What are your favorite tracks to evaluate stereo systems?
- Thread starter Lee
- Start date
Simphiwe Dana - Zandisile
Rosanna & Zélia - Aguas - Iguais
James Carter - Requiem for Hartford Ave.
The Books - Vogt Dig For Kloppervok
Prince - Dear Mr. Man
Laura Mvula - Like the Morning Dew
If you have a digital setup you can play some of Roscoe Mitchell's albums recorded for the WideHive label - they are all available on Qobuz, for example:
The recording quality is really good, and they are fun to listen to!
Here is an example on YouTube:
You can explore the label's catalog - most of it seems really well recorded. Here is a track from their newest release:
This one is also available on LP:
The recording quality is really good, and they are fun to listen to!
Here is an example on YouTube:
You can explore the label's catalog - most of it seems really well recorded. Here is a track from their newest release:
This one is also available on LP:
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I don't really evaluate much any more, no turnover in my system for a while.
These are albums I play for friends and visitors that want to hear the stereo when they visit. Interestingly, they all have the same reaction, regardless of how much they have listened to stereos or what their musical tastes are. They always love the Stravinsky, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald and ask what the album was. They also remark something like "holographic" or "the musicians were in the room" or "they were at the concert hall".
If I were to audition a new CD player or cartridge I would use this music for listening.
- Joe Pass -- Virtuoso
- Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald -- Take Love Easy
- Ella Fitzgerald -- Let No Man Write My Epitaph
- Ella Fitzgerald -- Fine and Mellow
- Oscar Peterson -- Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson
- Johnny Hartman -- The Voice That Is!
- Bille Holiday -- Songs for Distingue Lovers
- Oscar Peterson -- We Get Requests
- Miles Davis -- In a Silent Way
- Miles Davis -- My Funny Valentine
- Miles Davis -- Kind of Blue
- Chet Baker -- Chet Baker Sings
- Bill Evans -- The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album
- Stravinsky Firebird Suite, Dorati Mercury Living Presence SR90226 (Classic Records 45 rpm reissue) especially Scene II
- Frank Violin Sonata, Radu Lupu & Kyung-Wha Chung, Decca SXL6944 (London CS7171 or especially King Super Analogue KIJC-9177)
- Vaughn Williams, The Lark Ascending, Academy Of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner with Iona Brown King Super Analogue KIJC-9109
- Elgar: Enigma Variations, Michael Stern w/ Kansas City Symphony, Reference Recordings RR-129 (45 rpm LP)
- Elgar: Introduction and Allegro, Sir John Barbirolli w/Allegri String Quartet, Sinfonia Of London, EMI LP ASD 521
- Bach Brandenburg Concertos Collegium Aureum, Harmonia Mundi HMSK-3501 LP
These are albums I play for friends and visitors that want to hear the stereo when they visit. Interestingly, they all have the same reaction, regardless of how much they have listened to stereos or what their musical tastes are. They always love the Stravinsky, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald and ask what the album was. They also remark something like "holographic" or "the musicians were in the room" or "they were at the concert hall".
If I were to audition a new CD player or cartridge I would use this music for listening.
- Joe Pass -- Virtuoso
- Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald -- Take Love Easy
- Ella Fitzgerald -- Let No Man Write My Epitaph
- Ella Fitzgerald -- Fine and Mellow
- Oscar Peterson -- Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson
- Johnny Hartman -- The Voice That Is!
- Bille Holiday -- Songs for Distingue Lovers
- Oscar Peterson -- We Get Requests
- Miles Davis -- In a Silent Way
- Miles Davis -- My Funny Valentine
- Miles Davis -- Kind of Blue
- Chet Baker -- Chet Baker Sings
- Bill Evans -- The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album
- Stravinsky Firebird Suite, Dorati Mercury Living Presence SR90226 (Classic Records 45 rpm reissue) especially Scene II
- Frank Violin Sonata, Radu Lupu & Kyung-Wha Chung, Decca SXL6944 (London CS7171 or especially King Super Analogue KIJC-9177)
- Vaughn Williams, The Lark Ascending, Academy Of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner with Iona Brown King Super Analogue KIJC-9109
- Elgar: Enigma Variations, Michael Stern w/ Kansas City Symphony, Reference Recordings RR-129 (45 rpm LP)
- Elgar: Introduction and Allegro, Sir John Barbirolli w/Allegri String Quartet, Sinfonia Of London, EMI LP ASD 521
- Bach Brandenburg Concertos Collegium Aureum, Harmonia Mundi HMSK-3501 LP
when i go to hifi shows almost every system has streaming Tidal and i use 'Alice In Chains' Unplugged live recording native 16/44 MQA. it's really amazing on my own system both in energy and soundstage bloom, depth and scale and has some nice tasty bass. no edge or dryness. nice rich tone. and every cut is fun. 'Rooster' is one i choose mostly. played loud but not crazy loud. as loud as the system will properly hold together. and this recording is better than the studio versions of the cuts (not judging the artistry).
