Songs you use when auditioning gear

I don’t audition gear with great frequency, so my "auditions" are limited to specific component upgrades. In other words, I’m not cycling through components so the music I use for evaluation is the music I enjoy listening to. I don’t use any of the traditional "audiophile" tracks most will list. Just a preference. I will use The The’s Dusk album and any of Neko Case’s albums as both provide a good opportunity to see what the new equipment "reveals."

I’ll then move on to listening to select ambient, electronic, blues, jazz, funk, classical tracks or full albums by Depeche Mode, Chet Baker, the Police, Radiohead, Talking Heads, New Pornographers, Calexico, etc.

I think that my "test" music should be the music I listen to the most across a wide array of genres and not limited to specific tracks or genres. I want to enjoy all of my music not just one song or one album. Can the equipment make a mediocre vinyl repress of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters sound good? If so, then the rest of my collection will sound good. Will it reveal something on the colored vinyl pressing of Calexico’s El Mirador that is more present in the FLAC file? Then there’s a good chance everything will sound better. Rarely have I had an upgrade make a bad recording worse. It might reveal the shortcomings of certain albums but certainly not to where I would stop listening to certain albums. 

@bipod72 listening to tracks across the musical spectrum you listen to is a good point.  I think I sometimes get too focused on a particular song and don’t think enough about that sometimes.

@jastralfu I can fall into the same trap where I'm really into a particular track or album and will listen to different versions to see if I can hear a difference. But then I've found myself tiring of said track or album. I think having a handful of favorite albums across genres is a good way to listen to new components and throwing in a few new / old cuts is a great way to freshen the ears. 

Whatever I’m most familiar with or have lately been listening to so I can hear what is different or improved from what I usually hear.