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Whats your favourite track to play to the non hi-fi visitor?

Lets be clear, the uninitiated offer an opportunity to show off your hi-fi, and give them an unexpected experience. Most visitors wonder why there is laboratory equipment and Stanly Kubrick 2001 monoliths in the lounge - some even make the connection to the wall of vinyl.

Time to pull out the Matt Bianco LP ’Who’s side are you on’, after warming up the system for an hour or so.
Some people don’t get it at all, but most can be impressed - but not with extended playtime. So, its a rare person that will sit and listen, as the demo nearly always gets turned down to background music to allow conversation.

I once had a good mate over for an evening of music and the odd wine, at one point during the evening he rushed to the kitchen and came back with spoons, which he played alongside the hi-fi to everything - including Pink Floyd. Mind you after a few wines it did bizarrely become a fitting accompaniment.

Whats your ’knock them dead track’ to play to non audiophiles?
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Showing 2 responses by hilde45

hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,869 posts
 
@backtothe80s

+1 "Babylon Sisters." The initial drum kick, Fender Rhodes, and cymbal splash (left speaker) is quite startling. I played this track for a seasoned audio store guy in Denver (remastered version), and he immediately whipped out his phone to add it to his "critical auditioning playlist." 

@aewarren  Many of us own music we like without it sounding good enough as a show piece for non hifi listeners. (There are poor recordings of great music, right?) Perhaps the general gist of the OP eluded you. Or maybe you're just chest-thumping. 
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,869 posts
 
The track Recat from Loderbauer/Villalobos is literally quadraphonic, even when played on two channel. It's trippy.

Another suggestion I heard which makes a lot of sense is to ask non-hifi people in advance what music THEY really like and then select the best-sounding of their list before they come over. Then, they find themselves hearing something very familiar but they're so focused on the quality level that they both enjoy the song they love AND focus on the equipment making it sound so much better.

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