[Tyson]

If you want to hear how a speaker does with large orchestral forces and very large vocal forces, check out this latest Mahler 8:

[Theronbo]

https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-ultimate-demonstration-disc/261629584

Chesky Ultimate Demonstration album is available on Apple Music.

Doesn’t display the ‘lossless’ logo though.

[WGH]

Ani DiFranco - Revolutionary Love



I have always liked Ani's music, Revolutionary Love is especially nice. The album flows along with no jarring songs to interrupt the mood during it's 56 minutes. Ani has always been political so you can listen to the music or the lyrics and get pleasure from both.

“It’s about carrying the energy of love and compassion into the center of our social movements and making it the driving force,” DiFranco said of the new album. “It’s about finding it within ourselves to stay curious about our opponents instead of shutting down.”

Revolutionary Love will make love to your speakers too. The album sounds very analog with a natural clarity, it has very deep bass and drums that is balanced out with an organic midrange and treble. The first track has a distant triangle in the left speaker throughout the entire song, it should be clear and faint. The triangle also shows up in other tracks too. Listening via my old Logitech THX computer desktop stereo to the the first track "Revolutionary Love" (Official Audio) on YouTube the triangle is non-existent. The album is a good test of your stereo's resolution although not necessarily via YouTube.

Revolutionary Love is receiving 5 star reviews everywhere
https://tinyurl.com/28te8pts

[JohnInToronto]

Here are my test tracks:

Boz Scaggs
- "Thanks to you" from the Dig album
- Amazing dynamic range and a good clean deep bass test

Diana Krall
- "Peel me a grape" from Love Scenes
- Listen for the Popping cork. It should be crisp and in the room with you. Diana always has great quality recordings. A favourite reference track.

Fiest
- The remix of Gatekeep (Let it Die) from Café Méliès, vol. 3
- Hand claps aren't always easy to reproduce and and combined with a strong bass line and what sounds like a triangle there's lot's going. Everything should be clearly distinct.

Ennio Morricone
- "Ava Maria Guarani" from The Mission soundtrack
- An escalating choral presentation that can sound really good or really bad depending on the system

Jean-Claude Kerinec
- "Samba' from Mamba Percussions vol. 1
- See if the speaker's drivers can keep up!

[PA]

My go 'tool' for the last year has been this excellent sampler;
https://www.soundliaison.com/index.php/536-sound-liaison-dxd-music-sampler

Superbly well recorded and a perfect example of what can be achieved if the engineer pays attention to every little detail.  And last but not least all the music is played by top notch A level musicians.

Of special interest to the audiophile community might be tracks 2, 3, 6 & 9.
These tracks have been recorded using just one microphone, the Josephson C700S.
The advantages of the One Microphone approach to recording are obvious: perfect imaging, great sense of depth, superior realism and phase coherence.
The phase coherence makes them ideal for optimizing speaker placement and finding the optimal listening position, the sweet spot.

review https://www.inner-magazines.com/music/perfect-balance/

[Oly Audio]

I start with can the speakers accurately reproduce the female voice.  Diana Krall, Ella Fitzgerald, Holly Cole, Alison Krauss etc.  Then I look for music that can test dynamics.  Large orchestral works and rock with loud passages.  Finally I like to throw in a very simple instrumental piece, single guitar or piano.  At the end of the day, test the speakers on music you like to listen to most.

[Zuman]

Hi, All. What's a great track with well-recorded isolated or dominant kick drum? I want to mess around with positioning and balancing my speakers to first get the sound I want from kick, then bring in vocals and other instruments and make adjustments as necessary. I'm looking for a great kick sound like you'd hear in a well set-up concert setting, not necessarily trying to go with just an authentic unmic'd kick sound. The fewer other instruments in the mix, the better (I'm easily distracted...).
Thanks.

[Bill O'Connell]

Mario Biondi and the High Five Quintet- Handful Of Soul

[WGH]

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
about 6:20 into the 17 minute track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNBgEirKxq8

The Rhino 1995 deluxe release was remastered from newly discovered first generation master tapes.
HD Tracks has the 2006 remaster, I have not heard either.
https://www.hdtracks.com/#/album/5ddedaf643fd3cb039567e0a
$16.98


The Bandcamp Live in Sweden streaming version sounds pretty darn good, the digital download should to be a lot better. The Live in Copenhagen has nice focus and depth but no deep bass.

In​-​A​-​Gadda​-​Da​-​Vida
from Live In Sweden 1971 by Iron Butterfly
7:53 into the 24:29 track
https://ironbutterflypurplepyramid.bandcamp.com/track/in-a-gadda-da-vida-2
Digital download $1


In​-​A​-​Gadda​-​Da​-​Vida
from Live In Copenhagen 1971 by Iron Butterfly
8:41 into the 24:26 track
https://ironbutterflypurplepyramid.bandcamp.com/track/in-a-gadda-da-vida
Digital download $1

You can't go wrong for a dollar.

[VinceT]

I always been a fan of Bela Fleck and played Flight of the Cosmic Hippo, recording for my brother the other day on my GR LS-9s. That low B string on Wooten's five string bass...my brother was like..holy %$#!&@!.