@simonmoon "...
It’s quite strange to me that classical music has fallen so far out of favor with audiophiles as music to evaluate a system, or a new piece of gear. "
Excellent point. In general classical is the hardest to reproduce... and I would say and interpret what is good and bad about a component if you are thinking analytically. Because of its complexity.
If you have a track that has a single voice and maybe a piano in back left and maracas in the back right. Your minds eye (ear) can examine the sound stage and each instrument individually. If you want to check out bass then you can do some simple rock tune.
The problem is that none of these are testing what happens when your 1 - 4 speakers are all doing a dozen instruments at a time. And under these circumstances your minds eye flits from thing to thing not really able to figure much out since the note you flit to is gone by the time you zero in on it... then you must find something else.
This is what is wrong with listening to components. You really need to listen to the music that comes out... the gestalt and evaluate that. So, listen to lots of genre. and don’t listen to the individual instruments, unless it is a solo instrument. Let your subconscious eveluate to music... as opposed the you conscious analytical mind. After all you are not (or should not?) be purchasing it for your analytical mind, you should be purchasing it for your subconscious mind... that is what craves and appreciates music. Your analytical side appreciates the gauges on the outside.
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Hi,
These are my go-tos. They each bring out different aspects of the system.
- Time’s a Revelator – Gillian Welch (there are TWO guitars playing!)
- The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers – Brian Bromberg (the sound of real wood!)
- Way Down We Go – KALEO (play the whole thing…it will reveal details in the piano toward the end)
- Walking on the Moon – Yuri Honing Trio (turn it up, it needs the volume, and will reveal spatial relationships)
- Opening of Mahler’s 5th Symphony (or the entire 1st movement)– Simon Rattle, Conductor (a good system will be able to convey the power of this piece)
- Mountain of Things – Tracy Chapman (really deep bass!)
- Birds – Dominque Fils-Aimé (spatial cues and the human voice)
- Art of Almost – Wilco (this will sound like noise on a lesser system, and brilliant on a resolving one)
- No Moon At All – Diana Krall (a bit of sibilance, but generally fantastic – voice, bass, piano)
- Since I Fell For You – Brad Mehldau (real piano)
Enjoy,
Joe
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Great thread. In case this is useful, here’s most of what’s been suggested so far.
JAZZ — Acoustic / Small Ensemble
- Patricia Barber, "Nardis" (Cafe Blue) — bass articulation, room ambience, micro-dynamics, drum presentation
- Oscar Peterson Trio, "You Look Good to Me" — bowed vs. plucked bass, rhythmic push/pull, piano amid rhythm section
- Ray Brown Trio, "Take the A Train" (Soular Energy, AP 45rpm) — overall resolution, pace
- Diana Krall, "No Moon at All" — voice, bass, piano integration; mild sibilance test
- Diana Krall, "The Look of Love" (Live in Paris, ORG 45rpm) — vocal presence, soundstage
- Peter Bernstein & Guido Di Leone, "St. Thomas" — imaging depth, percussive layering
- Art Pepper, "Nature Boy" — timbral accuracy, organic soundstage layering
- Brad Mehldau, "Since I Fell For You" — real piano timbre and texture
- "High Life" (Jazz at the Pawnshop) — live acoustic space, sax/drums/vibraphone separation
- "Limehouse Blues" (Jazz at the Pawnshop) — overall live jazz reproduction
JAZZ — Electric / Fusion
- Weather Report, "Birdland" (Heavy Weather, ORG 45rpm) — soundstage size
- Yuri Honing Trio, "Walking on the Moon" — spatial relationships at volume
VOCAL / SINGER-SONGWRITER
- Gillian Welch, "Time’s a Revelator" — separation of two guitars, acoustic texture
- Tracy Chapman, "Mountain of Things" — deep bass extension
- Dominique Fils-Aimé, "Birds" — spatial cues, human voice reproduction
- Lady Blackbird, "Fix It" (Black Acid Soul) — vocal evaluation
- Chrissie Hynde, "Try to Sleep" (Duets Special) — vocal evaluation
- Keb’ Mo’, "Muddy Water" (Slow Down) — cymbal tone/hash, bass control, 3D staging, sibilance, snare crack
- Neil Young, "Such a Woman" (Harvest Moon) — piano, bass, voice, delicate cymbal decay
ROCK / PROGRESSIVE ROCK
- Tom Petty, "Shadow People" — rock mix definition, faint percussion in sparse sections
- Wilco, "Art of Almost" — system resolution test (sounds like noise on poor systems)
