The question, posed many times, has been answered. While you may not agree with all of their choices, look to The Absolute Sound Super LP List and the annual Stereophile Records to Live For (pre covid name Records to Die For) lists. All listed albums are generally excellent performances and mastering worthy of system demonstration. The list includes old, old/ newly remastered, and newly recorded albums. Some of my favorite newly recorded albums to demonstrate my system capabilities are:
- Classical: Boarders, Henning Sommerro, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, 2L Records 2L-173-SABD. Modern classical, natural timbre, dense imaging, wide and deep staging, phenomenal clarity, excellent bass extension and excellent dynamics.
- Pop/Rock: Cunningham/Bird Loma Vista Recordings. An excellent, Avant-garde take on the phenomenal compositions on Buckingham Nicks, a pre-Fleetwood Mac vinyl record now out of print. All of the same qualities as #1 but in this genera.
- Pop: Any of the three Billy Eilish albums. You may not like the genre or all of her music, but if you are looking to demonstrate your system from a studio engineering effects perspective, you have to complement the recording engineering team.
- Folk: Katja Werka, Contact Myself 2.0, Stockfish Records SFR 357.4102.2, OK it’s not newly recorded, but many do not know of the artist or recording. All attributes of #1 in this genre.
- Jazz: Echoes Of The Inner Prophet, Melissa Aldana, tenor saxophone, Blue Note Records/UMG Recordings 00602458277470. It’s a Blue Note mastering. I do not need to say more.
- Big Band: BENNY GOODMAN - LIVE IN HAMBURG 1981" ANALOG PEARLS VOL.5, Stockfish Records, SFR 357.4806.2 recent, excellent digital remaster of one of the band leaders that defined the genera.