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What music do you use to audition new gear?

Which albums do you use to audition equipment? I have been shopping for new speakers, and I've been thinking a lot about this (and listening a lot).

I want to be clear: I am NOT asking about favorite albums, or about the "best" recordings. I'm curious about the experience of judging components or speakers, which is a very knotty and subjective thing, and which involves both of those factors plus many others. For instance, some people might play, say, heavy metal to test a speaker's crunch and power, even though they listen primarily to soft jazz vocal. Some here will argue one should bring familiar recordings, while others might seek out and bring extremely well recorded material, period (or test tone records!) Others play poorly recorded material, just to see how the speakers reveal it.

To get the ball rolling, here's what I've been bringing with me to hi-fi dealers recently...

-Ockeghem's Requiem --- something beautifully quiet and concentrated----the idea of listening to essentially "one thing," which here is voice... this one probably about soundstage. (Ensemble Organum).
-Kraftwerk, Computer World ---- their production masterpiece. I like to audition something totally synthetic and electronic just to see what the speakers (and my ears) do without any real-world referent.
-Woody Shaw, Cassandranite, 1965 (released 1993 on CD--I listen only to CD) --- an old favorite, thus very familiar. Hard bop, great combo. Classic sound.
-The Pixies, Doolittle --- another old fave, this one with huge dynamic range from song to song: from surging guitar rockers to quieter moans and whispers.

There's so much else, too---but that's the beauty of this hobby!!
I'm eager to hear other people's thoughts or strategies.
price
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Interesting question for me as I recently brought home a pair of Magnepans to audition. Kept them for a week but in the end they had to go back. The album that made up my mind was David Crosby's "If I Could Only Remember My Name." This album is a favorite of mine and sounded terrible on the Maggies.
Others I listened to were:
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Will The Circle Be Unbroken 2. There are a wide range of vocals on this one, Johnny Cash, John Prine, John Denver, Emmy Lou Harris, and many others.
Dead Man Walking Soundtrack, again for a variety of vocals.
Laurie Anderson - Life On A String. This is one of the best recorded albums I have. The bass on track 6 can rattle the windows.
Jane Siberry - When I Was A Boy. She does a duet with kd lang that blows me away. When the system is working I can hear two distinct voices in two distinct spaces.
Ani DiFranco - Up Up Up Up Up, another beautifully recorded album with solid bass.
mst
163 posts
 
I enjoy the sound of good raw edgy rock and high amp Jazz. Some of my favorites.

Perfect Night in London -- Lou Reed (see Stereo Times 2004 review which states: "What makes this recording an absolute audiophile gem is how the whole power grid of London seems to be channeled for this live session into Reed’s guitar strums and the sheer energy of his compatriots in the band. The sound that Lou generates from each strum of his acoustic guitar, (with his patented “Feedbucker” - a box that eliminates feedback”) is astonishing in its White Heat delivery and precision."

Tutu -- Miles Davis OK album but check out the track called Splatch. Excellent sonics

Naxos recording of the Water Music by Handel

Closer by NIN (Nine Inch Nails). Industrial rock, recorded wonderfully

Of course, if the dealer is acting like a jerk and trying to upsell you on some interconnects when you are there to listen to speakers, play some loud Iggy Pop or
blindjim
3,092 posts
 

I make an uncompressed comp CD of the music I'm both familiar with and will play very often. The genres range about and so do the songs within them. Usually I'll take a few with me.

If or when, I'm forced to listen to only the dealers music instead of my own, I tend to get on edge at that point and listening for accuracy naturalness, and detail become my keys... I've yet to buy any product I've had to audition using unfamiliar content unless my jaw was immediately fractured as it hit the floor.

So far the contusions have been quite few.
mst
163 posts
 
Another idea is Passion by Peter Gabriel. Well recorded and very varied in tones because he uses instruments from all over the world.
vegasears
1,173 posts
 
For many years I’ve used Cinemagic by Dave Grusin. The CD dates from the late 80’s. It’s not particularly well recorded but I know the album. It has low level strings and piano passages along with boomy brass and orchestra sections. The key is I know the recording and remember what its sounded like through the many changes in my system.
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