Tough to evaluate separate components in an unknown room/system. You just won't know what you're listening to, what exactly causes the sound you are hearing....is it a cd player, speakers, amp, preamp, cables or the room?
Unless you are buying that entire system, really, your findings mean very little until you bring the component you were "evaluating" home and hook it up to the rest of YOUR gear.
Some of the music I usually have when I go to a high-end showroom:
Patricia Barber - "Modern Cool" and the live cd "Companion"
Madeleine Peyroux - "Half the Perfect World"
Brian Bromberg - "Wood II"
Metallica - "The Black Album"
Mahler Symphony No.1 with Zander on Telarc(usually use 4th movement to see the separation of instruments as some of the systems/components tend to make a moosh out of this piece).
But again, as I said, it is a tough task to evaluate a particular component within an unknown system and room.
Unless you are buying that entire system, really, your findings mean very little until you bring the component you were "evaluating" home and hook it up to the rest of YOUR gear.
Some of the music I usually have when I go to a high-end showroom:
Patricia Barber - "Modern Cool" and the live cd "Companion"
Madeleine Peyroux - "Half the Perfect World"
Brian Bromberg - "Wood II"
Metallica - "The Black Album"
Mahler Symphony No.1 with Zander on Telarc(usually use 4th movement to see the separation of instruments as some of the systems/components tend to make a moosh out of this piece).
But again, as I said, it is a tough task to evaluate a particular component within an unknown system and room.