[DaveNote]

When I introduce a new piece of equipment into my systems, I invariably use familiar cuts of music to see what changes, if any, it makes. Here are a some of the test cuts I use:

Dave Brubeck's Take Five. I listen to the tone and soundstage placement of the alto sax and acoustic bass, and most of all the drum solo, which shows a lot of depth into the left-hand corner, as well as terrifc slam when played at higher volumes.

Fleetwood Mac's Dreams. I listen to the first crashing cymbal, hoping it will be very prominent and crystalline.

Oleta Adams' Get There, which I listen to for female voice.

James Taylor's Mexico and Eric Clapton's Old Love for male voice.

Ray Brown's Starbucks Blues. Ray's opening bass solo reaches very deep and even at moderate volume levels can shake things in a room.

Dave Grusin's Theme from St. Elsewhere. I believe it is an all electronic piece, and includes much that is revealing, especially a passage that has a distinctive pumping bass, as well as one with a vibrating sound (don't know what) that is less distinct with less revealing equipment.

There are many others I use (albeit no classical music), but I've started this thread to share what I use and to see what others on this circle use for testing new gear and what they look for.

Addendum May 24/12: Marius suggests we add cuts we definitely don't use as part of our test cuts. If you have any of these please feel free to add them to your list, and tell us why they are not used.

Dave

[Mag]

Don't have any of those, that's the thing about audiophiles and reviewers is they almost always like obscure music.

Anyway, one track that I use that I can think of off hand is Give Me a Sign by Jean Michel Jarre from the Metamorphises album. Now if you have good linear sound, you will notice a ghostly voice in the background that's halographic in its presentation.

On a lesser system it's still noticeable but not to the same degree. I was not aware of this ghostly image until my 3B SST2. When I heard it my jaw hit the floor.

[Diamond Dog]

Fun idea for a topic!

 A couple I often use are:
a) Steely Dan - The Royal Scam ( the 1999 RB remaster )
    - Kid Charlamagne: the bass line and overall swing - it don't mean a thing if it don't got that swing...
    - Sign In Stranger : the reproduction of that piano part right at the beginning of the track.
    - The Royal Scam : soundstage especially depth and image stability. Also sense of "space" around instruments.

b) Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
    -  Arriving Somewhere...:  This track has it all dynamically, from delicate acoustic guitar to hell-bent for leather straight-up crunch and all points in between. Lots going on and a real test of how well a system is sorting out the various parts - if you can follow them and not lose the overall feel of the music itself, chances are you've got yourself a winner. If you're coming up light on the bottom end or if the highs are harsh, all will be revealed.

If my wife hears any of the above songs especially more than once in a session, she's hiding the checkbook!

D.D.

[Marius]

Hi Dave,

Great forum topic!

I always take Shostakovich symf nr 8 conducted by Bernard Hatink along with me.

http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Symphony-No-8/dp/B00000IP3D

Great, really great recording, splendidly played and all recording qualities included: Micro and macro dynamics, utmost orchestral transparency (or lack of it in some spots), hall acoustics, instrumental placing, deepest deeps to highest highs. Very useful for setting up the SubWoofer in the system, revealing every weakness in it.

Wonderful music too 

Very interested in how this list develops.

Thanks,
Marius

[DaveNote]

Marius, I'm hoping that members jump in with their favourites. I for one am anxious to try some of their cuts on my own system if I can find them.

Dave

[Anonamemouse]

I have a bunch of tracks I use, not because they are perfect in recording, but because I know them well, or because they are NOT perfect in recording.

I ALWAYS bring the Waterworld soundtrack. Swimming and National Geographic are the two tracks to enjoy here.
Depeche Mode - Exciter. I know that album so well it scares myself sometimes.
Kiss - The Elder. A recording that has immense potential, and if it had enjoyed a good engineer and producer it would have been infinitely better.
Elbow - The seldom Seen Kid. Okay, that one is perfect in recording.
Jem - Finally Woken. Drum n bass well recorded.
And a few more, depending on my mood.

[Marius]

another 'Must' to listen to is a capella vocal music, especially the famously great recorded ones by the Tallis Scholars. I must say it is merciless in tested the capabilities of one's speakers, and give even the electrostats a hard time. The interferencing frequencies in the higher regions, in this case the female voices, test the speakers to their limits.

A good example is their famous Allegri's Miserere http://www.gimell.com/recording-Allegri---Miserere-25th-Anniversary-Edition-.aspx or their rendition of Thomas Tallis's 40 part motet Spem in Alium http://www.gimell.com/recording-Thomas-Tallis---Spem-in-alium.aspx

Marius
 

[DaveNote]

I have a bunch of tracks I use, not because they are perfect in recording, but because I know them well...

Ditto to that!

Dave

[Marius]

since we're on the topic of quality recordings, shouldn't we have one with the opposite?

I always start to doubt the quality of my system listening to the Norah Jones recordings, they often seem the crackle up somehow above a certain volume in the recording. (nothing to do with the replay-volume that is). Funny thing is that after playing Patricia Barber's Cafe Blue I know all is well again 

Unplugged Eric Clapton seems to have a lagging bass, really anoying.... must be a recording issue too.

Marius

[DaveNote]

since we're on the topic of quality recordings, shouldn't we have one with the opposite?

Good idea, Marius. I've revised my OP accordingly.

Dave

[Anonamemouse]

I have a Best Of by the Eurythmics, whcih is probably the worst recording/mastering on the planet. I even refuse this as a coaster.

