Music for testing Audio Equipment

[fas42]

There's this bizarre idea that only "perfect" recordings are suitable for evaluating systems ... "Enjoy your test drive in the new, super-refined WMB vehicle, sir - I recommend you drive on the new motorway; it's billard table flat, with no curves at all - that will tell you everything you need to know about how this car drives ..."

[Ralf11]

You should use high-quality recordings that will reveal any flaws in the system - e.g. a nice Dave's picks of a concert, rather than an 8th generation cassette recording.

 

Pick things that you like, and that will test various system abilities:

- female vocals (to which the male ear is highly attuned)

- drums

- cymbals

- symbols

 

etc. etc.

[wgscott]

1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

Pick things that you like, and that will test various system abilities:

- female vocals

 

 

[MetalNuts]

Recently, I use this album (DSD) to test my system. Tracks for the placement and connection, recordings of different instruments, recordings of different frequency.

[elcorso]

Will Smith is using this to test audio equipment:

 

 

Roch

[beerandmusic]

On 1/23/2018 at 5:28 AM, PAP said:

thx!

I bought the CD on ebay, and it doesn't have that wierd echo...not sure which i like better though (grin)...they both sound great.

 

[oso]

So the youtube video is a different version/mix/?

[oso]

On 25-1-2018 at 2:10 AM, MetalNuts said:

Recently, I use this album (DSD) to test my system. Tracks for the placement and connection, recordings of different instruments, recordings of different frequency.

Link please

[christian u]

On 25-1-2018 at 2:39 AM, beerandmusic said:

I bought the CD on ebay, and it doesn't have that wierd echo...not sure which i like better though (grin)...they both sound great.

 

strange that they would put a different version on you tube. Any other differences you hear comparing the cd with the youtube video?

[MetalNuts]

5 hours ago, oso said:

Link please

 

Bought from NativeDSD. 

[christian u]

On 26-4-2015 at 2:40 AM, PAP said:

My good friend and fellow audiophile Gerald k and I have made a compilation of music files which we feel are perfect for testing new equipment.

We wanted to use music that we not only enjoy listening to but which also has the abillity to reveal flaws in the signal chain.

I listen mostly on Headphones (Sennheiser/ Audeze/ Audio Technica) while Gerald listen only on speakers (Tad, Kharma/Linn/Naim).

We have spend many an evening and several bottles of Cotes de Rhone wines arguing and eventually agreeing on this list of audio equipment test music.

This is what we came up with, please feel free to comment or post alternatives, if possible with a link as to where to purchase the music that you feel is ideal for this purpose.

We also looked for reviews that we felt agreed with what we hear in the recordings.

 

Sound stage and definition

 

1. Carmen Gomes inc; '' I'm on fire'' from Thousand Shades of Blue

Sound Liaison Music Shop

 

Placement is perfect on this young audiophile classic as well as the near perfect natural recording of the voice, but the real test for audio equipment when listening to this recording is it's ability to separate the kickdrum from the upright bass.

The two instruments are playing the same pattern. On less than optimum equipment it might be difficult to separate the two, but with good setup you clearly hear the upright at 10.00 and the kick dead center with a nice decay that one generally do not hear on commercial recordings.

There are lots of speakers and headphones with ''extended lows'' but low with definition is a whole different ballgame.

Hifi;

 

2 Alban berg Quartet; Bartok String Quartet no.1 in a minor 1th movement. (LP,EMI)

in the beginning of this movement the 4 instruments all play mainly in the same middle and upper register. Despite all that mid and high information the music should not sound harsh.

This recording has the same perfect sound stage as the Carmen Gomes recording.

We believe that this kind of sound stage with such a sense of depth and realistic placement is only attainable when you are recording the musicians in one room at the same time.

 

There's this bizarre idea that only "perfect" recordings are suitable for evaluating systems ... "Enjoy your test drive in the new, super-refined WMB vehicle, sir - I recommend you drive on the new motorway; it's billard table flat, with no curves at all - that will tell you everything you need to know about how this car drives ..."

Yes but it is nice to get this kind of suggestions;

[PAP]

On 1/24/2018 at 10:16 PM, semente said:

 

I think it should be renamed "Recordings That Sound Good".

It could, no problem, but the idea is not only good sounding recordings as much as recordings you find  good sounding but also are useful in other areas concerning audio setup and equipment.

[Spacehound]

 

This is good, but not from YouTube of course (you can get it on Tidal):

 

 

[blue2]

Which recording are you referring to? There seem to be 3 possibilities:

Stockfisch Records

CD - Sara K. & Chris Jones "Nautilustour 2002"
DVD - Sara K. & Chris Jones - in concert

Or this CD available on Amazon and elsewhere

Sara K The Chesky Collection

 

Anyone heard these with a recommendation?

