What CD's do [i]you[/i] use when tuning your speakers?

Campindog · « **on:** 9 Apr 2004, 03:54 am »

Just curious if some CD's are commonly used or suggested. I'm just getting started tuning my RM2's (and loving them). I'll start...

AL DiMeola "Kiss my Axe". The chimes on track 6 are amazing with the FST. The bass in track 2 will pound the house.

DVE. This dvd has male voice simply talking, but I'm using it to dial in the mids. I also flipped between DD and stereo to get my LRC in line with the RM2's.

Pink Floyd "DSOTM" Time. Classic.

I haven't gotten serious about tuning yet, as I want to get some more hours on the speakers first.

So what did you use?

jakepunk · « **Reply #1 on:** 9 Apr 2004, 04:26 am »

I use the Stereophile Test CD (circa 1990) for basic calibration. Its tracks are recorded in different acoustical environments like churches, concert halls, etc, with different ambient responses. I also like to burn my own test CD with tracks of material I am familiar with that put the speakers through their paces in the categories of imaging, transients, bass, midrange, and treble. Piano and organ are especially good for this. Pick material you like that challenges the speakers.

Here are some tracks on my test CD:

Rush - Big Money
Chuck Mangione - Give It All You Got
Erasure - Solsbury Hill (remixed)
Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man
Daft Punk - Around the World
Herbie Hancock - Harvest Time
Peter Gabriel - Zaar
Bach - Prelude and Fugue in G Minor (BWV 535)

As you can tell, I have a very eclectic taste in music.

audiochef · « **Reply #2 on:** 9 Apr 2004, 11:03 pm »

For bass, for me it's always been Bela Fleck -Flight of the cosmic hippo.

It's by far the easiest way to tune the bass with all VMPSs I've owned.

Tyson · « **Reply #3 on:** 9 Apr 2004, 11:18 pm »

Diana Krall - "My Love" off the Love Scenes CD. The acoustic bass player has several runs up & down his instrument, makes the bass tuning very easy. Then I use some male vocals, Johnny Cash in particular, to get the transition between the woofer & the mid range pot setting right, then use the Beethoven violin sonatas (with piano) to get the transition between the mids the tweet settings right.

zybar · « **Reply #4 on:** 9 Apr 2004, 11:47 pm »

Female Vocals and Piano - Tori Amos (Boys For Pele)
Percussion and Bass - Rusted Root (When I Woke)
Male Vocal, Percussion, and Acoustic Guitar - Ben Harper (Fight For Your Mind)

Plus, various test cd's (Stereophile and Rives)

George