- Nine Inch Nails, "Ruiner" (The Downward Spiral) — complex layering, phasing, soundstage width/depth
- Radiohead, "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" — textural resolution
- Kansas, "The Pinnacle" (Masque) — dynamics, speed, energy
- Pink Floyd, "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 1" — ambience, spatial effects, soundstage
- Beck, "Golden Age" + "Paper Tiger" (Sea Change) — center image, bass performance and clarity
- It’s a Beautiful Day, "White Bird" — rock with strings, tonal contrast
ACOUSTIC GUITAR / FINGERSTYLE
- Michael Hedges, "Aerial Boundaries" — harmonic detail, bass depth, neck resonance, soundstage
- Nils Lofgren, "Keith Don’t Go" (Acoustic Live) — guitar in acoustic space, natural reverb
BLUES
- Muddy Waters, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" (Folk Singer, 1964) — exemplary vintage stereo recording, timbre and space
- John Lee Hooker, "The Healer" (The Healer) — drums sweeping across soundstage
CLASSICAL — Orchestra
- Mahler, Symphony No. 5 (opening / 1st mvt.), Simon Rattle — dynamic power and control
- Mahler, Symphony No. 2, Zubin Mehta / Vienna Philharmonic — silence-to-climax dynamics, choral rendering
- Shostakovich, Symphony No. 10, 2nd mvt., Nelsons / Boston Symphony (DG, hi-res live) — wide soundstage, depth, dynamic swings, string extension, instrument separation
- Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet excerpts, Leinsdorf / LA Symphony — whisper-to-full-assault dynamics
- Stravinsky, Petrushka and The Firebird — overall orchestral reproduction
- Haydn, Symphony No. 94 ("Surprise"), Audiophile Reference 1 Track 13 — low-level detail, noise floor, the crescendo as stress test
CLASSICAL — Chamber / Early Music
- Bach Orchestral Suites, Jordi Savall — timbral variety, instrumental accuracy
OPERA / VOICE
- Catalani, "La Wally" aria, Wilhelmina Fernandez (Diva soundtrack) — operatic voice, emotional rendering
- Kurt Weill, Threepenny Opera, Lotte Lenya — spatial cues, singers moving in the soundstage, immersive depth
ELECTRONIC / AMBIENT
- KALEO, "Way Down We Go" — piano detail that emerges late in the track
- Malia, "Celestial Echo" (Convergence) — soundstage depth beyond the walls, female voice, delicate transients
- Gidge, "Perimeter" (New Light) — power and immersion for large systems
- Various Artists, "Istanbul" (Divan) — wall-to-wall percussion, spatial pop
- Goose, "Slow Ready" — bass, midrange, horns
- Yello, "Kiss in Blue" (Touch) — full-range: bass, male/female vocals, dynamics, detail
- Brian Bromberg, "The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers" — acoustic wood resonance, real instrument texture
ACOUSTIC SPECIAL-PURPOSE
- Yarlung Records, circling tones — speaker placement and room acoustics (tones should appear above and behind the head)
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Here is the same list, organize by primary test function:
BASS — Extension, Weight, Articulation
- Patricia Barber, "Nardis" (Cafe Blue) — bass articulation and control
- Tracy Chapman, "Mountain of Things" — deep bass extension
- Brian Bromberg, "The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers" — acoustic wood resonance, bass texture
- Beck, "Paper Tiger" (Sea Change) — bass performance and clarity
- Ray Brown Trio, "Take the A Train" (AP 45rpm) — bowed vs. plucked bass, pace and rhythm
- Oscar Peterson Trio, "You Look Good to Me" — bowed-to-plucked transition, rhythmic bass
- Gidge, "Perimeter" (New Light) — powerful low-end, immersive bass for large systems
- Yello, "Kiss in Blue" (Touch) — full-range with strong bass component
- Goose, "Slow Ready" — bass, midrange, horns integration
DYNAMICS — Macro and Micro
- Mahler, Symphony No. 5 (1st mvt.), Simon Rattle — dynamic power and control
- Mahler, Symphony No. 2, Mehta / Vienna Philharmonic — silence-to-monster-climax range
- Shostakovich, Symphony No. 10 (2nd mvt.), Nelsons / Boston Symphony — large dynamic swings in live hi-res recording
- Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet excerpts, Leinsdorf / LA Symphony — whisper-to-full-assault dynamics
- Haydn, Symphony No. 94, Audiophile Reference 1 Track 13 — low-level detail leading to sudden crescendo
- Tom Petty, "Shadow People" — faint percussion in sparse sections revealing micro-dynamic resolution
- KALEO, "Way Down We Go" — detail emerging late in the track
- Cincinnati Pops, "Danse Macabre" (Chiller) — high-octave detail, dynamic slam and weight
- Kansas, "The Pinnacle" (Masque) — speed and dynamic energy
SOUNDSTAGE — Width, Depth, and Dimensionality
- Kurt Weill, Threepenny Opera, Lotte Lenya — singers moving in space, immersive 360° depth
