What music would YOU take to demo speakers?

Rodney G · 01-14-2004, 08:33 AM

Greetings,

I'm new. Working on obtaining all of the equipment for my first HT. After lurking here for a few weeks, I decided I need to go audition speakers but have no idea what to take with me. I realize it's a subjective question, but was hoping your answers would help narrow it down for me. Thnx!

So far:

Epson Powerlite 7700p projector
Da-lite High Contrast Da-Mat Tensioned Executive Electrol – 6’ x 8’
Denon 3803 receiver
Denon 2900 dvd

Rick_Brown · 01-14-2004, 08:43 AM

You take music that you know intimately and have listened to 100's of times.

Dan_Whip · 01-14-2004, 08:47 AM

Don't let anyone tell you to take a certain CD. You need to take something you yourself are *very* familiar with. If you take music you've never heard before, you won't notice any subtle details a speaker may be missing. On the other hand, with something you are very familiar with, you will be able to pick up on these things, and hopefully hear more detail than you've ever heard before.

Keeping that in mind, make sure you take both music and movies with a wide range of sounds. You will want to make sure the highs are not too bright for your taste, the mids are clear, and the bass goes low enough. Since this is for a HT, make sure the dialogue is coming out of the cc cleanly, and the voices sound natural.

Hope this helps some

Evan M. · 01-14-2004, 09:51 AM

I agree that you should take music that you are familiar with but bring as wide a range as you can. My wife and I listen to rock, jazz, funk, classic....yes a wide range but you want to hear how the speakers handle all of them. We listen to a lot more rock and jazz then classical so we wanted a more up-front speaker. However we did not want it to color the classical music. It is also good to audition music that is vocal heavy so you can really see how smooth the tweeter is. Female voices seem to show off the smoothness very well. I also like to bring samples with a lot of hi-hat and bass....such as jazz so I can see how dynamic the speakers are. So if your musical tastes go in ranges of different types of music bring examples of all. If it is mainly in one area then bring as many different examples as possible. Good luck.

Lew Crippen · 01-14-2004, 10:07 AM

Make sure that you take some movies (as Dan has already suggested) as well as music. This is because HT has at least one challenge not presented in music: distinguishing dialogue, especially when there is a lot of action.

I see a reasonable number of posts where people mention that they need to turn the volume up and down in order to hear dialogue. With good speakers that are properly calibrated, this should not be necessary.

Try this: get the system so that dialogue at normal speaking levels sounds normal (or as it would in a theatre). Then make sure that you can distinguish whispers and can make out what people are saying during car chases, explosions, etc.

If you can’t, likely the speakers are not properly calibrated or the center speaker is not up to the job.

As with music, take movies that allow for this wide range of sound, and ones with which you are quite familiar.

Good luck with your choice and have fun.

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Manuel Delaflor · 01-14-2004, 10:14 AM

Use CDs with acoustical instruments, if you listen to classical something like Prokofiev and a big orchestra, some choral music, a small ensemble, a trio, a piano solo.

You will seek then a huge soundstage for the complete orchestra, deep authoritative bass for the double bass and the percussions, ability to listen individual instruments and distinguish when there are several playing (eg violins).

With choral music you will find how the voice sounds, is it nasal? is it harsh?

A small ensemble should give you a smaller soundstage, you will need to be able to listen for the position of the different instrument voices, the "cellos begin here and end here".

With a trio you should find a smaller presentation, and every instrument should have the particular texture and detail.

Finally, the Piano solo is a very difficult instrument to reproduce, it is percussive (you need fast attack and decay in the speakers) and at the same time it can sustain the notes, leaving them in the air. You should be able to point directly to the piano as if it were right in the stage.

Of course, your mileage will vary, because recordings are FAR from perfect, you would need to select them before.

Doug Otte · 01-14-2004, 02:12 PM

This probably sounds silly. I put an audition CD case together a few weeks ago, but haven't had time yet to even go to the store to start auditioning!

Anyway, I tried to select the broadest range of music, BUT CDs I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH:

solo piano - Coda by Sakamoto
orchestra - Beethoven's 5th by Kleiber/Vienna
electronic - Underwater Sunlight & Dream Mixes 1 by Tangerine Dream
female voice - Hounds of Love by Kate Bush
male voice - Secrets from the Beehive by David Sylvian
dance rock - Republic by New Order

There are a few more I can't remember at the moment, but you can see there's a wide variety.

Lew, I'm glad you suggested voice, because that is very important. My current JBL N-Center is very poor in that regard.

Cheers,
Doug

Justin_D · 01-14-2004, 02:47 PM

I find Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head to be a good demo for both vocals and piano. I know its not all I would bring, but its a start.

Chris*Liberti · 01-14-2004, 02:53 PM

Usually I bring a selection of different stuff. I usually bring the following:

Pines of Rome: Reference Recording
Eric Dolphy "Out to Lunch"
Neil Young "Harvest" DVD-A
Norah Jones SACD

for movies I bring:

Attach of the clones
Fight Club (some serious low bass)
Seven (awesome ambience effects)

John Garcia · 01-14-2004, 02:55 PM

Tori Amos - Under the Pink, and now the new Tales of a Librairan which are stunningly good remasters from all of her albums.

Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue SACD Good transitions between hard and soft, very well recorded (MoFi).

Dave Mathews Band - Crash - well recorded, variety of instruments and a lot of vocals.

I also bring a variety of techno/drum & bass because I like to see how a speaker does with a variety of material, and electronic music tends to reveal quite a bit about a speaker to me - how low can it go and how clean is the midrange.