[Spacehound]

21 minutes ago, blue2 said:

Which recording are you referring to? There seem to be 3 possibilities:

Stockfisch Records

CD - Sara K. & Chris Jones "Nautilustour 2002"
DVD - Sara K. & Chris Jones - in concert

Or this CD available on Amazon and elsewhere

Sara K The Chesky Collection

 

Anyone heard these with a recommendation?

It's off  Sara K's "Are we there yet?" and  from  a live public performance and sounds much 'nicer' than any other version I've heard. 

I presume the YouTube one is the same but obviously YouTube won't be as 'resolving' whatever that is.

[PAP]

On 13/2/2018 at 11:13 AM, Spacehound said:

It's off  Sara K's "Are we there yet?" and  from  a live public performance and sounds much 'nicer' than any other version I've heard. 

I presume the YouTube one is the same but obviously YouTube won't be as 'resolving' whatever that is.

Sarah K‘s albums are generally very well recorded.

To my ears the YouTube version has less depth, is not as wide, voice sounds way better in hi-res.....etc

[PAP]

I hope Stockfish will get into Hi-res downloads as well. It would be very convenient.

[PAP]

On 6/26/2017 at 12:16 AM, PAP said:

I tend to agree. Drums often sounds very boxed in, and spread out over the whole stereo field and the snare sounding like something from outer space.

I love the drum sound on the Carmen Gomes album mentioned above. It is very real. Maybe it has to do with the A/B recording technique.

Check the kick drum on ''A Fool for You'' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf_S2l3Y_lM

and the sound of the whole kit on the drum feature ''Cottonfields''.

 carmen-gomes-sings-the-blues samples

 

I mean even the mp3 samples sounds decent. The DXD download is fabulous.

 

 

 

 

And it is the other way around with Sound Liaison they should get in to vinyl

[PAP]

On 3/1/2018 at 2:37 PM, christian u said:

Great album. Superb arrangements played by master musicians and well recorded too. It is a great concept ”live in the studio“, it's the best of both worlds.

 

On 3/11/2018 at 12:24 AM, PAP said:

Sounds good. How about jazz clubs with weekly jazz performances are they still around in your area?

Here the studio is the jazzclub

Wild Man Blues

[Ralf11]

someone on another site posted that cymbal crashes could be very diagnostic

(he was talking about good analog vs. digital tho)

 

 

 

[jaaptina]

A real soundscape! 

[fas42]

2 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

someone on another site posted that cymbal crashes could be very diagnostic

(he was talking about good analog vs. digital tho)

 

 

 

 

This is a goody,

 

 

Most high end rigs will run screaming, as far away from this as possible - but it's a good test ... .

[wwaldmanfan]

I have a number of albums that are very well recorded and mastered with which I am very familiar. These are my reference recordings for any adjustments I make to hardware or playback.

These three CD's by Rickie Lee Jones are among my favorites:

S/T (WB 3296-2)

Pirates (WB 3432-2)

Flying Cowboys (Geffen 924246-2)

 

Analyzed folder: Rickie Lee Jones/Flying Cowboys (Geffen 9 24246-2)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 DR19        -3.25 dB     -26.42 dB     01 The Horses.aiff
 DR13        -9.19 dB     -25.86 dB     02 Just My Baby.aiff
 DR24        -0.55 dB     -26.59 dB     03 Ghetto Of My Mind.aiff
 DR16        -6.79 dB     -25.98 dB     04 Rodeo Girl.aiff
 DR17        -4.66 dB     -25.15 dB     05 Satellites.aiff
 DR18        -7.53 dB     -32.43 dB     06 Ghost Train.aiff
 DR16        -6.05 dB     -24.18 dB     07 Flying Cowboys.aiff
 DR14        -8.79 dB     -26.33 dB     08 Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying.aiff
 DR19        -4.11 dB     -25.35 dB     09 Love Is Gonna Bring Us Back Alive.aiff
 DR17        -6.45 dB     -29.29 dB     10 Away From The Sky.aiff
 DR14        -4.39 dB     -24.25 dB     11 Atlas' Marker.aiff
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Number of files:    11
 Official DR value:    DR17

 

[GUTB]

Key areas of system performance:

- Timbre

- Dynamics

- Resolution

- Imaging

 

(I don't believe in PRaT in digital systems).

 

Quality of the recording generally won't effect timbre, but it matters in all other categories which is why audiophiles insist on high quality recordings.

[Priaptor]

On 3/10/2018 at 6:29 PM, PAP said:

I hope Stockfish will get into Hi-res downloads as well. It would be very convenient.

I couldn't agree more.  I have given up on them.  I have been requesting it from them for the last 4 years always to be met with the same "we are a small company and have NO intention to change our ways".  In fact they used to do some downloads on highresaudio and have stopped that.