Merged thread of demo songs, tracks and CDs

[dzampella]

Anything from Mark Knopflers, Ragpickers Dream

[FastEddy]

I probably posted this elsewhere:

For comparisons between CD playback, DVD-A playback and high quality LP ... and testing for speaker response 'tween low levels and that fatter, bigger sound: Muddy Waters "Folk Singer" ... an old Muddy and a very young Buddy Guy doing blues duets.

DVD-A: http://www.classicrecords.com/item.cfm?item=HDAD%202008 ..."this true 24 / 96 and 24/192 transfer will bring the intimate and spooky studio production further into your listening room ..."

CD: http://www.amazon.com/Folk-Singer-Mu...dp/B00000JNOJ/ ..."the surprisingly clean recording, made even cleaner by the digital remastering ..."

LP: http://www.classicrecords.com/item.c...%201483%2D200G ..."The most talked about "true audiophile" blues recordings ever. ..."

[Bert_R]

Katie Melua CD: Piece By Piece

[eclectic2k]

hmmm, interesting thread. Some great music!

let's see:
Erasure - Pop (greatest hits) - "Oh l'amour" and others...
- very dynamic with some good vocals and great tunes

10000 Maniacs - In My tribe - "Verdi Cries"
- Natalie Merchant, love her voice. A bit of piano and cello, pretty soft

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (Iz) - Facing Future - the whole album
- simply amazing voice , and the music is great too. Nice ukulele...

when there's a 'table, some Rickie Lee Jones, and the Beatles White Album ;-)

I've turned on at least 3 or 4 people to both Erasure and Iz while I was auditioning speakers...

wait, I think I hear the music calling. Gotta go.

-CK

[FastEddy]

" ... some Rickie Lee Jones, and the Beatles White Album ;-) ..."

Even better = "Love" album redux / remix of the original Beatles' masters by Sir George Martin & son = the DVD-A disc is all 24 bit / 96K dolby 5.1 ... you have never heard it this good = better than the original LPs with lots of new stuff never public.

[davidlzimmer]

Folks,

The subject is TEST songs. Songs that prove out your system. Let us know WHAT makes your songs good for testing your system.

I'd really like your opinions.

[FastEddy]

"Love" album redux / remix of the original Beatles' masters by Sir George Martin & son = the DVD-A disc is all 24 bit / 96K dolby 5.1 ... you have never heard it this good = better than the original LPs with lots of new stuff never public. ..."

Tests for 24 bit / 96K playback with Dolby 5.1 ... you can hear the difference between the DVD-A and the CD (same music on each, both discs are in the package), and, yes, you really can hear the difference between CD and DVD-A (and if you can't, your equipment is just not makin' it).

Testing for speaker response 'tween low levels and that fatter, bigger sound: Muddy Waters "Folk Singer" ... an old Muddy and a very young Buddy Guy doing blues duets.

DVD-A: http://www.classicrecords.com/item.cfm?item=HDAD%202008 ..."this true 24 / 96 and 24/192 transfer will bring the intimate and spooky studio production further into your listening room ..."

CD: http://www.amazon.com/Folk-Singer-M.../dp/B00000JNOJ/ ..."the surprisingly clean recording, made even cleaner by the digital remastering ..."

LP: http://www.classicrecords.com/item....S%201483%2D200G ..."The most talked about "true audiophile" blues recordings ever. ..."

Comparing the LP with the DVD-A = very little difference unless you have that $mucho denaro$ turntable & cartridge. The CD is for comparison with the LP & DVD-A, just so's you know what your missin' in your other CDs.

This is a whole lot more than just my opinion ... this is measurable with test equipment, easily distinguishable by me, you or anybody ... with or without the "golden ear".

[TomWaits]

I read this thread and it makes me smile. Great tunes have been listed and federico moreno listed Thomas Dolby's Dissidents ! Rodeodave listed Aphex Twin's Ventolin !!(with a cautionary notice)

You guys are nerds & music geeks! I love it. Here is some "must have" material for the DIY Audio builder enthusiast geek and nerd crowd:

ACOUSTICA Alarm Will Sound performs Aphex Twin
Instruments playing on this recording: Flute, piccolo, curtain rods, oboe, English horn clarinet, bass clarinet, sax, bassoon, horsoon, jew's harp, duck call, trombone, steel drums, air pumps, mbira, piano, engraving tool, tamburra, cocktail stirrer kalimba, loads of percussion and many many more.

It is a very stimulating set of tracks and may challenge the average listener but for music nerds it is a must have. Sonically it is a bit of a blur as it was put together far too swiftly and it shows on playback but there are wonderful sonic experiences in this recording that could be enjoyed by many. It is hard to describe but while listening to this recording at medium to high levels part of your brain may be realigned. If you experience this with a smile, then you are one step closer to Richard D. James aka Aphex Twin. Aphex Twin is a very difficult listen for most folks and you kind of need to have an attention deficit to get into it. Either that or you are into experimental drug use. Again sonics are good but at times there is clipping and or saturation and that pisses me off a bit but then there are very clear moments that are worth the wait. I think this recording is a must for many and after a few plays on your reference system you will be able to use some of these tracks in your bench mark listening. I wish it would be remastered and re-released. A vinyl copy... I wish.

Test song...oh yeah back to that. My all time fav test track is from Thomas Dolby's The Flat Earth and the track is "I Scare Myself". This is the one song, of the many that I love, that I can truly make audio system critique or evaluation. I had the vinyl way back and have since replaced it twice with a special order Japanese import under the Past Masters CD editions. This track is the embodiment of 20Hz to 20 kHz sounding full, open, true & dynamic. The tiniest flaws are difficult to hear but once you find them they become part of the curriculum for gear under listening tests. If you can hear the background on this track then you are listening to a system above average. I think this track is a wonderful song with a wonderful lyric. If I could only delete the last track off the album? The final track is not a bad one, it just doesn't belong on this album.

Check it out and post your thoughts.

Cheers,

Shawn.

[sardonx]

"It's a fire" and "Rhodes" from the Portishead Dummy album - intimacy and musicality.

[69stingray]

I am not a big fan of gosphel music, but I was listening to some speakers at a showroom today and they played These Bones by The Fairfield Four . One of the deepest male voices I have heard. Almost sounded fake.

Link to album on Amazon