[Mag]

I'm an audiophile ..... I listen to my gear, there I said it.

Two songs off the top of my head that I listen to when I want to hear the excellence of my gear. Do You Feel Like We Do from Frampton Comes Alive, remastered version. And Highway Star from Made in Japan 25th Anniversary and I may as well throw in Child in Time and Space Trucking. I particularly like Space Truckin because it sounds so fricken powerful.

What songs do yo play when you want to hear your gear?

[S Clark]

"Church" from Lyle Lovett's Joshua Judges Ruth  --- detail and vocal clarity
Appalachian Spring on Sound 80 with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra--- instrument tone and placement, soundstage depth
"Autumn Leaves" Manhattan Jazz Quintet-  Bass accuracy, instrument tone and placement

Also, "Angels Running"  Patty Larkin,  "Hourglass" James Taylor,  "Moanin'"  Art Blakey  (Lee Morgan's trumpet)

[SteveFord]

That's easy:
Apostrophe' by Frank Zappa
Meddle by Pink Floyd.

[Tyson]

Bartoli performing Vivaldi - the soprano voice is murder on tweeter/midrange integration.  If it's not perfect, you'll hear it

Tom Waits, Frank's Wild Years - does the system pick up on the down & dirty emotion on Tom's recordings?

Mahler Symphony 6 - Dynamics and all around hell-breaking-loose

Ani Difranco - cause you have to have at least one girl with guitar track.

[MttBsh]

Almost anything by the Ozric Tentacles - yes, that really is the name of the band. They play psychedelic music often featuring a middle eastern flair occasionally slipping into trance or reggae, but the sound is always superb, with flutes, electric guitars and bells swirling throughout the soundstage and some of the deepest bass I've ever heard.
On a very different note, Patricia Barber CDs are very well recorded and they too offer the opportunity to hear the true potential of your gear.

[Mike-48]

The disc of Schubert Male Choruses, BIS 1033, sung by Orphei Drängar. I own the download from eClassical. There are used copies available on Amazon, too.

It is beautiful music, wonderfully sung, in gorgeous sound.

[HAL]

Reference Recordings, RCA Living Stereo and Telarc labels for me.

Listening to this one now from 24bit/192KHz file download from RR.

[hdspeakerman]

Wow!  Only the 2nd person I have every seen that likes Ozric Tentacles!  I have listened to 33 different selections.   

[FullRangeMan]

To test a system equipment definition and all the auiophile items I like to play Jazz analogue recording SACDs, some Ambient Music albums and some bad recorded live Pop Music CDs as Roy Orbison, Michael Hedges Double Planet Live, Isaac Hayes Shaft and others Soul Music hits live.

[Mag]

Another song I like to listen to for the stereo effect is El Diablo by Grace Slick. The song has a what I call catchy Spanish Guitar theme along with Grace's vocals that has an omni-directional quality in my room when cranked loud.

As for the song's meaning I'm not sure. I thought she maybe honoring Satan so I asked my friend who likes this song as well and he said "the song doesn't mean that." I also looked up the meaning of the song online, I don't think anyone is sure what is the meaning of the song.

[MttBsh]

Another song I like to listen to for the stereo effect is El Diablo by Grace Slick. The song has a what I call catchy Spanish Guitar theme along with Grace's vocals that has an omni-directional quality in my room when cranked loud.

As for the song's meaning I'm not sure. I thought she maybe honoring Satan so I asked my friend who likes this song as well and he said "the song doesn't mean that." I also looked up the meaning of the song online, I don't think anyone is sure what is the meaning of the song.

In the lyrics she states that she can feel the devil's power in her soul but hates everything he stands for and is working hard to break the grip she allowed him to get on her.
 
Definitely not honoring Satan.

[Demarche]

2 faves

Henry Mancini:


XTC:

[HsvHeelFan]

Cleveland Orchestra performing "Pictures At an Exhibition" on Telarc is my benchmark work.  It's also the 1st CD I bought in 1984.

HsvHeelFan

[charmerci]

Actually, when I DON'T want to hear my gear!     (Not the Discovered Again Plus version - that goes a bit to heavy on the bass.)



 

[JakeJ]

1. The Moody Blues "In The Beginning" from Threshold of a dream on Nautilus Superdisc, there is a helluva lot going on in that piece.
2. Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" 20-Bit remaster but I cant remember the maker
3. Afro Celt Sound System - most any of their music, it is all a woven tapestry of sound.
4. Aaron Copeland's "Fanfare For The Common Man" Reference Recordings RR-93
5. Ravel's "Bolero" Reference Recordings RR-92 Man, that crescendo!
6. Camille Saint-Saens 3rd Symphony with organ, I have several versions but the Deutsche Grammophon Cat # 474612 is one I really like.


I just perused Reference Recordings website and there is a new version of Saint-Saens 3rd Symphony by The Kansas City Symphony that got a nice write up in The Audiophile Voice.  Could not link the article because one needs a subscription.