- Malia, "Celestial Echo" (Convergence) — soundstage extending beyond room walls without diffusion
- Weather Report, "Birdland" (ORG 45rpm) — soundstage size
- Yuri Honing Trio, "Walking on the Moon" — spatial relationships at volume
- Shostakovich, Symphony No. 10 (2nd mvt.), Nelsons / BSO — wide stage, string extension beyond speakers
- John Lee Hooker, "The Healer" — drums sweeping across the full soundstage
- Beck, "Golden Age" (Sea Change) — center image solidity
- Pink Floyd, "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 1" — ambience and spatial effects
- Various Artists, "Istanbul" (Divan) — wall-to-wall percussive spatial pop
IMAGING — Precise Placement and Layering
- Gillian Welch, "Time's a Revelator" — separation of two guitars occupying distinct space
- Peter Bernstein & Guido Di Leone, "St. Thomas" — delineated depth layers, percussive imaging
- Art Pepper, "Nature Boy" — organic soundstage layering, timbral placement
- Keb' Mo', "Muddy Water" (Slow Down) — instruments dispersed front-to-back and left-to-right in 3D space
- "Limehouse Blues" / "High Life" (Jazz at the Pawnshop) — live acoustic space, instrument placement
- Bach Orchestral Suites, Jordi Savall — timbral variety with precise instrumental location
- Yarlung Records, circling tones — room acoustics and speaker placement (tones should float above and behind)
RESOLUTION AND RETRIEVAL OF DETAIL
- Wilco, "Art of Almost" — resolving power (sounds like noise on lesser systems)
- Nine Inch Nails, "Ruiner" (The Downward Spiral) — complex layered separation, phasing effects
- Radiohead, "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" — textural resolution
- Michael Hedges, "Aerial Boundaries" — harmonic overtones, neck resonance, micro-detail
- Nils Lofgren, "Keith Don't Go" (Acoustic Live) — guitar in natural space, reverb decay
- Mahler, Symphony No. 10, Nelsons / BSO — instrument separation in complex orchestral texture
- Ted B, "From a Standstill" — Bella Sonus (Enamoured) — sub-bass transient clarity amid wide frequency spectrum
TONAL ACCURACY AND TIMBRE
- Art Pepper, "Nature Boy" — organic timbral accuracy
- Brad Mehldau, "Since I Fell For You" — real piano timbre
- David Benoit, "The Key to You" — acoustic piano without forward coloration, musical cymbal bells
- Stravinsky, Petrushka / The Firebird — full orchestral tonal accuracy
- Neil Young, "Such a Woman" (Harvest Moon) — piano, voice, and delicate cymbal decay together
- Muddy Waters, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" (Folk Singer) — vintage timbre benchmark, 1964 stereo
VOICE — Human Vocal Reproduction
- Dominique Fils-Aimé, "Birds" — spatial cues and the human voice
- Diana Krall, "No Moon at All" — voice, bass, piano integration
- Diana Krall, "The Look of Love" (Live in Paris, ORG 45rpm) — vocal presence and bloom
- Catalani, "La Wally" aria, Wilhelmina Fernandez (Diva soundtrack) — operatic voice and emotional rendering
- Lady Blackbird, "Fix It" (Black Acid Soul) — raw vocal character
- Chrissie Hynde, "Try to Sleep" (Duets Special) — intimate vocal texture
- Malia, "Celestial Echo" — female voice amid expansive electronic backdrop
SIBILANCE AND HIGH-FREQUENCY ACCURACY
- Keb' Mo', "Muddy Water" — sibilance in vocal, snare crack, cymbal tone vs. hash
- Diana Krall, "No Moon at All" — mild sibilance present, useful as calibration
- Shostakovich No. 10, Nelsons / BSO — silky strings extending into high register
NOISE FLOOR AND LOW-LEVEL RESOLUTION
- Haydn, Symphony No. 94, Audiophile Reference 1 Track 13 — quiet background revealing delicate percussion overtones
- Tom Petty, "Shadow People" — faint percussion in near-silence distinguishes better systems
- Mahler No. 2, Mehta / Vienna — most silent passages as a system discriminator
COMPLEX MIX SEPARATION
- Nine Inch Nails, "Ruiner" — phasing tricks, layered complexity, studio effects
- Wilco, "Art of Almost" — dense mix requiring resolution to disentangle
- Pink Floyd, "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 1" — layered production, spatial effects
- Kansas, "The Pinnacle" — speed and energy under complex arrangement
- Gidge, "Perimeter" — immersive electronic complexity at scale
ROOM ACOUSTICS AND SPEAKER PLACEMENT
- Yarlung Records, circling tones — definitive test: tones should appear above and behind the listening position
- Kurt Weill, Threepenny Opera, Lotte Lenya — singers should rotate convincingly around the room
- Mahgister's note: any track with live spatial cues will expose acoustic deficiencies no price tag can fix
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