best cd's to impress your friends with..

"Ghost of Tom Joad" Springsteen, "Love Over Gold" Dire Straits, "The Symphony Sessions" Tom Cochran, "Graceland" Paul Simon

I'm with Doug. Let them hear what they like with a good system that will impress them more than some super audiophile recording of music they don't. The fastest way to turn someone off is to "force" something on them that they really aren't interested in.

I select something unusual that I am certain that they have not heard, whether it be Yo-Yo Ma or a new version of "Duke of Earl". I do not play any of my reference tracks as I am sick of listening to them. The few local friends that are into this hobby, of course, bring their own CD's. When listening late at night, I often surpise myself by just grabbing any CD in the dark living room and loading it into the player which is now located in the hallway closet.

If your system is really "dialed in" and can throw images around like crazy, try any CD by Isao Tomita. This guy did (does?) classical and movie score material in electronic fashion (synthesizer), and everything I've heard is just completely wacky and wonderful - and mind boggling in terms of imaging and soundstage. I have only 2 right now: (i) "Snowflakes Are Falling" (music of Claude DeBussy) RCA/BMG 9026-63588-2; and (ii) "The Planets" (yes, Holst's) RCA RCD1-1919, but I have heard parts of some others, and all of them more or less remarkable. I'm not saying Tomita's music will end up being your favorite or even your cup of tea, although it is very "accessible", but if you want to impress friends with what YOUR audio system can do, as opposed to a Circuit City or Sam Sung special - Tomita will do it for you.

Roger Waters- Amused to death, when your system is dialed in you can literaly get about 240 degree soundfield, it's uncanny in a dark room. I have impressed and scared the heck out of people with this.