Use this song if you are doing an A/B with Preamps

@elizabeth7: CORRECT!  Thank-you!!

If you want vinyl, try (for the 10,000th time on here) The LINCOLN MAYORGA Direct-to-Disk recordings or similar ones made that way.

Gosh, I am tired of typing that title.  Are there really tons of current audiophiles that do NOT know about these recordings?  If so, please do some research.

Even if you are a relatively new, say, teenage audiophile, I would guess you would know about the basics and about those items that help you make informed PERSONAL decisions about what YOU like in YOUR ROOM.  If not, try that one.

To our younger, newer audiophiles:  If there were a perfect system for everyone, there would be ONE manufacturer of every component.  I can see by looking around that this is is NOT TRUE!  (OH, MY!)

That tells me that people have personal opinions about what they like in their personal music listening area.  Thank goodness!  Now, go out there and find what YOU like in YOUR ROOM and enjoy the music!

Cheers,

Richard

@jaybe4 Ha!  I THOUGHT the objective was trying to find an accurate source for determining what accurately recorded music might sound like when listening to various components.  

YOU and others may not like the songs on these albums, but the recording and manufacturing techniques give the listener as good of a vinyl recording as they can find today, although I am sure there are other direct-to-disk recordings out there somewhere.  (I have a live 78 of my brother and 3 other pre-teens playing a drum show at Myer's Lake in Ohio in 1951 or so.  Maybe I should use that since it is my brother and was recorded live even though it has terrible fidelity?  I LIKE it.)

I like Elton John as well, and we sold TONS of Audio Research paired with Magneplanars back in the day using "Money" and "Midnight at the Oasis"  and various Linda Ronstadt and Eagles recordings as well as the Mayorga stuff.  Customers were encouraged to bring in their fav recordings to use when listening in the showroom.

The point elizabeth and others were making, I think, is to get the best possible recordings and take them and the gear home and see what YOU think.  Of course you will listen to your fav stuff; the question is, "Is DIFFERENT equal to BETTER?" (more accurate or, probably closer to the truth in sales, more what you were convinced by others was "better").

We used to play our instruments in the shop and listen to someone playing a part live and then the recording.  Still depends upon the listening room, however.

We really did not care what you listened to; we were SELLING.  We simply wanted you to listen to the most accurate recordings in YOUR ROOM and then make a decision.  Of course, we NEVER tried to sell you something...

Cheers!