Good Music for testing Audio Equipment

APP 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 du 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 see in the recordings.

Sound stage and definition

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

http://www.soundliaison.com/
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 2.00 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;

Her warm, enormously talented and controlled voice is completely unique and she knows how to get pure emotion across to the listener ...
The sound of the album is exemplary with dynamics of an addictive quality......the drums are practically visual and one feels as if one could reach out and and actually touch the singer.
Eric de Boer - Hifi

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7. Andre Heuvelman; ''Oblivion'' from After Silence
8. Joni Mitchell; ''Comes Love'' from Both Sides Now
Andre Heuvelman's rendition of Astor Piazzolla's master piece have a great sense of depth. Every instrument sounds rich and full with a gorgeus natural decay. On lesser equipment the sound of each instrument can become a bit of a blur while on good equipment the sound of each instrument should be clearly defined with a clear sense of the room this recording have been recorded in.
Same goes for Joni's wonderful standards collection, it is a big hall you are listening to.

Sound Stage on Sound Liaison recordings;

http://www.soundliaison.com/


Imaging


13. Batik; '' The Bird'' from the Old Man and the Sea
just about perfect imaging, left to right evenly laid out for your eyes and ears to see, piano, bass, drums, guitar and again a one room recording. Unbelievable why so few companies do this when it can yield so very satisfactory results.
http://www.soundliaison.com/

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Kefas said:

The Meters! Thanks for reminding me.

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Migo said:

If I may suggest the new Bach recording with Enghave Barok from Sound Liaison. Perfect for speaker placement. The little ensemble is up close and personal but also with a phenomenal sense of space.
And the new recording engineer for the label, Torsten Jessen, really seems to know what he is doing:

http://www.soundliaison.com/studio-masters/253-bach-live-edition-1

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Hearing Torsten Jessen talk about microphone placement and the mysteries of phase is like talking to Frans de Rond. The two men have a very similar recording philosophy; old fashioned craftsmanship paired with modern technology, and both men use the term visual, when describing their approach to recording and mixing, a lot.
Here is Torsten Jessen’s description ;
“The recording was made with a main pair of matched DPA microphones in an A/B configuration. Our DPA mics have a completely identical frequency response, securing a very stable and well defined stereo image. We had spot microphones on each one of the musicians. The distance of the spot microphones were meticulously measured in relationship to the main pair and the distance was then compensated for in the mix. We always use a great deal of time perfecting the phase between the spot microphones and the main pair in order to secure a completely focused stereo recording that clearly implement the depths of the acoustics of the church and vividly portrays each instruments placement in the stereo field.”

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We should like to share with you one correspondence in particular from Billy in Pasadena, California and the reply from Enghave Barok director Christian Denh Bang ;

Greetings All at Sound Liaison,

I have just purchased and downloaded your Enghave Barok - Bach Live HD Edition 1 recording. It is phenomenal. Thank you so much for producing such masterpieces in performance and audio quality.

Is it possible for Torsten Jessen and/or Christian Dehn Bang to provide us with an Illustration or Photograph depicting the "Stage Map" which shows the actual Size and Layout of each Musician/Instrument and Vocalist on the recording "stage" in the church and also their placement within the church?

I am hearing an incredible "Sound Stage" and ambiance of the "room" with this recording, and would like to have an actual Reference to compare and confirm the "image placement" and depth of each instrument and vocalist, in order to properly set up and "fine tune" both my main Hi-Fi playback system and Neumann studio monitors in my home studio.

Thank you for your time and interest.

Sincerely, Billy

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Dear Billy!

Thank you so much for your kind email and interest in our recording – we highly appreciate your feedback!

Here’s 3 drawings showing Cross-sections of Enghave Church – at the one with the floorplan we have placed icons for the instruments and singers showing their position at the recording of Bach Live HD Edition 1. Hope that this was what you was asking for. Unfortunately we haven’t any pictures from that project. But you can find pictures from a school concert at our Facebook page www.facebook.com/enghavebarok/ It’s a different setup – but it will give you a pretty good idea of the stage. Later this year the church will undergo a major rebuild that, among other benefits, makes it an even better place to perform Bach.

Best wishes, Christian Dehn Bang

Bach Live HD Edition 1 Stage Map (High resolution pdf): https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/deb7e8be-60d6-4021-86fe-14a16c6f9efe

Enghave Church Drawing 1.pdf (High resolution pdf): https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/e06bea4e-9538-4f2f-80e6-75199a3897d0

Enghave Church Drawing 2.pdf (High resolution pdf): https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/cb88bb1b-a2a8-4eb6-9e95-46f6bf062638

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Gentlemen, Thank you so much. The PDF illustrations that you have provided are perfect and beyond my expectations! This is greatly appreciated.

I would look forward to hearing more recordings from the "new and improved" Enghave Church, so please contact me when you have new recordings available.

Thank you again!

Best regards, Billy

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Migo said:

If I may suggest the new Bach recording with Enghave Barok from Sound Liaison. Perfect for speaker placement. The little ensemble is up close and personal but also with a phenomenal sense of space.
And the new recording engineer for the label, Torsten Jessen, really seems to know what he is doing:

http://www.soundliaison.com/studio-masters/253-bach-live-edition-1

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hifitommy said:

ok, i'm losing it. someone mentioned that this was only available on mp3:

http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/spectrum-new-american-music

well u searched on amzon and JOILA, here it is on cd : https://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-American-Music-Stefan-Wolpe/dp/B000005IZU

i haven't heard this music yet but i will try yt. AHH, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVnd-UzQhPM

this was mentioned back near the beginning of the thread.

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Simon Moon said:

Almost everything on the "Spectrum New Music" series on the Nonesuch label is great for testing equipment.

Despite the original releases on Vinyl being a "budget" label, they sound incredible. Some of the most 3d imaging I've ever heard.

True, as APP states above, the music on this label tends to be a bit "thorny" and a difficult to listen to for many (I happen to be a big fan of mid 20th century classical), but there is no questioning the sound quality of these recordings.

I HIGHLY recommend visiting used vinyl stores and searching for this, and other recordings on the "Spectrum New Music" label. For just a couple of dollars, you will be rewarded with some great recordings.

A couple of years ago, I went to a meeting of the LAOCAS at Sunny Audio. Peter McGrath from Wilson was there, and after the meeting I talked to him about these recordings, of which he is a big fan. Turns out, the recording engineer on most of them was a mentor of Peter's.

EDIT: Looks like I made a similar post (#19) quite a while ago.

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