Best Recording To Demo Your System

[Isaacc7]

I tend to use recordings that stress what I consider important aspects of playback accuracy. I am most concerned with accurate timbre, a well defined recreation of space, and recreation of live dynamics. So for demo recordings, I tend to gravitate towards minimally miked, acoustic performances. Just about anything from MA Recordings or Nimbus would do just fine. Recently I've been using:

 

1) Calamus, The Splendor of Al-annulus from MA Recordings

 

2) Surround Yourself With Hindustani Ragas by Nimbus. A great DVD-A release that may tempt me to get a surround system at some point.

 

3) La Segunda by Sera Una Noche on MARecordings.

 

For popular music I like The Trinity Sessions by the Cowboy Junkies, White Stripes by White Stripes (play it loud, the space and sound of the guitar is amazing), Folk Singer by Muddy Waters, and The Best of Bill Haley and the Comets. That count into Rock Around the Clock gets me every time...