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What bass-litmus-test music do you take to auditions?

If you love tight, fast, hard-hitting bass in spades, we have something in common.

When you go audition speaker-amp pairings, what music do you take along to separate the grain from the chaff?

Here are a couple of my favorites:

- Pigs of the Roman Empire, by Melvins + Lustmord (from their album Pigs of the Roman Empire). This is a brilliant collab between noted dark ambient artist Lustmord and iconic sludge gods the Melvins. If a 23-minute sludge metal track isn’t your cuppa, I understand (sort of? smiley) and feel free to skip to around 14:30

- A1, by Darkside (from their eponymous 2011 debut EP). What can I say? I love Darkside. Only one EP and 3 albums in 14 years, but they’re worth the wait. Their new album Nothing is fantastic.

- Paténipat, by Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul (Topical Dancer). This playful song has the ability to dim my little table light significantly when played loud enough. For some reason it does not cause my imperfect room to break into harsh mids and highs so I crank it up to ridiculous SPLs.

- Ageiopolis, by Aphex Twin (Selected Ambient Works 84-92). An airy and pleasant ambient track with some killer bass thrown in. Maybe the only track so far that makes my speakers threaten to lose their composure and reminds me that I should probably re-gasket my woofers and crossover access panels, and make sure my sealed enclosures are indeed sealed.

What are some of your favorites? I am curious to learn about some non-electronic works.

devinplombier
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,615 posts
 

For higher frequencies i used violin...

Mainly The "arte of violin" of Locatelli...

This version because the sound recording is astonishing...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpad18N0v8w

Also I use Tacet "tubes recording only" label   4 seasons of Vivaldi...

The sound of violins here made me a "high head" as there is bass head...

Honey reflecting light in the body of a bee flying toward sun...

My K340  is incredible in highs as in Bass rendition with natural timbre...

I was unable to buy speakers to beat them...

I am not an audiophile with no budget limit though...

The best i ever bought was the Tannoy dual Gold speakers, but speakers in a non dedicated acoustic room dont work at their peak potential at all...

 

 

jafant's avatar
jafant
20,347 posts
 

Excellent numbers as above. For Jazz lovers add;

Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething CD/SACD Verve 2004.

 

Happy Listening!

skchun's avatar
skchun
30 posts
 

Bass from hell, vol1 by Senhor De Baixo.

Supposedly goes down to 10hz.

 

knownothing
1,692 posts
 

I would add Mac Miller - “Complicated”

devinplombier OP
682 posts
 

@rockadanny 

Great suggestions, thanks.

In my mind How To Destroy Angels has always been the Coil album. Didn't know there was a band by that name. Great bass in How Long?, though.

My favorite Nine Inch Nails album is the one everyone else hates - Ghosts I - IV. Go figure smiley

The Coltrane recording I listened to - a 2008 Verve remaster - sounded awful, veiled and muddy. The soundstage consisted of:

- John Coltrane, quite a bit left of my left speaker

- Between John Coltrane and center stage - complete silence

- Center stage to right speaker - the rest of the band, pretty well defined but all bunched up in that narrow space.

Weird.

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