CD's you bring for auditioning


Do you also have some CD's which you use to audition equipment and which will reveal immediately shortcomings, eg I use

Buddy Guy - Sweet Tea (first couple of tracks can be unbelievable hard to listen to on some equipment

Pink Floyd - DSOTM, checkout the bass, the clocks can sound 'washed' up on some over-tubed systems

Pink Floyd - The Wall , played at loud volume will immediately reveal shortcomings on loudspeakers

and yours...
vinylmeister
Try Master of Chinese Percussion - Yim Hok-man - crank it and listen carefully to the timbre. Sheffield Labs Drum Tracks 1 & 2 are useful too - again listen for timbre. Both should produce transients above 110 db at the listening position while still sounding effortless & clean (take an RS meter if in doubt). Both are available on XRCD.
Ok...I really use the following tracks to audition systems (notice I didn't not say "components"):

Track 1 - “Quick Rejuvenation” from the IsoTek Full System Enhancer & Rejuvenation Disc – I swear by this CD to break-in and warm-up a system. If I’m going to audition a system, I ask if I can let this track run before listening. The original CD has (2) additional 30-minute tracks (one with more low-frequency information than the other).

Track 2 - “Ave Maria” by Sarah Brightman off the Classics release – Yes, this is the common wedding classic. However, if Ms. Brightman’s voice alone doesn’t make you want to leave your wife-to-be at the altar, you’re good until “death do you part”. Sarah’s voice floats and never sounds shrill; always lovely and relaxing.

Track 3 - “The Mummers' Dance” by Loreena McKennitt off the Book of Secrets release – It’s very easy for the low-end to become muddy; it should be a platform for the ethereal vocals. The harmonies should be clear and distinct; not one voice. The system should not over-sweeten this track (overall engineering could have been better) – it sounds very good, but not amazing. All focus should be on the vocals.

Track 4 - “Song of The Nile” by Dead Can Dance from the Spiritchaser release – So many things to listen to during “Song of The Nile” (this track stands in contrast to the previous – the system should make this obvious). Imaging and panning is always interesting. The skins of the percussion have texture. The vocals hang in the air and the decay lingers without seeming confused. Each instrument is very well recorded, and the overall piece is exquisitely produced.

Track 5 - “Prelude from the Bridal Suite by Eric Tingstad off the Windham Hill Guitar Sampler – This is a very simple arrangement; mic’ed very closely, yet the room is still captured. There is good dynamics, nice tonal balance, and great PRAT.

Track 6 - “The Ballad of Bill Hubbard” by Roger Waters off the Amused to Death release – The challenge in this track isn’t the obvious – the holographic sound staging and imaging. This track is about making nuance obvious. The low-end can be boomy; it should add to the tension. I hate how this track just suddenly ends, though.

Track 7 - “Kitkahaki” by the Sea Beggars from the unreleased Sea Beggars EP – This was a demo that I recorded and produced for some friends; one take (with only the female vocal recorded later). The vocal is very aggressive; but the overall sound is natural and honest. Since I was there (and I recorded it) I know what it should sound like.

Track 8 - “Amy” by Ryan Adams off the Heartbreaker release – You should be able to peel apart the layers of vocals. The contrast of the percussion (which should be appropriately felt) and bells (that float) give this track nice dynamic contrast.

Track 9 - “Sandusky” by Uncle Tupelo from the March 16-20, 1992 release – Each part should be distinct. The kick drum should not be lost, as it drives the tempo. Some systems will make this track sound like a beautiful mess; it should be a sonic “choose your own adventure” depending on which part you follow.

Track 10 - “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart by Wilco from the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot release- It’s not the song, but all the “other things” that are going on in this track that makes it interesting (particularly at the end). The shakers make you swear you’re wearing headphones

Track 11 - “Danko / Manuel” by Drive-By Truckers off the Dirty South release – Simple, clean and clear – the polar opposite from the previous track. A lesser system will present this track as boring.

Track 12 - “I Could Have Lied” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from the Blood Sugar Sex Magik release – Rick Rubin did a nice job producing this track (and the whole album, actually). There is an essence of rawness that allows the emotional intensity to come through. It would have been easy to sugar-coat this track. Note the general instrument texture and the minimal, but appropriate, guitar solo.

Track 13 - “Lithium” by Nirvana off the Nevermind release – Opening bass line should have a rich fullness. The impact of the first kick should be a warning of the upcoming onslaught of guitar noise. If this tsunami of guitar sounds thin, your system doesn’t rock. Period.

Track 14 - “Saint” by Catherine from the Sorry! release – This song is a sonic train wreck (not to mention the lyrics). However, a good system will make some sense of this mess. It won’t make it sound good (by any stretch of the means), but you’ll say, “I think they meant it to sound like that” as opposed to “What the hell were they thinking?” I use this track because I don’t own any Husker Du on CD.

Track 15 - “Know Your Enemy” by Rage Against the Machine from the self-titled debut Rage Against The Machine – the analysis of this track is essentially the same as “Lithium”. The ability for a system to “rock your face” is essential for this track. The guitar work is pretty amazing – I had to see them live to learn how those sounds are made (a mute toggle on the guitar).

Track 16 - “The Grudge” by Tool off the Lateralus release – Listen for the opening “depth charge” kicks; the system should be able to articulate each of the kicks as they arrive in rapid-fire succession. This song is really about the percussion; and if it is lost in the noise. There should be fullness in the presentation without the guitar or cymbals sounding harsh or shrill.
Graceland - Paul Simon

Absolute Torch and Twang - k d lang

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis - Columbia CK 52861 (Gold disc with SBM)

Born 2 be Blue - Steve Miller

Stop Making Sense - Talking Heads

American Beauty/Workingman's Dead - Grateful Dead