Quality of recording while evaluating speakers

Krall & friends are indeed well recorded, but not so much as to be an outlier. Mainly it’s such simple, sleep-inducing music that it seems to magically avoid exposing most systems’ major problem areas - and this is why it’s such a popular choice in gear demos. To me - it’s not good choice.

I have a large collection of vinyl plus a decent digital / FLAC library. This is comprised of a lot of hard rock, heavy metal, pop, alt rock, new wave, & soundtracks - not much "audiophile approved" material. I’d say at least half of it (a bit more than half) sounds "really good" or better (with some real stunners), and I try to pick from here where when I get new gear. The other half...is unfortunate. It’s hard for me to enjoy that material, even if I love the music :(

"Truth is I'm not really happy with my system..."

"Overall I'm happy with my system..."

Why bother, I'm out.

LOL!

Kind of like @emergingsoul, I can only compare one speaker to another. So I find it best to rule out as many variables as I can.  So comparing speakers using different recordings is a non starter. I use a recording I know well, and have heard on many systems. One example is on Hope by Hugh Masekela, Stimela.

The best sound I heard with this song was on a system at a dealership with Wilson Shasha speakers and Bel Canto Ref 600 Mono block amps I think. I heard a very dynamic sound that sounded very obviously like the live concert that it was. I've heard that song on many other systems with different speakers, but of course the other equipment was also different. And I only hope it's the same mastering. Plus different rooms, and on and on it goes. But I do my best.

BTW I listen to all kinds of music and recordings in regular sessions.

nope.  evaluate using recordings that you know personally and know exactly what they should sound like.  

I had a friend come over to listen to my stereo.  he put on a song I didn't know and in 10 seconds said "your channels are reversed".  I had just swapped out a component before he arrieved and he was right.  

Evaluate that the recording sounds like you expect it to on the best system you've ever heard.  

As I upgraded my system, using the same songs, I was always amazed when an upgrade would reveal things i'd never heard before.  that would not be revealed to me on a track I didn't know very, very well.

Now most of us will tend to listen to tracks that are well recorded but that is for a different reason.

One track I like is Sympathy for the Devil, not known to be well recorded.  but most of us heard it over and over on bad systems, probasbly spinning worn out vinyl on a cheap player with a junk stylus, in our youth.  Put it on with a good system and there is a lot of detail in there you never heard before.   oh yeah, you no longer need to turn it up to enjoy it.

Jerry

@tkhill  Yup, +1