What is your goto reference recording


What record CD or down load is the music that you use to judge your system by or shop with ?
128x128tomstruck
Bartok "Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta" - Segei Ozawa/BSO on DGG LP!
Only CD here and I go with the first pressing of Pink Floyd's DSOTM from Japan and Dire Strait's S/T album Japan Target pressing.

I agree a system has to play everything, but you need a couple of high quality recordings you know well, to take to a demo. Mine are:

Lyle Lovett, Joshua Judges Ruth

Dvorak, Rusalka, , The Decca version, with Renee Flemming, the first few tracks.

If you think you don't like opera, just try that recording, it's just wonderful.


As an aside, the last time I saw Russalka, was at the Glyndeborne, in the UK. festival and the Soprano, in her excitement, flew 15ft off the stage into the orchestra. She was fine, the £30000 cello she landed on was terminal though. There was the inevitable call for a Doctor. Absolutely no point I thought, there'll be hundreds of them. Sure enough, I was persuaded to volunteer and was told they had 24 Doctors already!