What music would YOU take to demo speakers? (1 Viewer)

[JakubH]

Things I take with me:

1. The Ultimate Demonstration Disc from Chesky Records - the best recordings I own are on this disc. Every track is simply amazing (recording quality wise) and is prefaced by a vocal track pointing out what to look for. Actaully anything on Chesky or Mapleshade records would do nicely.

2. Propellerheads - Drumsanddecksandrockandroll - This is a very nicely recorded CD for electronic music, and its a great bass test for speakers. If you don't know it, the song from the Matrix lobby scene is on here along with other very dynamic bass material.

3. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong (not sure of the discs) I'm very familiar with their voices so I always take this with me.

These are my core albums, I take others as the fancy strikes me.

There is an interesting school of thought about demo material that is not mentioned here: Take well recorded music that you don't particularly care for. The idea being that music you love can get you very emotionally involved on even very modest equipment. By using music that doesn't get you emotionally involved, you can more objectively evaluate the performance of the speakers, without being 'swept away' by the music.

Personally, I can see the concern, as I've found music I love very involving on even a tabletop radio at times, but I'm still not conviced of this method.

 

[Seth--L]

Here's what I take with me:

Magic!: Peter Richard Conte plays the Wanamaker Organ.
This recently released disc will give any system a good workout. The Wanamaker Organ is the largest working pipe organ in the world. On the back of the CD is printed the following warning:


Bruckner: Symphony No.8 - Boulez/VPO on DG
This is a brilliant engineered disc - DG brought in engineers from Decca to help make it. This is one of the few recordings where the sound of the concert hall has truly been reproduced. The soundstaging, balance and imaging are all superb. Record sound is warm and reverberant. What particularly makes this a great disc for demo usage is that the recording can be played back at both low and (very) high levels. Amazingly this is a live recording, made from only two concerts.

For vocals I take:
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn - Szell/Fisher-Dieskau/Schwarzkopf
Fischer-Dieskau is simply one of the greatest singers ever, and EMI did one of their best jobs here capturing his electrifying projecting.

For the female voice, anything with Anne Sofie von Otter works well. One favorite is:
Mahler/Zemlinsky: Lieder - von Otter/Gardiner NDR on DG.

 

[Eric Eash]

i agree that you should take what is familiar. also, right before you go to audition, play the hell out of your favorite song on your system, and in your car system. that will help you judge the systems you are auditioning. also, since you asked for suggestions, here is what i got.

Nirvana-Unplugged in New York
Sublime-self titled
Cranberries-Everybody else is doing it
Dave Matthews-Any Album
Outkast-Stankonia/Speakerboxxx
Hootie and the Blowfish-Cracked Rear View
System of a Down-Any

just my .02,

eric

 

[JohnnyG]

Now please list your picks so I can criticise you. :rolleyes

 

[Joel()Les]

I look for music that is clean and simple; no synthesizers or special effects. I want something I can compare to what I would expect if I were listening to it live. I focus on voice and music that would have a wide soundstage. For example, I love U2 but do not take it as a demo because Bono's accent is not the same as an American accent. Therefore, I have a harder time judging its accuracy.

Some of my choices include:

Paul Simon: "Diamonds on the soles of her feet" is a good test for the voice
Madonna: "Vogue" is good song for her voice and a strong bass line
Bruce Hornsby: "The way it is" for voice and piano (a difficult instrument for speakers to reproduce)
"Fanfare for the Common Man" Classical (not ELP's version). Excellent test for the soundstage.

 

[Philip>L]

Can you be specific? Thanks...

 

[glenn.arsenault]

Pretty much the whole CD. Amused To Death, was recorded using Q-Sound. This type of recording is processed with psychoacoustic effects to produce an extremely wide, deep and totally surrounding experience with only two loudspeakers. Tracks 1, 3 & 12 are interesting.