What songs/pieces do you listen to to test challenge speakers?
Please state artist and song and maybe what exactly you're trying to test.
Please state artist and song and maybe what exactly you're trying to test.
Hi,
- Keith Jarret "the Koln concert"
- George Winston " Summer" - "December"
- Pat Metheny & Charlie H. " Beyond the missoury sky"
plus, in the same session
- Bob Dylan " MTV unplugged"
- Suzanne Vega "Solitude standing"
- Ry Cooder "Jazz"
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band " When the circle be unbroken vol.2"
- AC/DC " Back in black"
( ALL: standard Compact Disc version)
Strange "combination", eh? They have opposite "caratheristics".
Maybe you can say one or two of these are bad recording. IMO this is not true 100%. Please listen first with a good earphones and then with your ultra high end speakers..... 😉
Cheers,
Inertial
- Keith Jarret "the Koln concert"
- George Winston " Summer" - "December"
- Pat Metheny & Charlie H. " Beyond the missoury sky"
plus, in the same session
- Bob Dylan " MTV unplugged"
- Suzanne Vega "Solitude standing"
- Ry Cooder "Jazz"
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band " When the circle be unbroken vol.2"
- AC/DC " Back in black"
( ALL: standard Compact Disc version)
Strange "combination", eh? They have opposite "caratheristics".
Maybe you can say one or two of these are bad recording. IMO this is not true 100%. Please listen first with a good earphones and then with your ultra high end speakers..... 😉
Cheers,
Inertial
Test!
When modifying / tweaking, I often use:
Jenifer Warnes-"The Hunter"CD, for bass-musicality, track8: way down deep.
Dire Straits "On Every Street", track1: Calling Elvis, I find useful for checking "attac"
Nils Lofgren "Acoustic Live" for clarity & detail...
Arne K
When modifying / tweaking, I often use:
Jenifer Warnes-"The Hunter"CD, for bass-musicality, track8: way down deep.
Dire Straits "On Every Street", track1: Calling Elvis, I find useful for checking "attac"
Nils Lofgren "Acoustic Live" for clarity & detail...
Arne K
I like to use the old News Bose album on vinyl. It is the most natural sounding recording that I have ever heard and demonstrates the good qualities of a speaker very well.
IMO doesnt matter what it is you choose to listen to aslong as its something you know very well. So if there is any slight difference in the way the song/tune is delivered your sure to notice it.
Additionally you do want it to cover the entire audio spectrum. No use listening to a string quartet of a viola two violins and a cello if you are wanted to try out your new sub!
Additionally you do want it to cover the entire audio spectrum. No use listening to a string quartet of a viola two violins and a cello if you are wanted to try out your new sub!
I think something that really has a demanding range of sounds and authority is Dave Brubeck's Take Five.
The piano and horn are so sweet and toned, while the drum solo and bass can really set you back with their assertiveness during the syncopated beats in the 5/4 time.
There are hundreds of other pieces of music I like to try though. 😉 That's the fun of it.
The piano and horn are so sweet and toned, while the drum solo and bass can really set you back with their assertiveness during the syncopated beats in the 5/4 time.
There are hundreds of other pieces of music I like to try though. 😉 That's the fun of it.
The CD's
-- Yellow Jacket, Run for Your Life;
-- Robert Hohner Percussion Ensemble, World Music Tour;
-- Ramsey Lewis, Sky Islands;
-- Eric Kunzel, Ein Straussfest;
-- IASCA test disc;
The DVD's
-- Sting, Ten Summoner's Tales;
-- Sade, Life-Promise-Pride-Love;
-- The Lion King (I test my loudspeaker with my twin kids 🙂 )
regards:
ragil.hastomo
-- Yellow Jacket, Run for Your Life;
-- Robert Hohner Percussion Ensemble, World Music Tour;
-- Ramsey Lewis, Sky Islands;
-- Eric Kunzel, Ein Straussfest;
-- IASCA test disc;
The DVD's
-- Sting, Ten Summoner's Tales;
-- Sade, Life-Promise-Pride-Love;
-- The Lion King (I test my loudspeaker with my twin kids 🙂 )
regards:
ragil.hastomo
apparently
KLF's "the white room" has lots of HF transients that can actually "free up" your speakers - dont blame me this comes from my memories of either, "Hifi Choice" or "what hi-fi" from when I was a kid. still its hard work for most kit
Annie lennox' little bird has some very Looooow notes on it too. which a surprising number of systems fall flat on, in fact complete failure to reproduce is possible.
Then for speed howmanynotescanyougetinwithoutitgettingmessy I'd have toccatta because its fast, or flight of the wounded bumblebee by Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt, can you pick out every note?
I'd also second 5th elements comments, pick something you're recently familiar with to see what your expecting matches / is surpassed by what you're hearing. Lamb, not the most complex piece of music, but if I don't like the way it sounds I can pack it up.
🙂
For me the beautiful thing about hifi is the ability to really listen to any single instrument in the piece if music. So picking something you can follow thats multilayered will soon tell you what you're listening to. If you're familiar with the piece as well this is a very effective test.
