[dflee]

Whenever I change a piece of equipment or cable or even move my speakers a little
I tend to gravitate to certain albums for comparison. In my case case SRV's Texas Flood,
Doc and Richard Watson Third Generation Blues, Mozart Complete Wind Concertos by the Orpheus
Chamber Orchestra and Tim O'Brian's The Crossing. What is your go to album? Is it music you
really like (as in my case) or is it just done so well that you use it for reference?

Don

[Charles Xavier]

I've always gone to this recording. The music and recording are excellent.





I wonder what Jimmy chooses 




 

[jimdgoulding]

One I use to get a fix on friends' systems when I am a guest is Fairytales- Radka Toneff and Steve Dobrogosz (ODIN).  Comparatively, it tells me about my own system as well.  My copy requires a turntable.

[tomytoons]

Excellent recording on Vinyl not as good on the CD version.
Just one of a few I use on vinyl.

[Scotlynn]

I keep a CDR I burned of a set of tracks I always play when trying out a new piece of equipment. Some of the tracks are:

Oleta Adams: Get Here
Liszt: Opening movements from Christus
Mino Cinelu: Moun Madinina
Sumner McKane: Dogsled
Antoine Dufour: Dracula and Friends
Rickie Lee Jones: Night Train
Yo Yo Ma: The Mission
Oliver Mtukudzi: Ngoromera
Ryan Adams: Come Home
Renee Fleming: Che Il Bel Sogno
Lizz Wright: When I Fall

Every few months I might add a new track and drop something off as I go through my collection or discover new music, but always try to maintain some continuity in the track list to provide that reference point when auditioning new equipment.

[Devil Doc]

The Chieftains, Tears of Stone, plus the notes from Get Better Sound

Doc

[Diamond Dog]

This. Always this :



Not even really sure why. It's not particularly well- recorded, perhaps it's just familiarity at this stage. I always listen for how the piano sounds at the beginning of 
Sign In, Stranger, how differentiated the bassline is on Kid Charlamagne , the space between instruments/vocals etc. and the reverb effects on them as well as the soundstage presentation in The Royal Scam and how Fagen's nasally squawk is portrayed. And so on.
I said once in a post about this album that it was my reference whenever I'm comparing gear or looking to make a change. I think hearing it must be my wife's cue to hide the cookie jar...

D.D.

[dflee]

Tears of Stone is flat out spooky. It would be hard for me to use that album
for critical listening cause it is so emotional. Great album!

Don

[pumpkinman]

[SteveFord]

Frank Zappa's Apostrophe', of course.

[NIGHTFALL1970]

[dB Cooper]

I go to Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue"... There are more "modern" recordings to be sure but I have heard this on everything from my iPhone through IEMs to a $100K "deep-end" audio system. I can separate the wheat from the chaff pretty quickly as a result. Others would be Zappa/Mothers "One Size Fits All" (hear that, Steve Ford?), Crystal Silence, Larry Coryell "Bolero/Scheherazade" (a digital master that may tell you more than you want to know about the dynamic range of your system). Rolf Lislevand "Nuove Musiche". SRV "Texas Flood" was an excellent suggestion too. "Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano" (Jean-Pierre Rampal/Claude Bolling).

[dB Cooper]

Frank Zappa's Apostrophe', of course.

But only vinyl or (if CD) the Au20 ('97 UMRK) or 2012 remasters. All other CD releases are mixed down from the underwhelming quad remix. Buy the 2K12 remaster if you don't believe me; you won't regret it. Hoy hoy hoy!

[Devil Doc]

Tears of Stone is flat out spooky. It would be hard for me to use that album
for critical listening cause it is so emotional. Great album!

Don

Very true, and I probably would never have bought it without the recommendation from the Author of Get Better Sound. His notes in the book make voicing ones system a piece of cake.

Doc

[Demarche]

• The Blessing - Prince of the Deep Water. A very well recorded album, it was produced by Neil Dorfsman, who also produced Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms
• XTC - Apple Venus Vol 1 - Another great XTC recording
• JET - Get Born. The 1st couple of tracks are just really good loud rock
• The Replacements - Please to Meet Me. A favorite album, although not a good recording at all, but it helps me hear how revealing (or not) the particular component is.

[SteveFord]

Don't you fret none, dB Cooper, I bought Apostrophe' and One Size Fits All at my local record store as soon as they came out and they're still in really good condition.
I'm looking forward to picking up the remastered vinyl reissues as soon as they come out, too.
It's hard to believe that not only did I lug those albums around for decades but I still listen to them.
Even worse, I'm going to see his kid play his dad's music next month. 
This means that I'm old, doesn't it?

[pjnad]

Garcia and Grisman: Shady Grove
Bruce Cockburn: The Charity of Night
Various Artists: Going Driftless - A Tribute to Greg Brown
Gil Evans: Out of the Cool

[jimdgoulding]

Garcia and Grisman: Shady Grove
Bruce Cockburn: The Charity of Night
Various Artists: Going Driftless - A Tribute to Greg Brown
Gil Evans: Out of the Cool

I guess I'll have to revisit Charity of Night now.  His "In The Falling Dark" is masterful on Island Records and totally different it is.

[pjnad]

I guess I'll have to revisit Charity of Night now.  His "In The Falling Dark" is masterful on Island Records and totally different it is.

It's a good album for critical assessment of new equipment: there is a cymbal crash on track 1 that with lesser equipment sounds like a swarm of bees? and not a cymbal. Rob Waserman's bass also has a great tone to it. track 4 which is instrumental has a passage with vibes being played that is also very telling...besides, the music and guest musicians are great!

[Diamond Dog]

I guess I'll have to revisit Charity of Night now.  His "In The Falling Dark" is masterful on Island Records and totally different it is.

Humans is really good, too. The song Tokyo from that album is one of my all-time favourite Cockburn songs.

D.D.