Best Recording To Demo Your System

[bluesman]

Here are a few of my favorites

 

• Thelma Houston's "I've Got the Music In Me" (also listed under the performer names Pressure Cooker and Lincoln Mayorga)
  
• "An Evening with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea"
  
• Doobie Brothers' "Living on the Fault Line"
  
• Joni Mitchell's "Hissing of Summer Lawns"
  
• "The Harry James Sessions" or any of the component recordings from Sheffield
  
• Dave Grusin's "Discovered Again"
  
• McGegan's recording of Handel's Water Music with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra on Harmonia Mundi
  
• two by Don Ellis - "Shock Treatment" and "Autumn" (K.C. Blues on Autumn is one of my favorite recordings and my favorite songs ever! the opening a cappella sax solo is eye opening on a good system)
  

[DaQi]

Oops, yes, Holly Cole not Natalie. And as a Canadian I should have caught that.

[crisnee]

When you say "demo a system" I'm assuming you mean to yourself to hear how well it suits you, not to show it off.

 

I listen to music I know very well that displays aspects of the sound that I care about. Some albums:

 

Brahms Symphony 1, Barenboim

Patricia Barber, Distortion of Love and Cafe Blue

Tusk, Fleetwood Mac

Alison Krauss, Lonely Runs Both Ways and Live

Goldberg Variations, 1981, Gould

Various Choral Works by Bach and Mozart

Changes, Keith Jarrett (for the percussion mostly)

 

Chris

[freesteve]

Thanks for the continuing suggestions, enjoy.

[emoon3]

I second the Alison Krauss live recommendation.

 

Also the HiRes Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Vocalise & Études-Tableaux from HDtracks sounds wonderful.

[davidbeinct]

My choice would be the Classic Records 45 RPM/single sided/200 Gram vinyl reissue of Stravinsky's Firebird ballet with Antal Dorati conducting the London Symphony Orchestra for Mercury Records. It is the best sounding commercial recording I've ever heard - bar none. It always leaves people speechless. Forget the Mercury CD or SACD of the same performance. They sound dull and tame by comparison. Wilma Cozart Fine remastered both the CD and the vinyl re-release, so I don't why the vinyl sounds so much more spectacular!

Bumping this so I can find it tomorrow.

[mayhem13]

Remastered Rush Cygnus X-1 2012

 

Erin Mckeown 'Blackbirds'

 

Anything early from Tom Waits

 

Harry Connick Jr 'She'

[Daverz]

 

Bax: Garden of Fand - Boult and the LPO on Lyrita.

[shredocaster]

Cheech and Chong Basketball Jones = Win!

[Harpy]

Cheech and Chong Basketball Jones = Win!

No, Ear Ache My Eye

 

Stephen Stills - Treetop Flyer

[Stereolab42]

Clapton, Unplugged

Alice In Chains, Unplugged

Lars Erstrand, The Lars Estrand Sessions (DSD)

Aphex Twin, I Care Because You Do

Stereolab, Sound-Dust

Animals As Leaders, Animals As Leaders

Rush, 2112 (Hires)

Inferi, The Path of Apotheosis

[Jimmypowder]

Vanilla Ice , Marky Mark

Johnny Rotten, Slade .

[Dandaman]

Try the Theme from the Pink Panther on Ultimate Mancini. Great sound for 16/44.

 

[monteverdi]

Demo for me means to demonstrate the sound quality of a system to someone else. What I think sounds best is often too esoteric for other listener. Best is to find recordings that person is familiar with and oneself is content with its sound quality.

Most standard demo tracks at audio shows I find between uninteresting to appalling.