[cheap-Jack]

post deleted.

[cheap-Jack]

Hi.

When I introduce a new piece of equipment into my systems, I invariably use familiar cuts of music to see what changes, if any, it makes. Here are a some of the test cuts I use:

Dave

Are you talking vinyl or CD-audio/DVD-auido?

Digital discs don't "cut", only vinyl disc "cut", IMO.

I agree we always use the music sountracks we are familiar with for auditioning.

Beware:- most, if not all, popular/rock musics are recorded with mics for each individual musical instruments - 'multi micing' & mixing. Even worse, different instruments can be recorded in different sequences & then mixed back up to form one complete soundtrack. So the crucial spatial spacous information of the revenue where the music is recorded will be destroyed.

That's why I'd not use any pop/rock music soundtracks for critical auditioning. I'd only use classical musics which are recorded using mininum number of microphones & ALWAYs in ONE single sequence. So the space spatial data of the recording can be kept intact.

This will allow our ears to tell which will sound better or worse.

c-J

[DaveNote]

cheap-Jack, I think you want to know whether my test cuts are vinyl or CD.

All the test cuts are from CDs, but which have been ripped so I can play them through my Bryston BDP-1.

I don't want to ignite one of those debates, but I haven't had any vinyl for many, many years; don't even own a turntable. And quite a few years ago, I jumped at the chance to stop using CDs and listen instead to audio files. I can't remember when I last used my CD player. I fiind I like the sound I get, especially using the BDP-1. But the main reason I love using the files and not discs of any kind is that I hate changing discs, while I love the ability to access and control my music through my iPad. Convenience and most of all stone cold bone laziness is how I got into digital music. For these reasons I find myself listening more to Internet radio when I'm not testing new equipment.

Dave

[DaveNote]

I have a Best Of by the Eurythmics, whcih is probably the worst recording/mastering on the planet. I even refuse this as a coaster.

Truly awful recording, I agree. The worst in my collection is a Duke Ellington album recorded at a club where the mic was set somewhere above the band. No way to make it listenable. Another famous Ellington recording done by an amateur of a concert in North Dakota is not good, but at least you can listen to it.

Dave

[jjc1]

  I normally use the following
 1) Time Out album...Brubeck.  180 gram Vinyl and my original vinyl from I believe 1959, as well as SACD. Blue Rhondo for Morello's opening "dings",  Desmond's Sweet,Sweet alto, and Eugene Wright's drving bass line for pace and timing.
    Strange Medowlark for  Brubeck's powerful piano up and down the keyboard.

 2) "So What" from Kind of Blue both 180 gram  vinyl and SACD. Great for dynamics...listen to Bill Evans subtle  piano playing ...on a lesser system the piano always appears to have same volume but on a better system the subtle shifts in volume appear.. of  course the textures from Miles trumpet and Coltrane's sax and Cannonball's sax   and the cymbals crash and  decay after the opening bass line

 3) Autumn Leaves album... Jacintha. Opening song, "And the Angels Sing".. Great for the bass line and piano texture.. Excellent for female vocals. Listen for the subtle background instruments like the trumpet and sax.. "Autumn Leaves" is great for breathy and intimate female voice as well as the sound of the piano.

 4) At Sehlly's Mannehole by Bill Evans.  Great for hearing all the nuances of the piano as well as bass.  Listen to 'Round Midnight and Stella by Starlight. Great for hearing and feeling like you are right there at the club, the background talking and tinkling glasses...just as good or better than Jazz At the Pawnshop.

[Marius]

one of my all time favorites: Parsifal, Bayreuth, Knappertsbusch. http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Parsifal-Knappertsbusch-Richard/dp/B00005IB5N

I once tested new cd players with this recording, ended up selecting either Denon's top player of that time or Nakamichi's. Chose the Nak, because on the Denon the horns sounded in tune, while they definitely where not....
Stunning performance, and only the atmosphere of the audience before the Vorspiel begins is enough to test your set. And never part form this one again.

Marius

[Don_S]

It truly is a nasty recording. Unbelievably bad.

I have a Best Of by the Eurythmics, whcih is probably the worst recording/mastering on the planet. I even refuse this as a coaster.

[DaveNote]

For those who like to hear drum work and cymbals when testing gear, I find these particularly good:

Jacky Terrasson Trio (Alive album) For Taking Over Noe Valley. Not intersting music, but vivid drum work.

Ginger Baker (Coward of the County Album) Dangle the Carrot

Most of all Max's Variations on the Album Clifford Brown/Max Roach: Alone Together: The Best of the Mercury Years.

The "gunshot" on Water Song/Janie's Got a Gun from the Hump album for cracking walls.

Dave

[Marius]

Nice listing!
You definitely ought to try Patricia Barber's Mythologies, beautifully recorded, very nice music, and great drum work.
http://www.patriciabarber.com/discs/mythologies.htm

Marius

For those who like to hear drum work and cymbals when testing gear, I find these particularly good:

Jacky Terrasson Trio (Alive album) For Taking Over Noe Valley. Not intersting music, but vivid drum work.

Ginger Baker (Coward of the County Album) Dangle the Carrot

Most of all Max's Variations on the Album Clifford Brown/Max Roach: Alone Together: The Best of the Mercury Years.

The "gunshot" on Water Song/Janie's Got a Gun from the Hump album for cracking walls.

Dave