CD's you bring for auditioning

I agree with Tpsonic, the Mapleshade stuff is very revealing. One of my favorites is Kendra Shank's Afterglow recording.

The first two cuts, Almost Blue and Photograph are excellent for testing. Gives you that "I'm in the room with you" presentation. On a good system this can give you those goosebumps.

For example, the energy coming from Kendra's voice on Almost Blue can be too much for my CJ Premier 11a amp. On Photograph, the music flies outside-of-the-box into parts unknown.

Should only be the one's that are the top five in your collection. This way, you will know what differences are being produced. One of my favorites is the sound track of the motion picture 'The Mission'. I also have the DVD and I use that too. The range of the music on the latter disc's is unbelievable.

1. Orlando Gibbons "fantasias for viols' (Jordi Savall)
2. John Coltrane "Coltrane quartet plays"
3. Cannon's Jug Stompers yazoo comp
4. Morton Feldman "Coptic light" (Michael Tilson Thomas)
5. Jimi Hendrix "Band of Gypsies"

Paul Kelly, May 1992, Neil Young, On the Beach, Willie Nelson, Teatro.

I always use something from Greg Brown. Great for checking out midbass richness. His voice shouild sound appropriately gravelly and powerful.
I don't like to use my favorite recordings because with repeated listening, the joy of listening to them for fun can wear off. I like to use recordings that I like enough to listen to over and over, but not ones that I really enjoy listening to when not auditioning equipment.