While it is always good to use a "reference" one is familiar with I too have grown weary of some of mine.
Since we are going to be looking for the qualities that electronics can affect it is good to use cuts that give us the greatest tests for these qualities.
In the pre-amp shoot out (and any cables for that matter) I'm looking for:
1) detailed highs
2) Resolving ability (power)
3) Low noise
4) lifelike midrange
5) dynamics in general
6) leading edge transient abilities and impact
7) tight, dry deep bass.
I would suggest:
1) Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo which demonstrates most of those qualities
2) BlacK Light Syndrome - very detailed and complex
3) For Female Voice, the Allison Krause at Union Station is good in my book
4) For Male voice we could use the Josh Groban too
Other possibilities:
Gil Shaham - Four Seasons as MD suggested
Stan Getz - Girl from Ipanema (SACD) smooth sax, female voice, resolution
Quincy Jones - Birdland - complex musical passages of hundreds of great transients, bass and percusive impact
Eric Clapton - Unplugged as long as it's not "Tears in Heaven" - hard to handle and sometimes overmiked
Ray Montford - Shed your skin, complex
Lords Tundra - Dean LaPeer - resolution of bass, attack, transients, lots of sonic detail, impact and dry bass.
Although long cuts can be a drag, it might be a blessing to "IF" we spend a short period of time say less than a minute or so in the SWEET SEAT, and then switch with the next person.
We have done this before and if 4-6 people get to sit in the SS during one cut then it is better than one person staying there for the whole cut.
Care must be taken to try and hear the same section of the cut with the A/B'd component.
Obviously not every swinging mondo is gonna get mucho SS time but if you know what to listen for, much can be heard in 30-45 seconds.
Gonna resemble "musical chairs" but at least the name is appropriate.
If we pick 3-4 cuts total (more would be too much for your auditory memory) to use for most of the testing we could spend a little time in front of our "reference systems" with those cuts and become familiar with them ahead of time.
I like the first four mentioned (in the order mentioned) but I am "very" open to just about anything as long as it gives us good listening/judging criteria.
Gentlemen, start your CD players
Any votes?
