Which CD failed you on bass notes?

The more I improve my CDP front end, the more I believe most problems with deep bass in RBCDs actually reveal weaknesses in playback equipment. My favored test CD for this is Emmylou Harris "Wrecking Ball." On a weak front end the bass sounds undamped & on a good front end it is actually quite well controlled & shapely.

I can't help with that recording...sorry.

I like: (Beyond the Missouri sky) "Charlie Haden/Pat Metheny" as a bass test cd...have you ever used this cd?

Dave

I don't have this CD yet but will look into it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Throw on any old Keith Jarret Trio album and you'll hear enough bass to test anything. Even to listen to

Yes, it's very good. The bass has good "tone"....very helpful in fine tuning. There is plenty of active bass output to work with, both main speaker placement, and subwoofer placement (for those that use subs) can be dialed in by listening for good "tone"...you will clearly hear tonal changes as you work this cd (Plus....very good music!)

Dave

This is an excellent topic. Glad you brought it up. I don't have Fourplay's "Yes, please" but do have "Between the Sheets" and "Heartfelt". Most of the cuts produce excellent bass extension and super mid-range. I'll see if I can get hold of "Yes, please" and comment back to you on that cut. In general, many of the more recently recorded CD's by Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, and David Benoit for example sound great.

CD's that come to mind which fail me with bass notes are many of the early Beatles albums including Magical Mystery Tour which is an extreme disappointment but also an album by a jazz saxophonist names John Klemmer called "Arabesque". I love John Klemmer's music but this CD is terrible. No bass at all. Another one is Joan Baez's "Greatest Hits". Terrible bass.

A CD with superb bass ext where I have turn off my sub completely is by David Benoit, "Here's to you Charlie Brown". It contains many of the original Peanuts theme songs. Check it out. It's also very uplifting and fun to listen to.

The other recommendations on this thread are good ones. I'll definetly look to get those. Again, great topic.

The lowest note on "Flight of the cosmic Hippo", Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Also on Paula Cole's album "This Fire" there is a song with bass that will blow your speakers up if you are not careful, cant remember the name of the cut, but this is a tough one for your system to get right.

I have most of Fourplay's albums which include "Between the Sheets", "Fourplay", "Elixir" and "Heartfelt" as well. I agree that all these with the recent recordings from Lee Ritenour and "David Benoit & Freeman Project 2" are excellent. Earlier recordings of David Benoit are lightweight in bass, almost non-existent.

I have a decent sub that handles the bass.

Janis Ian's Breaking Silence

Some of the deepest and most intense bass I've ever heard is on Brian Bromberg's first "Wood" cd. Whatever your system can, and can't, do concerning bass will be revealed with this cd. I agree the sogood51..."Beyond the Missouri Sky" by Haden and Methany is a gem.

second Brian Bromberg - excellent recordings but my Salk HT3's play it beautifully

I play bass and am learning upright
my instructor plays out every friday
so I get to hear the real deal all the time

other good jazz bass pieces
that are not only good hi fi but great music!
Niels Henning Ormsted Pederson (any of his recordings with Oscar Peterson and solo lps) be warned it's addictive
Bass on Top - Paul Chambers

speaking of records that were hard to track
Rythym of the HEat on Peter Gabriel's 4th album
the Burundi drummers really test a systems dynamic low end

Just received Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny's Missouri Sky. The recording was top notch and music was great. The bass quality is very good and the rich resonant bass notes literally float in the air.

I however liked Metheny's Imaginary Day better, not on bass quality though but more towards the style of music being presented. I was enjoying the music so much that I wasn't really concentrating too much on other things else.

"Missouri Sky" has great bass tone, deep bass, and midbass are active "often enough" to zero in on the finer details of the blend between speaker system and sub.

It's very hard to fine tune with test tones.

Dave