in my system the streaming Tidal file beats the CD for performance, but my server is 'pretty good'.
most show systems break down into a muddled mess, alot going on, but a few can get it right. no place to hide with that cut. a native 16/44 file that sounds like vinyl if played at the proper SPL's to bring it alive, for sure. at modest volumes it sounds a bit flat and lifeless and nothing special. properly loading the room and energized then not digital sounding. hard to beat live recordings.
in my system the streaming Tidal file beats the CD for performance, but my server is 'pretty good'.
most show systems break down into a muddled mess, alot going on, but a few can get it right. no place to hide with that cut. a native 16/44 file that sounds like vinyl if played at the proper SPL's to bring it alive, for sure. at modest volumes it sounds a bit flat and lifeless and nothing special. properly loading the room and energized then not digital sounding. hard to beat live recordings.
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Thanks for the list of lovely albums! I have listened to a number of them and really enjoy both the music and the sound! I will search out the other, lol.
I am a little conflicted about posting as I don't have favourite tracks or albums just to evaluate. My collection is for my enjoyment. Still I get it and some tracks really do highlight various qualities like ample natural bass and that you are almost there sound.
Led Zeppelin/ Led Zeppelin I Dazed and Confused
Pink Floyd/ Meddle Echoes
Duke Ellington/Ellington Indigos Solitude
Ane Brun/It All Starts with One Do You Remember
Agnes Obel/Aventine The Curse
Yello/Touch Yello Electric Frame
Tiny Island/ Tiny Island Vaquero
Sera Una Noche/Sera Una Noche Nublado
Pierre Boulez/ The Rite Of Spring The Augurus of Spring
Dunedin Consort/Six Bradenburg Concertos Concerto no. 5: II Afftettuoso
Pink Floyd/ Meddle Echoes
Duke Ellington/Ellington Indigos Solitude
Ane Brun/It All Starts with One Do You Remember
Agnes Obel/Aventine The Curse
Yello/Touch Yello Electric Frame
Tiny Island/ Tiny Island Vaquero
Sera Una Noche/Sera Una Noche Nublado
Pierre Boulez/ The Rite Of Spring The Augurus of Spring
Dunedin Consort/Six Bradenburg Concertos Concerto no. 5: II Afftettuoso
If you understand a spoken foreign language, say German for a native English speaker, I’ve found it useful to listen to opera or classical choir music sung in the foreign language.
Not being a native speaker of, say German, I often have to listen very hard because the simple cues that native speakers hear to help them understand just aren’t in my late trained German processing brain.
If a particular system presents German language choral music so that it is easier for me to understand, I take that as a sign of higher clarity.
FWIW, there was a clear progression of clarity by this measure as I progressed from CJ to ARC, to Burmester. The differences were especially clear in the preamps.
Another thought on demos. You should be intimately familiar with anything you use for demos. If you don’t know there is a subtle background vocal and you don’t hear it on at least one system, you’ll never know to listen for it on another. How well a system separates choral voices, or the violins, or the horns, is an important measure for ranking things.
Not being a native speaker of, say German, I often have to listen very hard because the simple cues that native speakers hear to help them understand just aren’t in my late trained German processing brain.
If a particular system presents German language choral music so that it is easier for me to understand, I take that as a sign of higher clarity.
FWIW, there was a clear progression of clarity by this measure as I progressed from CJ to ARC, to Burmester. The differences were especially clear in the preamps.
Another thought on demos. You should be intimately familiar with anything you use for demos. If you don’t know there is a subtle background vocal and you don’t hear it on at least one system, you’ll never know to listen for it on another. How well a system separates choral voices, or the violins, or the horns, is an important measure for ranking things.
Perhaps a bit beaten track ...
1 - Markusphilippe / Saxnbass - Hey Joe. Simplicity and 100% acoustic nature help to evaluate/perceive the projected width & depth (performers on stage), ambiance, attack/decay and natural tone. The bass should have it's natural 'self-resonance' but not overpower the room.
2 - Friend 'n Fellow / Covered - What A Wonderful World. Voice & acoustic guitar. Nice dynamic recording. Good tone. The slaps on the guitar couple to / pressurize the room in a good setup. Once heard, you know what to look for...
Other then good sound, I thinks it's beautiful music.
just my 2cts..
1 - Markusphilippe / Saxnbass - Hey Joe. Simplicity and 100% acoustic nature help to evaluate/perceive the projected width & depth (performers on stage), ambiance, attack/decay and natural tone. The bass should have it's natural 'self-resonance' but not overpower the room.
2 - Friend 'n Fellow / Covered - What A Wonderful World. Voice & acoustic guitar. Nice dynamic recording. Good tone. The slaps on the guitar couple to / pressurize the room in a good setup. Once heard, you know what to look for...
Other then good sound, I thinks it's beautiful music.
just my 2cts..
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