KLF's "the white room" has lots of HF transients that can actually "free up" your speakers - dont blame me this comes from my memories of either, "Hifi Choice" or "what hi-fi" from when I was a kid. still its hard work for most kit
Annie lennox' little bird has some very Looooow notes on it too. which a surprising number of systems fall flat on, in fact complete failure to reproduce is possible.
Then for speed howmanynotescanyougetinwithoutitgettingmessy I'd have toccatta because its fast, or flight of the wounded bumblebee by Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt, can you pick out every note?
I'd also second 5th elements comments, pick something you're recently familiar with to see what your expecting matches / is surpassed by what you're hearing. Lamb, not the most complex piece of music, but if I don't like the way it sounds I can pack it up.
🙂
For me the beautiful thing about hifi is the ability to really listen to any single instrument in the piece if music. So picking something you can follow thats multilayered will soon tell you what you're listening to. If you're familiar with the piece as well this is a very effective test.
Some of my reference CD's
Kari Bremnes: Over en by (Vocals and Midrange dynamics)
Ivar Kleive & Knut Reiersrud: Himmelskip (Bass dynamics, attack and Power handling)
Nils Lofgren: Acoustic live (Clarity and transients)
Allison Kraus & Union Station: live (Clarity, space and background noise)
Mark Knopfler, Pink floyd, Rammstein ++ For musicality and Fun factor.
Kind regards
-Tim-
Kari Bremnes: Over en by (Vocals and Midrange dynamics)
Ivar Kleive & Knut Reiersrud: Himmelskip (Bass dynamics, attack and Power handling)
Nils Lofgren: Acoustic live (Clarity and transients)
Allison Kraus & Union Station: live (Clarity, space and background noise)
Mark Knopfler, Pink floyd, Rammstein ++ For musicality and Fun factor.
Kind regards
-Tim-
PJ Harvey: Naked Cousin from Glastonbury 1995. You want to test dynamics and horizontal / vertical imaging & scale? Look no further. Also terrific fun.
Loreena McKennitt: All Souls Night. Mid-range clarity. She should float a few feet in front of the speakers whilst the music hangs just behind, transitents should be quick but fluid.
Rick Wakeman: Journey to the Centre of the Earth: image depth. Cavernous, as you'd expect with it being a live arena recording. Or it should be anyway.
Pink Floyd: Live in Pompii. Top end sweetness. This was badly ballanced IMO: the treble will take your head off if you're system isn't quite right.
Ennio Morricone : The Thing Soundtrack. Bass quality & depth. Not cowering behind the sofa (which should be trembling) during Humanity Part II? New speakers are the order of the day then!
Loreena McKennitt: All Souls Night. Mid-range clarity. She should float a few feet in front of the speakers whilst the music hangs just behind, transitents should be quick but fluid.
Rick Wakeman: Journey to the Centre of the Earth: image depth. Cavernous, as you'd expect with it being a live arena recording. Or it should be anyway.
Pink Floyd: Live in Pompii. Top end sweetness. This was badly ballanced IMO: the treble will take your head off if you're system isn't quite right.
Ennio Morricone : The Thing Soundtrack. Bass quality & depth. Not cowering behind the sofa (which should be trembling) during Humanity Part II? New speakers are the order of the day then!
@Scottmoose
Just read this thread and have some funny thing to share.
I also use a "Ennio Morricone" soundtrack to test around.
"Ave Maria Guarani" from "The Mission" soundtrack reveals some flaws in imaging and voice capabilities pretty pitiles!
Edit: Funny cause "Ennio Morricone" isn´t famous for audiophile recordings in the first place 🙂
Just read this thread and have some funny thing to share.
I also use a "Ennio Morricone" soundtrack to test around.
"Ave Maria Guarani" from "The Mission" soundtrack reveals some flaws in imaging and voice capabilities pretty pitiles!
Edit: Funny cause "Ennio Morricone" isn´t famous for audiophile recordings in the first place 🙂
To Scottmoose:
On "Loreena McKennitt: All Souls Night", the stageing I sense with my systym is:
Her voice, most front, floating around as if she would be
dancing
A small ensemble and female vocalists just back of her
Large choir mostly male in backstage
Ochestra in pitt reflecting off of shell
And that's with no drugs or beer! I don't paricularly like the song but, the SOUND is breath takingly real!
What say you?
On "Loreena McKennitt: All Souls Night", the stageing I sense with my systym is:
Her voice, most front, floating around as if she would be
dancing
A small ensemble and female vocalists just back of her
Large choir mostly male in backstage
Ochestra in pitt reflecting off of shell
And that's with no drugs or beer! I don't paricularly like the song but, the SOUND is breath takingly real!
What say you?
Amen to that (apart from the fact that I love the song dearly, as well as the recording). Holography is the order of the day.
Wombat -yes, that is unusual there's two of us! Much under-rated production I reckon. It just does what it needs to.
Cheers
Scott
Wombat -yes, that is unusual there's two of us! Much under-rated production I reckon. It just does what it needs to.
Cheers
Scott
How about Vangelis " Chariots of Fire" or Gary Wright " Dreamweaver" or ELO " Midnight Blue" or Dire Straits " Love over Gold ?
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