[elcorso]

Julien Lourau “The Rise”

 

Youn Sun Nah “Same Girl”

 

Hadouk Trio “Live A FIP”

 

Dave Holland / Pepe Habichuela “Hands”

 

“Dead Man Walking” Music from the film

 

Dean Peer “Ucross”

 

Chico Freeman “Spirit Sensitive”

 

Caetano Veloso “Fina Stampa”

 

Sara Bareilles “Brave Enough”

 

Bob Walshh “En Spectacle / Live”

 

Cesar Camargo Mariano & Cesar Camargo “Piano & Voz”

 

Cowboy Junkies “Whites Off Earth Now” DSD

 

Dead Can Dance “Spiritchaser” MFSL DSD

 

Dr. Lonnie Smith “Spiral”

 

Greg Brown “Further In”

 

Holy Cole ”Temptation” DSD Analogue Productions

 

Lavina Meijer “Harp Visions” Channel Classics DSD

 

Muddy Waters “Folk Singer”

 

Rachel Podger “Guardian Angel” NativeDSD

 

Nils Lofgren “Acoustic Live”

 

Ning Feng “Paganiini & others…” NativeDSD

 

Petra Magoni “Musica Nuda”

 

Ralph MacDonald “The Path”

 

Rickie Lee Jones “Pop Pop”

 

Steve Davies Project “Quality of Silence” Redbook or DSD

 

Suzanne Vega “ Nine Objects Of Desire”

 

TOI “Forbidden Fruit”

 

Unbekannt “Plays U-Vola”

 

Brian Bromberg “Wood”

 

Xiomara Laugart “Xiomara”

 

Vijay Iyer “Solo”

 

The All Stars Percussion Ensemble - FIM version

 

Roch

[Blake]

C67zNl9YqBEXjKBSr

[Stereolab42]

Portal... one of my favorite metal bands! But they deliberately shoot for a lo-fi, fuzzy sound (though not as much as Lantern) so I'm not sure how well they serve as demo material.

[miguelito]

I think it's all terrific - Beatles in 24/96 from the Martins, what could be wrong with that? I especially like the two I mentioned because they use less heavily produced alternate takes, allowing John and George's voices to come through very clearly.

Hey Jud: Can you point me to that?

[Jud]

Hey Jud: Can you point me to that?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Audio-DVD-The-Beatles/dp/B000JJS8TM

 

The audio DVD has the 24/96 versions.

[miguelito]

Amazon.com: Love (CD + Audio DVD): Music

The audio DVD has the 24/96 versions.

I'll be dammed! I've owned this since early 2011 and did not know there were hi-res versions on it. Thx Jud!

[EuroDriver]

It's only 16/44 but it's visceral sonic fireworks, a nicely recorded live session

 

Hugh Masekela - Stimela, the coal train

Amazon.com: Hope: Music

 

Eagles Hotel California - the audience whistling always impresses ;-)

[miguelito]

R.E.M. - Automatic For The People [HDTracks]

Diana Krall - Live In Paris [CD]

Seal - Best 1991-2004 (2nd acoustic disc - hard to find) [CD]

Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue & Modern Cool [DSD - ripped from SACD]

Ottmar Liebert - One Guitar [HDTracks]

Cantus - While You Are Alive [CD]

Anne Sophie von Otter - Douce France [Qobuz]

[realhifi]

Glad this thread is back at the forefront. One recording that is amazing at showing how a system images is Roger Waters " Amused to Death". Everyone I play that for is floored it is nit multi channel and literally looks around for the side speakers when both the voice comes far left and the piano comes in far right. When the storm and thunder come from above most people just can't believe they are listening to stereo.

[Kelly]

It's only 16/44 but it's visceral sonic fireworks, a nicely recorded live session

 

Hugh Masekela - Stimela, the coal train

Amazon.com: Hope: Music

 

Eagles Hotel California - the audience whistling always impresses ;-)

 

I second Hugh Mesakela's track, but I also add the entire "Hope" album. It is just great music and well recorded for a live session.

 

I would also submit...

Album artist: Marcus Miller

Album: A Night in Monte Carlo

Track: State of Mind

 

It is another live track, well recorded if not the absolute best, but I just love it. It has great interplay between the instruments and stunning vocals.

[miguelito]

Glad this thread is back at the forefront. One recording that is amazing at showing how a system images is Roger Waters " Amused to Death". Everyone I play that for is floored it is nit multi channel and literally looks around for the side speakers when both the voice comes far left and the piano comes in far right. When the storm and thunder come from above most people just can't believe they are listening to stereo.

Yes indeed. And it is slated to be reissued in SACD by Acoustic Sounds - I already preordered it. The effect you hear is QSound. Madonna's Immaculate Collection - Vogue in particular - is quite spectacular in this regard.