What is your goto reference recording

I always used to use "Ah Um" by Mingus to test systems. It's well recorded and has diversity of instruments, enough to test almost anything except pipe organ or full blown symphony orchestra. 

I'm not sure a system should be evaluated solely on those last two.

I use the Bill Evans album "Waltz for Debby" to determine whether the system or device being tested properly shows off the magic of this recording.  If the cymbals don't shimmer, or the brushes aren't palpable, and the soundstage isn't a glow, I know there's a problem somewhere in the chain. 

Dire Straits Love Over Gold

rotarius-
PM sent.

An assortment of superior quality XRCDs or quality mastered redbook CDs, depending on the genre preference of the guest listener. These include any and all of the following:

XRCD

- Female vocalists in "Best Audiophile Voices" in the various discs in that XRCD whole series;
- Grand piano in XRCD with "Steinway the Beautiful";
- Classical masters in XRCD with "The Best of the Audiophile Classics" ( Bach, Brahms, Schubert, Chopin, and Beethoven;
- Rock in DIRE STRAITS in XRCD with "Brothers in Arms".

In standard redbook CDs , for rock / guitar instrumentals / jazz : all of the following three :

+1 for DIRE STRAITS "Love Over Gold";

Guitar instrumental: CHESTER & LESTER ..... Chet Atkins and Les Paul on their chosen electric guitars together as a duo, backed by the cream of Music City’s studio musicians circa 1975 in Nashville - a great 14 track offering .

Jazz in BILL EVANS "Riverside Profiles"... remastered in 2006.