Merged thread of demo songs, tracks and CDs

a couple more

-Chanticleer- Ave Maria track 7 off Our Hearts Joy
http://www.amazon.com/Our-Hearts-Joy-Chanticleer-Christmas/dp/B000003VV3/ref=pd_sim_m_title_5
Group of male singers that comprise most if not all of the voice spectrum.
(completely accapella absolutly amazing. its what made me believe I needed better audio equipment. The warmest sound I have heard from a cd. Eventhough I believe that cd was mastered horribly but still the group sounds so amazing it doesn't even matter at that point. The sound engulfs the room everytime. The last time I played this a girl cried when I played this, just absolutely amazing. {at the time all I had was a klipsch promedia 4.1...I can't wait to build my frugel horns})

-Pendullum-hold your color or tarantula
(deep thumping bass that will test your low end)

-Tool-Lateralus
(just an amazing track)

-Strapping Young Lad-Love/Detox
(they have the "wall of sound" idea down so well that it shakes you to your bones)

-Miles Davis-Anything off of sketches of spain
(I've lost days to this album...)

-In Flames- Touch of red/F(r)iend

-Mahler's 5th symphony-haven't found a good recording yet but then again I am forced to comb the web as our record stores have become ghost towns.

-Oscar Lopez-anything off 'heat'

-richie havens-the klan (amazingly sung.)
 
Pink Floyd - Money

Massive Attack - Eurochild/Black Milk (FEEL the basslines)

Tarmac/Louise Attaque - many tracks

Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliette (on the Finlandia label)

Led Zepp - Whole lotta... (original 1969 Atlantic vinyl)

Welsh male voice Choirs - Sospan Fach (too many to list)

could go on forever here personally..
 
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Re: Whats the best Artist/Song to show off custom speaker?

MarcMTL said:

Whats the first thing you guys play on a newly constructed pair of loudspeakers, and what artist/songs do you play to show them off?


A modern action movie (I like The Island - Micheal Bay movies sound BIG).
The soundtrack on DVD has fantastic dynamic range and can really make good speakers sound impressive.
 
Re: Whats the best Artist/Song to show off custom speaker?

Well, early on I spun Capitol's 1961 'The Big Sound of the Drags' which when driven by a decent TT/tube system of the day would rearrange all the knick-knacks, glassware, etc., in the entire house as well as tax the tweeter system. Later, it was early Pink Floyd, then DSOTM and finally an Altec and Bose 901 demo LPs.

Since I haven't been actively building in the CD/digital age, the few times I've auditioned other's work I try a little bit of as much of these CDs as there's time for:

DSOTM/PF
Take Five/Dave Brubeck
'Round Midnight/Jimmy Smith
No need to Argue/The Cranberries
Time for Love/Julie London
For Sentimental Reasons/Lida Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle
Time Stream/Takashi Ohi
Wood/Brian Bromberg
Sunday at the Village Vanguard/Bill Evans Trio
Marantz demo

GM
 
I assume the Britney Spears (never were the BS initials more apt) is to clear the room, so you can put something worth listening to on? :angel:

Depends on the speaker. As well as all-rounders, I've found that away from the forums, I've been designing quite a few tailored for specific genres recently, so you wouldn't really want to run, say, King Crimson through something intended for folk music. ;) A handful of tracks I find useful, depending on what exactly you wish to analyse / demonstrate:

Julian Cope: Odin (Odin)
Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Welcome to the Pleasuredome (Welcome to the Pleasuredome)
Peter Gabriel: In Your Eyes (Secret World Live)
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band: Faith Healer (Next)
Holst: Saturn (The Planets: Herbert von Karajan, 1960s DECCA recording)
King Crimson: Discipline (Discipline)
Led Zeppelin: When the Levee Breaks (IV / Rune album)
Massive Attack: Inertia Creeps (from Mezzanine)
Loreena McKennitt: Let all that are to Mirth Inclined (To Drive the Cold Winter Away) & All Souls Night (The Visit)
Ivor Novello, performed by Jeremy Northam: The Land that Might Have Been (Gosford Park soundtrack)
Pink Floyd: One of these Days / Echos (Meddle)
June Tabor: Bonnie James Campbell (An Echo of Hooves)
Peteris Vasks / Kronos Quartet: Elegy (String Quartent No.4)

The Stereophile Test CDs are more than a bit passe, but in fairness, they're pretty useful, when I remember I've actually got the things. If you want to explore the LF registers, you're not going to find much better than a good recording of Bach Organ music (I'm open to recommendations here as I could do with some more). Even harder to find is a good recording of the advent hymn O Come O Come Emmanuel, but when I've caught a couple of live TV boadcasts, it's absolutely spellbinding. What you need with that one is not the wishy-washy 'wistful / calm' feel of so many recordings, but the full-on, thunderous majesty of a cathedrel with full congregation & organist. Anyone know of a good recording of it in this style?
 
