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Are our 'test' records adequate?

Most of us have some favourite records with which to check the health of our systems, or to assess a new component within our systems.
These records are often carried with us whenever we wish to assess a completely foreign system in a different environment. I have my favourite ‘test’ records, some of which I continue to use even after 30 years. I know them (or parts of them), so intimately that I feel confident in my ability to assess a component or complete system after just one listen.
I know other audiophiles who have specialised their ‘test’ records to such an extent that they have different discs to evaluate for Voice, Bass, Large Orchestral, Chamber, Piano, Strings, Drums, Jazz, Rock.
Almost invariably, these vinyl discs are superbly recorded and sound stunning, not just on very fine systems, but also on average systems.
Of course, because each of us knows his own discs so intimately, it is possible to assess the 'omissions'in a foreign system by memory, often to the puzzlement of those to whom the discs are not so well known and to whom the sound had been thoroughly satisfying and impressive?
But I have begun to wonder recently, if this is in fact the most reliable method of evaluating components and systems?
I am sure most of us have heard records on our systems which are almost unlistenable or certainly unpleasant and we have simply placed these discs in the 'never to played' shelf of our storage unit?
But perhaps some of these records might be more revealing than our fabulously recorded 'test' material?
For some time I have been disturbed by two records in my collection, which despite their fame, have sounded poorly (in various parts) despite improvements to my turntable, speakers, amplifiers and cartridges.

Harvest by Neil Young on Reprise (7599-27239-1) has some nicely recorded tracks (Out On The Weekend, Harvest, Heart Of Gold) as well as 2 tracks (Alabama, Words), which have confounded me with their leaness, lack of real bass, vocal distortion and complete lack of depth. The album was recorded at four different venues with three different Producers and those two tracks share the same Producers and venues.
After mounting a Continuum Copperhead arm as well as a DaVinci 12" Grandezza on my Raven AC-3 and carefully setting arm/cartridge geometries with the supplied Wally Tractor and Feikert disc protractor, I was actually able to listen to these tracks without flinching, and could now clearly ascertain the 'out-of-key' harmonies of Stephen Stills together with the clearly over-dubbed lead guitar boosted above the general sound level on the right channel and the completely flat soundstage.

Respighi Pines of Rome (Reiner on the Classic Records re-issue of the RCA LSC-2436) had always brought my wife storming down the hallway at the 'screeching' Finale whilst I scrambled for the volume control to save my bleeding ears.
Again with the two stellar arms and strict geometry, the 117 musicians could not hide the shrill, thin and overloaded recording levels of the horns (particularly the trumpets).
But the wife stayed away and my volume level remained unchanged.

My wonderfully recorded 'test' records had sounded just fine with my previous Hadcock arm but it's only now, when two 'horror' discs can be appreciated, that I truly believe my system 'sings'.
Perhaps we could re-listen to some 'horror' discs in our collection and, with some adjustments to our set-up, make them, if not enjoyable, at least listenable?
128x128halcro
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rauliruegas
13,084 posts
 
Dear Doug: Btw, no hi-jack here it is only that Doug point out something important about.

+++++ " is that as we listen to more music and as our systems evolve our audio memory improves, as do most brain functions when exercised. " +++++

our memory is extraordinary if we make " excercise " with it, Doug is totally right on it or at least I gree with.

There are many audio myths that are only that: audio myths ( false assumptions ) and the " very-short audio memory " is IMHO one of them.

Thanks to that " VSM " ( that really is a long-term memory and improving it ) we can grow up on the up-date system set-up/tunning and taht's how we make system or audio item comparisons, IMHO there is no other way.

What is true is that that VSM/LTM is different on each person due mostly to its self audio/music experiences ( audio/music exercise ), so exist persons with " poor " VSM on audio/music as exist people with great/accurate audio/music VSM and people on the middle of these extremes.

Other IMHO very important subject that Doug point out was: +++++ " inaccuracies in the other one's preamp in a matter of minutes, inaccuracies neither owner had ever noticed. " +++++

this almost always happen, our ears are " equalized " by what we are hearing and sometimes we can't identified little problems that exist in our systems, that's why I really like to make the exercise that other people comes and hear my system and in the same way I try to hear as much I can other home systems and obviously attend as much I can to live events.

Btw, Doug IMHO: Paul and I have ( not the same ) similar audio memory and that's why both detect the other each product " inaccuracies ".

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
jdaniel13
129 posts
 
Halcro--I'm so glad (relieved) to hear your response to the shrillness at the end of Reiner's Pines!!. I thought it was my system. To calm my suspicions, I listen to the Maazel Pines on London/Decca..not a problem at all.

The big question for me is: at what point to do quit upgrading and respect the limitations of certain records? Do you have the famous Jeux/Nocturnes with Haitink? I find the last pages to be a tad harsh and congested. Yet then I put on the Arnold "Peterloo Overture" (EMI w/his Symphony #5) which is at the end of the lp and as complex as one could ever imagine, yet my cart combo sails right through it and it sounds as though it was located at the beginning of the record.

How in the world does one know how to assess a system accurately?
jdaniel13
129 posts
 
Here is a list of pretty popular, famous Classical Lps that my humble system handles, but not very flatteringly. I would love to know how your $25-$50k+ systems handle them:

The last pages of the Reiner Pines, as mentioned above.
The last pages of the Janis Prokofiev 3rd
Pavorati's High C at the end of side one of the Karajan/Puccini La Boheme
The final brass chorale during the last Cornish dance of Arnold's Dances on Lyrita

The final loud section of Haitink's Jeux on Philips
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
"How in the world does one know how to assess a system accurately?"
That is precisely the intention of my initial post Jdaniel.
At what point do we say......."This recording is poor, sounds awful on my system and I never want to play it again?"
That 'point' can only be, when we are self-confident enough in our own system's ability to eliminate distortions throughout the chain.
I was physically unable to sit and listen to the finale of the Reiner 'Pines' even with my Raven AC-3, Copperhead/DV1s, DaVinci 12" Grandezza/ZYX Universe until I had eliminated the micro distortions created by tiny errors of cartridge/arm geometry.
If you are able to physically listen to that finale on your system at high listening levels, I'd say your system was doing well.
As for the question on assessing a system accurately?.... playing those 'difficult' records will objectively tell you if something is wrong whilst listening to the 'great-sounding' discs may not?
jdaniel13
129 posts
 
"As for the question on assessing a system accurately?.... playing those 'difficult' records will objectively tell you if something is wrong whilst listening to the 'great-sounding' discs may not?"

The cosmic issue is how to determine at what point "difficult" might mean flawed to begin with; moreover, "great-sounding" doesn't always mean that the grooves aren't demanding. It makes it really hard to judge a system's performance, though I admit reviews and reports from people like yourself certainly give a me some excellent and much-desired perspective.

I have one anecdote: I picked up a beautiful copy of Munch's Berlioz Requiem on Shaded Dog Lp's which (seemingly) gave my system (scoutmaster/dyna 20xl) fits during some Soprano lines in the first track. I futzed with the alignment for days with no luck. I stumbled upon a Reel to Reel machine, picked up the same Requiem on R2R and was shocked to hear the exact same distortion on the tape in the exact same places. All that work and worry, and the grooves (and my cart) were simply relaying a flaw in the recording!

(For those who like Bruno Walter's stereo Indian Summer on Columbia, but cringe over the Lp sound on occasion, I can sadly report that the R2R counterparts sound exactly the same.)

For those with high-end systems, I would love some of you to compile lists of Lp's that you've never gotten to sound "right." It would save us "mortals" a lot of time wondering if it's the record or our systems.
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