Good CDs to Test Your System

Thanks for the hints!

One of my favorites is "High Falls" from the Allman Bros. album "Win, Lose, or Draw". It is a pretty deep track instrumental in the Bros. catalogue. I like it as a test track for many reasons- the synchopated rhythm from dual drummers Butch Trucks and Jamoie Johnson, a keyboard solo by then member of the band Chuck Leavell, a very lyrical guitar solo from Dickie Betts. You get a wide range of tones from all of the instruments as well as subtle nuances from the rhythm section. It fills a room and offers details to be revealed with a good system. 

maxnewid post

Now that is the kind of advice I was hoping to receive!

Thx!

I second the Cheskey Records Ultimate Demo mentioned above. It's specifically made for this. It has songs to test each individual characteristic and covers 90% of what you need. But it is lacking in a couple of areas that I fill in with ...

Metallica's Sad But True is the best for drums. Due to Bob Rock's use of lacquered plywood on specific areas of the wall the drum sounds on the Black album are unique and have a great mixture of direct and reflective sound.

The Cheskey record doesn't really have anything that adequately tests dynamic range, especially on the low end. For that I use the electronic music song Tiger Prowl by Cualli from the album The Monk of Chunk. If you listen very closely it's also a decent song for lateral imaging, but it doesn't have a lot of depth.

And for a mishmash of acoustic instrument imaging I use Doobie Bros Steamer Lane Breakdown.