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What is they best album out there for showing off the sound quality of your system.
Looking for the best of the best if you had one what would it be?
80 responses Add your response
I would probably use the following: CD/SACD: Vivaldi Concertos for Oboe and Bassoon (Astree label) Vivaldi/Handel: Dixit Dominus (La Nuova Musica-Harmonia Mundi) Cowboy Junkies: 'Neath the Covers Nouvelle Vague: Nouvelle Vague Brahem Anour: Thimar Stefan Battaglia: Re Passolini Harry Connick Jr.: When Harry Met Sallie (soundtrack) LP: Any M&K Realtime record, particularly: Bill Berry All-Stars-"For Duke," Earl Hines-"Fatha!" Any East Winds (Japanese jazz label), particularly: Great Jazz Trio-"Direct from L.A." Rollins: Saxophone Colossus (one of the best monophonic recordings ever) Yamamoto Trio: Midnight Sugar (Three Blind Mice label) Clark Terry: Alternate Blues Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 (Beaux Arts Trio on Philips) Mozart: Clarinet Concerto (de peyer/Maag-King Records reissue of Decca recoding) Van Morrison: Astral Weeks and Moondance Grateful Dead: American Beauty Ricki Lee Jones: Girl at Her Volcano Michael Jackson: Thriller David Peabody: Americana Marvin Gaye: What's Going On (Mobile Fidelity One Step) |
I’m surprised not one has mentioned any of the Tonian Trio recordings (Moon Jazz would be my pick). While not the most melodic jazz, the sound quality is pretty amazing and shows that high-res digital files have nothing over a properly recorded and engineered redbook CD. Also including Ron Carter and Jim Hall’s double album "Telepathy". |
473 posts11-30-2019 6:23pmAlbum is called Hope, by Hugh Masekela Thanks toddnkaya very much...………..This album do what you say it must do.... |
An awful lot of great sounding music mentioned here but I agree with @tomcarr, let your friends and guests pick. Otherwise you’re just looking like the arrogant dork audiophile that you probably really are at the core. Sure, it can be a solitary pursuit, but try not to be so self centered. Really. I mean, if you have a truly good sounding stereo it will hold up (or perform maybe even exceptionally well) on their favorite. |
Album is called Hope, by Hugh Masekela but the cd , or SACD if you can find it. spark one , light a few candles and enjoy this incredible album!!!!!!! listen to the entire album all the way through . its a religious experience. here is a taste: https://youtu.be/n4Bb7p9gggc |
I’m a jazz and classic rock guy. Very few classic rock albums make the testing cut, although Dark Side of the Moon is one of my go-to test albums. Also Hot Tuna Live at the New Orleans House Berkeley. But for real critical listening to test new components, my go-to choices are Patricia Barber - Companion XRCD, and especially the second cut, Use Me, which has a killer stand up bass intro. My other go-to jazz album is the remastered Jazz At The Pawnshop — extremely well-recorded. For interesting live imaging, I also use Shakti’s first album. John McLaughlin and Zair Hussein on tablas is sublime!!! |
Review about One Mic Recording by Joe Whip at Audiophile Style.I’d go for the one microphone recordings from Sound Liaison. They are like having the band in your room. Btw they are on Black Friday sale this week.’’Carmen Gomes ’’Don’t You Cry’’Feenbrothers ’’Play Dave Brubeck’’Rainier Voet & Pigalle 44.https://www.soundliaison.com/index.php |
Here are a few “ SHOWPIECES” from my LAST review that if you want to be ‘close to the concert hall’ may be worth auditioning! ( Not including Anne Murray) https://www.thesoundadvocate.com/2019/11/wireworlds-eclipse-8-cables-reviewed/ |
1++ tomcarr. There are so many great recordings from all genres. I had and opera lover over last weekend. I played I Pagliacci recorded at Milan's famous Teatro Alla Scala. That brought him to tears. He didn't say anything about the system just that it was the best version he had heard. I do not demonstrate the system so much as the music. Usually just the optics draw quite a reaction as very few people have seen 8 foot tall ESLs before. They expect it to sound better than anything the have heard except the audiophiles of course. Quite a few great recordings mentioned about. I am a bit surprised more live albums have not come up so I guess I'll hang this one out there, MFSL Waiting for Columbus by Little Feat. You left us with a great one Lowell. |
Actually @tostadosunidos, the RG w/LW album opens with "Red Hot" (the old Billy Lee Riley song on Sun Records, produced of course by Sam Phillips). The album DOES feature great sound, courtesy of producer Richard Gottehrer (originally a Brill Building songwriter, then the mastermind of The Strangeloves of "I Want Candy" fame, then Blondie’s original producer). The album possesses great transient "snap", immediacy, and presence. Demo quality, although it is somewhat "hot", the recorder’s meters allowed to run a little too far into the red. Still, for Rock ’n’ Roll that’s imo better than being too warm and soft. Even better imo is Gordon’s third album, Rock Billy Boogie. On this album Link Wray is replaced on guitar by Englishman Chris Spedding, whose playing on the album is absolutely incendiary! Link Wray had his charms (and created an entire style of guitar playing), but Spedding is a much better guitarist, not just technically, but musically. A matter of opinion and taste, of course. I saw Link Wray live on his last pass through L.A., and though he had to be helped up onto stage (by his hot young girlfriend or wife ;-), he still tore up the place. It was outside, at a Vintage Hot Rod Car Show in Glendale. Lottsa tattoos, piercings, pompadours, short bangs and high ponytails on girls, new blue jeans with 6" cuffs, pointy-toed shoes. Gawd I love Rockabilly! |
claude chalhoubhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSEfdoWxV18Crank this up and see how your system handles it. It picks up the pace at 1:40 you will hear instruments way off to the left and right of your speakers. |
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Sona Jobarteh
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Fasiya the music, the vocals, the sound stage, and the quality of this album just blows me away every time I play it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlvBHMoPO34Another fave is The Be Good Tanyas - Chinatown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNiHHZOY45Y |
After decades in this hobby, my experience has been that people respond most favorably listening to music they like, even more so if I have an album they like that also is well-recorded. I rate all my albums on sound quality, classes A, B, C and D. Categorically, the percentages are roughly: 10% class A, 50% class B, 35% class C and 5% class D. So...I will play a class A or B-rated album in the genre that the guest prefers. Really rewarding to see their reaction for hearing recorded music better than they've ever heard it before. Priceless. |
@viridian, good point. ’Busy’ is the keyword here. It’s where sub 192 kbps MP3s really reveal their limitations. Surprisingly it’s also, as you say, where many audiophile systems make a hash of things - usually in the timing. How many times do we hear some reviewer admit they were surprised how some particular hitherto deemed low quality recording finally sounded good on such a modest X/Y system. Far too much audiophile music played at shows tends to be "simple music with vocals and a few instruments". As I’m going to a show next month I will take along a few difficult CDs. ’The Joshua Tree’ or ’Led Zep IV’ or maybe some Motorhead should provide a reasonable test. At least for those exhibitors who will allow them to be played. Quite a few won’t. I suspect they know the limitations of their gear and don’t want them broadcasting. |
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@celtic66 Thank you so much for mentioning the Gail Pettis album, "May I come in?" It is terrific! It is a very intimate recording in that it is as if they are performing for you in your listening room. Gail has a great voice and knows how to tell a story with a song. This album is becoming hard to get, so don’t wait! Get it now. It just arrived today and I’m listening to it for the third time! I owe you one @celtic66 |