What is the One Test Track That Tells You Almost Everything About A System?

"Nothing Else Matters" by Lissie on Covered Up With Flowers - EP.  Incredible guitar sound and vocal by Lissie.     

I’ve always used “Such a Woman from Neil Young’s Harvest Moon album for its range: rich piano, deep bass, his voice, and at the end gentle cymbals. 
 

And “You Look Good to Me,” Oscar Peterson trio: Ray Brown’s bass slowly bowed then turns into a jazzy pluck; Ed Thigpen’s drums push and pull from slow to rockin’ and of course the piano amidst it all. 
 

Plenty of others but my two go-tos for range, speed and depth.

Notes With Attachment - Pino Palladino

Wood - David Bromberg

Anything from Balthazar or Warhaus

Ty Segall - Love Rudiments (Really good for test the attack and sustain)

Von Spar/Stephen Malkmus - Can's Ege Bamyasi or just listen to the Can's version

CAN - Future Days and Mag Tago Mago - Both of these albums were recorded in the early 70's, but the sound stage and imaging are amazing!

Bill Frisell - East/West - Two albums in a live setting.

Three that I would go to if I could only try one for the full evaluation would be:

Cincinnati Pops "Danse Macabre" from "Chiller". It has the high octave detail, dynamics, bass weight slam, and everything I would want to test the system and gear.

Kansas "The Pinnacle" from "Masque". Same as above plus speed and energy that some gear won’t make you smile. 

David Benoit "The Key to You". Great acoustic piano with a nice bass line underneath (that should sound musical not plodding), vocals by Davis Pack (with backing vocals that should be deep in the soundstage), excellent drum set recording, including musical cymbal bells. Benoit’s piano should not sound forward in the stage. Has all the elements of a great test song. Incidentally, he recorded these earlier LP/CDs using Threshold electronics with Martin-Logan Electrostat monitors.

I was talking about this discussion with a friend of mine when he was visiting the other night.

We both had a few drinks and went through a few tracks l had that might just qualify. Unable to nail just one, we suggest that everyone should choose an artist they detest. Whichever song sounds the more repulsive and excruciating must surely be the most accurate track in the future to evaluate your sound systems.

😂 As l said….. we had had a few beers by then 👍