Software to give woofers a work-out


I just acquired a new pair of speakers with side firing woofers. I mostly listem to small jazz ensembles & vocals & I don't play loud. The woofer cones don't even move. At this rate, they'll never be broken in. Can you recommend some CDs/LPs with a lot of slam in the low notes ? Thanks.
ryllau
The soundtrack to the movie American Beauty has some extremely low passages. And it's pretty good music, to boot. But for breaking in speakers, I'd go with a dedicated break-in CD such as the one Stereophile makes (I think it's test CD 3).
That's an easy one- 'Sweetback' (self-titled- Sade's back-up band, and they only ever made one disc). Track 1- lowest bass notes I've ever heard- if that track doesn't get those woofers working, I don't know what will! Good luck.
There is a CD on the LaserLight label of a 1977-78 "Direct-to-Disk" recording (originally on the Crystal Clear label) of Virgil Fox playing the organ. The recording was made in a church in California (Century City?), and it has a lot material by Bach with very low pedal organ tones. Put your CD player on a continuous loop and play the "Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor" while you are away from the house. If that piece doesn't loosen up your subwoofer (and house foundation), nothing will.
You might want to search for the thread "Speaker punishing bass" in the music forum. Lots of good recommendations.
It's not so much the frequency range that is important, it's the amount of excursion that the driver has to make. As such, lower bass obviously requires greater excursion than higher frequencies. Playing something with continual low bass at high volumes is what will work best and fastest. Sean
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When I bought my first sub it was to punish my neighbors. To demo the piece they played "Maxwell-EMBRYA". I took the sub and the CD the neighbors moved out shortly there after.