Best recordings to demonstrate soundstage?


I am interested in imaging and soundstage. I have picked up a pair of Thiel 3.6's and would like to test their imaging potential.

Box speakers are something of a problem for me because for some years I have listened to large planars, which throw up a huge soundstage. The Thiels have a much more constrained soundstage as compared to planars, yet they can seem wide and accurate and at times. With the right recordings they are absolutely amazing.

Hooverphonic and Morcheeba are 2 bands that I tend to use. Within their music there is so much going on. Sounds flying left and right, beautiful vocals centered, with layered vocals surrounding.

Can you help me increase my list? I love all kinds of music period. In your experience what is the best music and or tracks for highlighting soundstage?

Thank you,

Ron
starsandseas

Showing 3 responses by mingles

cds:
Mickey Hart, Planet Drum, 1991 Rykodisk (RCD 10206)
Mickey Hart, At the Edge, 1990 Rykodisk (RCD 10124)
Greg Brown, Covenant, 2000, Red House Records (RHR CD 148)
Ry Cooder, Paris, Texas Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 1985, Warner Brothers (9 25270-2)
Mazzy Star, Among My Swan, Capitol Records (CDP7243 8 27224 27)
Manu Dibango, Wakafrika, 1994 Giant Records (9 24566-2)
Paco de Lucia, Siroco, 1987, Verve (830 913-2)
Animatrix 2003

lp's:
An Evening with Windham Hill Live, 1982 Windham Hill (WH-1026)
Michael Hedges, Aerial Boundaries, 1984 Windham Hill (WH-1032)
Hiroshima, 1979, Arista (AB 4252)
A follow up to my suggestions above... Ry Cooder, Mickey Hart, An Evening with Windham Hill Live, and Aerial Boundaries are some of the best recordings I've ever heard. They'll make any system sound fantastic. The dynamics are stunning.
02-25-08: Ojgalli
I have a number of the recommended recordings, but I don't understand how studio recordings could demonstrate soundstage. Studio recordings have no real soundstage. If there is any, it's only an artificially simulated one.
This is probably true with most pop music where each track has been recorded separately and then mixed together. If there's any sense of soundstage in these, it's been simulated as you say. But I'm not convinced that "studio recordings have no real soundstage." If the musicians are recorded with an open mic, why wouldn't there be a spatial sense?

Perhaps it's just my room and my set up, but I hear a spaciousness with the Mickey Hart and Ry Cooder cds. An Evening with Windham Hill Live is probably the best example in my list. You feel like you're sitting a few feet away from the musicians.

But you make a good point about orchestral music. It's probably going to give the most realistic experience--along with chamber music.