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Top 3 songs to evaluate a system

Hi everyone,

So here is the question: what are your Top 3 music pieces to evaluate a system?

The songs should be complementary to cover a wider range of features, but not necessary. If you only listen to one type of music, it would make sense to only evaluate with this type.

Bonus: identify one good part of the piece where you pay extra attention because this is where the difference between systems is more visible.

I'll start:

Holly Cole Trio - Girl Talk - My Baby Just Cares For Me
Highlight: The vibrating cord at 1:59

MaMuse - All The Way - Glorious
Highlight - The clean guitar and the high drum beat that rythm the whole piece

Metallica - ... And Justice for All (Remastered) - One
Highlight - The first drums at 0:53, but the whole guitar as well


Doing this myself, I realize it's very hard to only pick 3!!

papyneau
wsrrsw's avatar
wsrrsw
1,075 posts
 

So many here I know and use to test. Nils Lofgrem "Keith don’t go" WILL sound good/great on most systems and I want Shelby Lynne to be my baby sitter. If she can’t then please send Patricia Barber. London Grammar, "Hey Now" is one my list too.

alanhuth.. nice find esp the Houston Person track

I love threads like this as often great music is gathered for my playlists.

In addition to all Rodrigo y Gabriela kind of stuff I also use tracks I don’t really typically listen to for pleasure but rather to test. "Poinciana" by Keith Jarrett’s Trio Whisper Not - Live in Paris 1999 is always going to sound great...(Playing now)

These will test any system

"Bop" Mr. Machine Brandt Brauer Frick..Dare yah!

"Toothbrush" Nothing But The Water (Album Version) Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

"IDKT" The Books

"Koyaanisqatsi" (Soundtrack) Philip Glass first 30 seconds. Points if you last.

"Duende" Black Light Syndrome Bozzio Levin Stevens


I wish I knew how to share Qbouz playlists

lanx0003
891 posts
 
I recommend the followings to name a few:
1. TakeDake: #6 Japanese Roots
- breadth and depth of soundstage, instrument separation and dynamics;
2. Voodoo by John Zorn & The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet
- bass, edgeness of alto saxophone, keyboard notes reproduction, separation, transients, treble extension (airy highs of cymbal); and
3. London Symphony Orchestra - Bohemian Rhapsody, Classics. 
- Let you test everything when the music/intruments/vocals get busier.
bgross's avatar
bgross
407 posts
 
@hilde45 - we’re on the same wavelength... Shelby Lynne’s "Just a Little Lovin" cover to cover is a benchmark whenever I’m giving new gear a twirl. My mother used to play Dusty "Live in Memphis" on her Mac/Thorens/AR rig till the wheels fell off! Big fan of Hans Theessink, "My Girl" off Sounds of the Southland & Derrin Nauenforf, "Danielle" & "Ghost Town" off Live at the Boardwalk" too when trying on new speakers. Simple stuff but the decay of plucked strings speaks to me. Most anything by Ben Harper; always clean and snappy. Like JJ Grey and Mofro’s "Lockloosa" - wildly satisfying. Could keep going... Beck, "Cycle" & "Morning" off Morning Phase give you some deep clear bass that is pretty telling. Anyway, great topic 👍
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,195 posts
 
As I read through the replies I noticed that most people seem to pick a song that they actually like or have an attribute that they feel stands out. For example - deep bass, 3D soundstage, type of bass guitar, or pick up a cymbal sound. This is interesting to me as these are recording attributes. I mostly prefer to hear these but I don’t use them to judge the sound. How many of you play an instrument or have recorded anything? Not that this may matter. I listen for piano first. What does that sound like as most music is in the mid-range. To me SS cannot offer the piano sound I prefer as the decay of the notes is to my ears to fast. Tubes seem to delay the decay which I prefer as to me it sounds more realistic and I can hear the "wood" of the instrument. Same goes for the sax reproduction. After that I listen for space, separation, and the placement around instruments and vocals. Especially the layering of vocal parts. How separate are they and does the layering seem smeared. Then I listen for backing instruments. I hear many systems that have layering and separation but the tone if off. Drums and bongos especially. Most of these need to have a "boing" or you should hear the skin flex and the body of the drum box. Same as the piano, how is the decay of the notes. Too many times I hear bongos sound like a flat wack. Almost like the drum is made of cardboard. Last to me is the emotion. Does the system portray emotion which I believe comes from the note decay. Shinko resistors from my experience have been the best emotional resistor I have heard.

So to my ears, does your system lay out the music and make me want to listen and not just how much I love the song.

Happy Listening.
Thanks very much for this great post....

Food for tought....You describe exactly and nail it with way  better words than i could what we must strive for when we create the right acoustic with a good system to begin with...

Anyway a good acoustic well done will reveal WHICH part of the system is to be upgrade...

But thanks to all people here for their great music  recommendation....

I will note some.....
mitchagain
458 posts
 
@bgross - Beck's "Morning Phase" album is a fave Sunday morning chill record for me; but, it's also a sonically interesting record. It made me revise my opinion of him.

@bigkidz  - Totally agreed about the importance of good sounding persussion (congas, cymbals & drums). I'll never forget auditioning a speaker that made the drummer sound like he was beating on plastic trash can lids!
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