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

"From a Standstill" - Bella Sonus (Enamoured LP)

From the start, this well-layered track displays a wide frequency spectrum and well-delineated spatial elements that challenge both soundstage width and depth rendering, as well as expose a system’s ability to reproduce deep sub-bass transients with clarity and control. 

"Nature Boy" - Art Pepper (Essential Standards)

A more "organic" test of timbral accuracy and soundstage layering.

"Ruiner" - Nine Inch Nails (The Downward Spiral)

A test of a sytem’s ability to separate complex layers - plenty of phasing tricks that challenge soundstage width and depth rendering capabilities and room acoustics.

@pinwa I noticed The Astounding Eyes of Rita in your Playlist. I love this album!  I use the track "Waking State" in one of my demo playlists. 

'Fix it 'on Black acid soul By Lady Blackbird 

'Try to sleep' on duets special by Chrissy Hyde.

Two great vocal tracks to evaluate on a system.

I wasn't familiar with "Nardis", so I just gave it a listen.  Great track!  As a drummer, I enjoyed hearing the drum solo and the presentation of the percussion very much.  

I also agree with others that a good classical music track will tell a lot about a system's performance.  My personal favorite work for evaluating a system is Mahler's 2nd Symphony.  As an amateur choral singer, I have experienced this work on the stage, as well as many times from the audience, and I know it well.  The recording by Zubin Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic is a personal favorite.  The ability of a system to convey the most silent sections as well as the monster finale will tell you a lot. 

+1 for "Limehouse Blues" (or just about anything else from Jazz at the Pawnshop).

My 3-SACD 30th Anniversary set on the Proprius label includes the liner notes from the 2005 SACD release, written by Stefan Navermyr and detailing the recording process that engineer Gert Palmcrantz followed.  They include descriptions of the  make/model/directionality of the microphones used, distances from each other, angles of incline, distances above the floor, etc.  Incredibly fascinating to read. 

After JATP, I typically go to either a tried and true standby, a SACD of "Kind of Blue", or Donald Fagen’s solo Kamakiriad release and listen to "Snowbound" (a track, by the way, that was written by Fagen/Becker back in 1985), "Tomorrow’s Girls" and "Springtime".  Typical Steely Dan production values (and sardonic, literary lyrics).  Happily, as it were, the year Kamakiriad was released (1993) the two set out on Steely Dan’s first tour since 1974 . 

But I digress.