Usually, I'm doing my critical listenning in the developement stages, so I limit myself to a few tracks that I have become very familiar with. Each one has it's own areas that stand out...

Sleep- Jerusalem (yes, the whole song)- gets me a general feel for the speakers, and after 55 minutes of constant low frequency power, you'll be begging to find out if they can play more than four notes. Also, chances are that most of the break-in is done.

Harry Connic- That's All and She (She)- dynamic, full spectrum, superb recording.

The Why Store- Lack of Water and Broken Glass (Why Store)- good speakers give height to the recoding.

Pigface- Alles ist Mein and I Can Do No Wrong (Fook)- dymanic.

Phish- Fee and David Bowie (Junta)- you'll know if there's any area that you're lacking (or too hot) after these tracks.

Clutch- Big Fat Pig and I Send Pictures (Jam Room)- deep, wide, and tall soundstage.

Again, close familiarity with the tracks your playing is important, both to note the performance of the new speakers and to be able to point out areas of interest to anyone you're playing them for. Stick to less than a dozen of the same songs and then go exploring deeper into your collection after you're satisfied.
 
Here's a few of my torture test/show off my new speaker/amp/etc tracks:

StarTracks (Telarc) track 1
This will scare your neighbor's babies three doors away when it switches to the Star Wars Main Title.

Further Adventures of Flim & the BB's (Jimmie Johnson's other band prior to James Taylor) Check out track 3 Jazz Patrol for big ole drums and brass section and a good test of low-end...good for kidney stones too.

Allman Brothers "The Fillmore Concerts" Track 1 Statesboro Blues
Duane's Les Paul should sound sweet. This is my favorite "live" recording. I've heard this album/8Track/Cassette/CD/re-released CD on every system I've owned and is a reference for me.

John Prine "Fair and Square" track 5: Some Humans Ain't Human
Gotta love that voice. Glad his surgeon was having a good day when he had his neck cancer removed.

Les Paul and Mary Ford "The Best of the Capitol Masters: 90th Birthday Edition " track 6-The World is Waiting on a Sunrise, track 15-Bye-Bye Blues and Track 16-Sitting On Top Of The World
Unbelievable guitar playing, vocals and pre digital special effects. How did they do that in the 1950s?

Baka Beyond "Meeting Pool" -The whole CD has some great blends of natural and synthed sounds. Imagine sitting in a Pigmy village at night by a fire.

Cold Mountain Soundtrack track 9-I'm Going Home
Powerful singing that'll give you chills in a 90 degree church in northern Alabama in August. Scared Harp done well.

Yes "90125" track 1-Owner of a Lonely Heart
The stage actually moves around. How'd they do that?
 
Among the pieces I use to test (and I guess demo) speakers:

Jennifer Higdon, Concerto for Orchestra, movement V (Telarc)

Sharon Isben, Dreams of a World; Virgilio by Antonio Lauro

Nickel Creek, Ode to a Butterfly

Richard Elliot, Crush

Mickey Hart, Planet Drum; Temple Caves (deep bass check)

Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Le Banjo; performed by Cecile Licad (Naxos) [Piano is both hard to record and hard to reproduce]

Woody Phillips, Tool Box Classics; Habanera from Carmen (must be heard to be believed!)

Dixie Chicks, Wide Open Spaces; There’s Your Trouble

Lara Fabian, Pure; Urgent Desire (severe test for sibilance)

Allison Krause, New Favorite; Crazy Faith

Kiri te Kanawa with Nelson Riddle & his orchestra; The Folks Who Live on the Hill

Ska Cubano, Aye Caramba!; Cumbia en Do Menor (complex, high volume piece; is everything separate & distinct? any nuances lost?)

Judy Collins, In My Life; Sunny Goodge Street (‘cause I like Judy, and this song by Donovan is like something like a painting by Picasso.)

Lincoln Mayorga & Distinguished Colleagues Vol. 3; America

Count Bassie Orchestra; Gone An Git It Y’all (Telarc)

Diana Krall, Live in Paris; Let’s Fall in Love

Dave Brubeck, Time Out; Blue Rondo A La Turk

Art Blakey; A Night in Tunisia