With only two tracks to listen to I’d give up, audio drag racing just isn’t the point.
Only two tracks to test your system, forever!
If you could only use two tracks/songs for the rest of your life whenever you wanted to test a change to your system, what would they be?
121 responses Add your response
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@ebm What album is that on??? Need the info! Get on it ASAP!!! |
Nice choices. |
A lot of great suggestions here, some I have in my collection, many I do not and will have to check out. @jay2 Being a fan of smooth jazz, I went on YouTube and gave Pete Belasco "Deeper" a listen - great suggestion. Even streaming through my 12 year old MacBook, it sounded good. Defiantly has the bass. Went on Amazon Music and ordered the CDs of "Deeper" and "Lights On" thanks.......Jim
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@moonwatcher had a nicely worded response .. describing what makes for a great track .. Placement, staging, resolution, timbre have become the fine points I etc long to seek out, once deciphered, I can then rest that my standard catalog will sound as good as it can. But one additional point .. I find that a recording of natural acoustically recorded instruments yields me the best quick analysis of performance. I have rested on the early Jim Keltner Shefield Drum track .. ( the HDTr transfer is not a great representation of the recording, find an early Sheffield album or disc, the early work is amazingly different in heft attack, and dynamics) .. and 2) if so blessed to find the early produced test disc by Opus 3 Test Disc 1 (track 1) "Tiden Bara Gar" has female voice. Both discs feature winsomely instruments placed for depth, sonic placement, and resolution. The Opus One features a few other choice cuts on there that are amazingly resolving due to the care in capturing the original recording. Thanks to the contributors for the many cut suggestions .. am anxious to explore many of these! |
@passthedutchie People are sharing songs they find well suited to critical listening and testing system changes. I don't think most people are looking for a round of applause and acceptance. Neither are most of us interested in injecting judgementalism into the thread. |
Because I’m non-conformist:
- Baaba Maal, Mansour Seck, Djam Leelii (space, middle to hi end) - Ry Cooder, Ali Farka Toure - Talking Timbuktu (overall) - The Doors - Roadhouse Blues (bass) - Richard and Mimi Farina - Joy Going Round My Brain (vocal and harmonica duet details) - Paul Robeson - Deep River (THAT voice!) - The Moody Blues - Tuesday Afternoon (atmosphere) - The Moody Blues - Thinking is the best way to travel (special effects) - Fennel - Hi-Fi A La Espanola on Mercury Living Presence (that Mercury sound) - Max Roach with Abbey Lincoln - We Insist (abbey’s voice, the snare) - Mahler - 5th - von Karajan (Adagietto, the cellos) - Bruce Springsteen - American Skin (separation of the 4 voices, crowd ambiance) - Led Zeppelin - The Battle of Evermore (For the interplay between Robert Plant’s and Sandy Denny’s voices) - Tito Puente - Ran Kan Kan - the 12” 45rpm version (for slam) - Laura Nyro - Tom Cat Goodbye (quiet and dynamics) |
@mjmcubfn Tidal’s search is just as bad. Leave out anything and it won’t find it. They really do need to incorporate a level of "intelligent closeness" and offer suggestions better. And oftentimes I do better by searching for the song title rather than the artist. |
All good suggestions. I’m trying to think of only TWO songs that can provide all of the following: |
If I had to pick just two to give me a rendition of how my system was performing or to audition other components, it would be: For impact and rendition of percussions and clarity of chimes: track 3 "Posters" on Jack Johnson.s Brushfire Fairytales, CD For richness, clarity and staging of strings: the last track "These Are The Days" on Van Morrison's Avalon Sunset, CD. Jim |
Lana Del Ray - Venice B**ch. The width and depth of this marvellous production and the layering of the textures will really test the system. Can the system present this complicated production as a homogenous whole? Does the sound completely fill the room as it will on a good system? FKA Twigs - Home With You. That orchestral ending is tough to get right. Two previous mentions I would like to concur with - Daft Punk - Giorgio by Moroder I agree is a real system test, especially to hold those rhythms in place. And School by Supertramp has so many system-pushing elements to it. |
chocaholic and richdirector: Was curious about the Hippo, so listened to it. Seems intriguing. How low does that bass play (in Hz).Now need to find myself a decent download of the tune (only listened on computer). Updated: ordered CD |
Yes tough to come up with only 2. I have been around many live acoustic non amplified drum sets. This recording gets pretty close to that. IMHO. Electric Bass is very nice also. Any track. I am sure will find a favorite. Craig Pilo Just Play. Now, do you want test your full range speakers? Pete Belasco Deeper Deeper. careful, if your speakers can do it, your neighbors will let you know. the low notes are hitting about 25 hz ish. Whole album is very clean sounding.
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This is a great list and super fun to try out some things I've never heard, or even heard OF. However, why does Roon's search suck so badly. Some on this post have made some simple spelling errors and Roon has no clue what I'm searching for. Can't they find a way to incorporate an Apple or Google "Did you mean..." feature somehow? Sorry, Levy is actually Levee, but Roon can't help me out here just a little!! |
Two tracks? The first is easy; the other is a toss up: 1) Jimi Hendrix - Machine Gun (live from Band of Gypsies) 2) Either Tedeschi Trucks Band - Made Up Mind or a relative unknown, Kadavar's song Last Living Dinosaur. All the instruments come in separately and sound simultaneously clean and fuzzy. It's a good system test because I know very very well exactly how it SHOULD sound. Great question, btw. |
I have heard some of the broadcasts on their stream, and yes, they do sound absolutely amazing. My guess is the BSO employs someone to mix sound for them, and WCRB takes a feed from it (although it's very possible it's a special mix just for radio). Either way, the method of getting that audio back to mission control (WGBH/WCRB) is top notch. There isn't much if any cascading bit reduction taking place. To the crew making this happen - GREAT JOB! |
Live FM radio broadcasts on WCRB of the Boston Symphony Orchestra are my make-it-or-break-it test. It’s the raison d'être of the system and all else follows. By a welcome gift of fate, a few years ago they relocated their broadcast tower to six miles away and I have a fine tuner. The way they mike the orchestra, you can hear every little thing right in its place, and the whole room. As for test tracks, I’m so used to playing dozens that to narrow it down to just two… You’ve got me thinking and it’s going to take a while. |
This thread for me confirms easily the worst thing about audiophiles: their taste in music. Of course the answers are going to be middle-of-the-road audiophile-approved pap like Patricia Barber and Diana Krall. And yes, let's not forget Flight of the Snoring Hippo and the Eagles' live version of Hotel California (now in quadrilliophenia on a special pixiedust-infused disc so you can buy the precious recording for the twelfth time). Your 20-year-old self would hate what you've become. Tell me I'm wrong. |
...thanks, gladmo
Ry Cooder/Manual Galban opening cut off Mambo Senuendo ..."Drume negrita: (if your system can fully decongest the confusion, be happy...) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Little Feat's live Waiting for Columbus (live) Super Deluxe Edition ...Fat Man in the Bathtub (heard live at the University of Alabama 1977...recently discovered former Chief Editor of Phile John Atkinson uses it as a testing reference as well)...drumkit and synth need to attack with hall ambience More Peace Pin (bold print for old eyes) |
The best track to test any system comes from Tchaikovsky ’s Nutcracker Suite -- the pas de deux after they’ve come out of the forest. Incredible track. Most CDs have this directly mastered from digital: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5USHu6D6U
Edit:. Also the real cannon typically used in his 1812 Overture is an absolute must. The best recordings have warnings on the label that they can damage some systems. That's the pinnacle right there |