What are your "reference" albums?

dB Cooper · « **on:** 21 Jul 2012, 05:17 pm »

Recently attended the Capitol Audiofest and heard a lot of good music, but what do you take with you when checking out audio equipment? My standby album is Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" ... for the following reasons: Although a 50+ year old recording, it still "puts me there", it still holds up musically, and I have heard it countless times on every type of system you can think of, from an iphone to $20K+ horns driven by OTL tube amps- you name it. Heard it played in about 6 rooms at CAF.

Others include Larry Coryell "Bolero" (acoustic guitar, great for dynamics) and (I'm not kidding) Screamin' Jay Hawkins "Old Man River" from "Black Music for White People"(also great for dynamics).

What is your "go-to" music for evaluating audio equipment and why?

NIGHTFALL1970 · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 Jul 2012, 06:10 pm »

Led Zeppelin 4. Not their best recording, but it does have a lot of different instruments and styles. "Stairway to Heaven" starts off slow and acoustic and then morfs into heavy drums and screaming guitar. Other songs I use are "No Quarter" and "The Rain Song" from Houses of the Holy.
I also like to play "NIB" and "Warning" from the first Black Sabbath.
Steely Dan "Aja" is a must!

PSB Guy · « **Reply #2 on:** 21 Jul 2012, 06:41 pm »

The Beatles "Abbey Road" is usually the first thing I break out to test any new equipment. It's the album I know better than any other, it has a good variety of musical styles, and the sound quality is great for an album of its vintage. For mono, "Beatles For Sale" is a favourite for basically the same reasons.

Cornelis

2bigears · « **Reply #3 on:** 21 Jul 2012, 06:44 pm »

Tom Petty ,,,, Wild Flowers,,,,double LP .....

Unreal

this_is_vv · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 Jul 2012, 07:08 pm »

Hugh masekela.... Coal train.... I played in every room I went.. Either people knew that song or people asked me the song name..

If you can find there is a Dali reference cd that have some amazing songs and nicely recorded

Devil Doc · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 Jul 2012, 07:24 pm »

I find "Tears of Stone" by the Chieftains to be especially helpful, especially when accompanied by Jim Smith's notes from his book, Get Better Sound.

Doc

Wayner · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 Jul 2012, 07:36 pm »

Andreas Vollenweider - White Winds
Thomas Dolby - Astronauts and Heretics
XTC - Nonsuch
The Cars - Heartbreak City
Dead Can Dance - Spiritchaser
Supertramp - Crime of the Century
Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
Fleetfoxes - Helplessness Blues
Billy Idol - Whiplash Smile
Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
Pink Floyd - Division Bell
Roxy Music - Avalon
Steely Dan - Aja
The Human League - Dare
The Fixx - Kalm Animals
The Fixx - Walkabout
The Fixx - Shuttered Rooms
Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Howard Jones - Dream into Action
Yes - 90125
Yes - Drama
Peter Gabriel - So

For now...........

W