What music do you use to audition equipment/cables

I use the same 7 tracks from a burnt CD compilation :

1. Spanish Harlem - Rebecca Pidgeon (Chesky Records CD)

2. Handel - Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba, Scottish Chamber Orchestra (from a 1985 Hi Fi News Demonstration Disc; HFN003)

3. The Bass Walk - Bert Kaempfert (from a special Avantgarde Acoustics demonstration disc called "Nice to Meet You")

4. Goin' Back - Devendra Barnhart (regular CD)

5. Somewhere Down The Crazy River - Robbie Robertson (from the MFSL gold CD)

6. Mercy - Duffy (regular CD)

7. The Garage Door Or The Dynamic Range Of Real Life - Mike Skeet (from a 1985 Hi Fi News Demonstration Disc; HFN003)

All 7 tracks are excellent recordings and I now know intimately how each track sounds on my system. Hence, when I use these tracks for demonstration purposes it is easy for me to say; better, worse or different when comparing equipment. If you have never heard track 7 (Mike Skeet); you need to. This is a great track for making people jump with fright the first time they hear it. Absolutely incredible dynamics, nothing I have ever heard compares to this. Track 3 (Bert Kaempfert) will make you realize just how good some vintage recordings still sound on modern equipment, absolutely glorious.

Marcus

@Chrshanl37 - whenever you receive a new component which piece of music do you use to hear the difference?

Surely that's clear & succinct...

The majority of my listening is to classical music. In doing evaluations, tweaks, adjustments, etc. I generally focus on some of my best sounding recordings, but like Roxy54 I also usually assess a few mediocre to poor sounding recordings, often 1960's rock, pop, or folk.


Following are some of the best sounding recordings, that I use frequently. Unfortunately many are out of print, but may still be findable.

Dvorak "New World Symphony," Horenstein/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Chesky CD31 (CD).

Beethoven "Waldstein" Sonata, Paul Badura-Skoda playing an 1815 Hammerflügel, Astree AS73 (LP)

Beethoven, Sonata for Violin and Piano Op. 96, Abel/Steinberg, Wilson Audio W-8315 (LP)

Chopin, Piano Sonata No. 3, Hyperion Knight, Wilson Audio WCD-9129 (CD)

"Images Galantes de la Renaissance," Polyphonia Antiqua, Pierre Verany PV 4791 (LP)

"Danses Anciennes de Hongrie," Clemencic Consort, Harmonia Mundi France HM1003 (LP)


Others that range from excellent to poor sonically but are often useful:

"A Dorian Portrait" (sampler of tracks from the Dorian classical catalog) (DOR 90004) (CD)

Giacomo Puccini, "Greatest Hits," CBS MLK-45809 (especially the arias sung by Dame Kiri te Kanawa) (CD)

"Silver Linings, songs by Jerome Kern," Joan Morris (mezzo-soprano) and William Bolcom (piano), Arabesque Z6515 (CD)

The Seekers, EMI Recordings 1964-1968 (4 CD Set)

"Projections," The Blues Project, Verve Folkways FTS/FT-3008 (LP); also contained in "The Blues Project Anthology," Chronicles/Polydor 31452-9758-2 (2 CD Set)

Regards,
-- Al

Sure that is clear but I have to ask do you listen to your system and get lost for hours or do you constantly play the same tracks over and over or just play certainly parts of songs because they are the best a showcasing your systems abilities? I find the approach of using certain tracks to audition gear a bit strange. When I audition a new piece of equipment I listen to music I actually enjoy and if I forget the new piece of gear is in my system because I am lost In the moment I consider buying it. If I obsess over certain tracks thinking about things like sound stage or macrodynamics trying to quantify what I like or dislike about it, I pack it up and return or sell it. I know far to many audio enthusiasts who have great systems but end up on the gear swap merry go round because they are always listening for the "differences". That is nothing but agony. Use the music you love, if it draws you In you have a winner, if you start over thinking it cut and run. I know my answer was not what you had anticipate when you started the thread and for that I apologize, I should have just abstained. Good luck.

Sorry for misspellings typing on my phone