What is your goto reference recording

I judge it by how well it plays everything.   No one recording covers all the bases.  

I use a CD that I made myself that includes 18 of my favorites. I have made several of these. They cover all genres that interest me.

Two CD’s that I can recommend are, Mannheim Steamroller “Fresh Aire 7” and Diana Krall “Live in Paris”.

Whenever I put something new in my system after things have settled down and I want to really start listening I always put on Mahler: Symphony No. 2 Valery Gergiev & London Symphony Orchestra because it has everything in it , massive dynamics, a solo vocal with hardly any accompaniment, great percussion and most of all wonderful playing. Quite the best recording I have of the fifteen versions in my library.

I’ll echo the assortment or compilation theme.

I enjoy many genres. Consequently I should have a bit of each one that has distinct items I’m looking for a ??? to exhibit or demonstrate. Bottom end performance; midrange; top end finesse; sound staging; area of the sound stage; amongst these tracks I should get some pretty good idea of what to expect. I use Jazz, blues, R&B, folk, country, alternative rock, rock, acid jazz, choral, acoustic and metal. I have a couple tracks of   Acapulco singers, male and female. Baritone Sax. Drums of course.

As said, I can’t see how someone could select ??? using but one sample of any music, unless that was the only music genre they listen to.

Put them onto disc and HDD, or bring along a couple LPs.