” – Luciano Pavorotti, Joan Southerland – La Traviata – Decca
  9. “Schelleri” - Vienna Waltz Ensemble –Tans – Flourish – RCA Victor Europe
  10. “Washington Street” – Laurie Anderson – Life on a String – Nonesuch
  11. “Miss You” – Jacqui Naylor – Shelter – Ruby Records
  12. “For Abby” – Ronnie Earl – Grateful Heart: Blues & Ballads – Bullseye
  13. “Down at your Buryin’” – James Cotton – Deep in the Blues – Verve Imports
  14. “Feelin’ Lowdown” – Andy Bey – Tuesdays in Chinatown – Encoded Music
  15. “Blue Bossa” – Brian Bromberg – Wood II – Artistry Music Group
  16. “Rotae Passionis (Passion Wheels)” – Concordia Orch. – Concerto Per Corde/Passion Wheels – Koch/Phoenix USA
  17. “Rimshot” – Erykah Badu – Erykah Badui Live – UMVD
  18. “Blue Shadows” – Jimmy Dale Gilmore –– One Endless Night – Rounder
  19. “New Favorite” – Alison Krauss & Union Station – New Favorite – Rounder
  20. “I Want my Fleetwood Back” Tony Joe White –– One Hot July – Mercury/Tupelo
  21. “The Sweetest Gift” - The Judds & Emmy Lou Harris –– Heartland – Curb
  22. “Stimela (The Coal Train)” – Hugh Masekela –Hope – Triloka Records

More from the RP/RPR playlist, but not licensed for TTSB:


  1. Roger Waters – “Ballad of Bill Hubbard” – Amused to Death – Columbia-Legacy
  2. Bonnie Raitt – “Love Me Like a Man” – Road Tested – Capitol
  3. Lucinda Williams – “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Mercury Records
  4. Shelby Lynne – “Just a Little Lovin’ ” – Just a Little Lovin’ – Lost Highway
  5. Eiji Oue: Minnesota Orchestra – “The Firebird Suite: Finale” – Tutti! Orchestra Sampler – Reference Recordings
  6. Paul Simon – “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” – Graceland – Legacy
  7. Christy Moore – “Cry Like a Man” – This is the Day – Columbia
  8. Chris Isaak – “Sweet Leilani” – Baja Sessions – Reprise
  9. Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris – “If This Is Good-Bye” – All the Roadrunning – Warner Bros.
  10. Mary Chapin Carpenter – “Someone Else’s Prayer” – Time*Sex*Love – Columbia
  11. June Tabor – “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” – A Quiet Eye – Green Linnet
  12. Kevin Mahogany – “In the Wee Small Hours” – Another Time, Another Place – Warner
  13. Johnny Cash – “The Beast in Me” – American Recordings – American Recordings, LLC
  14. David Wilcox – “Deeper Still” – What You Whispered – Vanguard Records
  15. Tony Joe White – “Cold Fingers” – One Hot July – Mercury/Tupelo
  16. Melissa Morgan – “Save Your Love For Me” –– Until I Met You – Concord
  17. Kate Wolf – “Pacheo/Redtail Hawk” – An Evening in Austin – Rhino
  18. Mickey Hart & Planet Drum – “Endless River” – Supralingua – Rykodisc
  19. Jose Carreras – “Kyrie” – Misa Criola – Philips
  20. Angel Gheorghiu, London Symphony Orchestra – “Bellini: I Puritani…” – Casta Diva – Warner Classics
 
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