12 of the best-produced recordings to test your speakers

[What Hi-Fi?]

We shine a spotlight on some of the best music recordings that will show your system at its best.

12 of the best-produced recordings to test your speakers : Read more

 

[djno]

and Fagen's Nightfly?

 

[Nev 373]

But surely, and with the greatest of respect, Fagen's Nightfly and his other related work has been done to death a bit. It's nice sometimes, to see some other stuff. I for one, on the strength of this list, will be listening to a lot more Jellyfish having now heard of them.

 

[Wolf]

We shine a spotlight on some of the best music recordings that will show your system at its best.

12 of the best-produced recordings to test your speakers : Read more

I don't get it. Why I take an old recording (e.g. Wagner), with all the limitation of the time, to test current or not so old speakers? It's like hooking up an mp3 player for a sound check

 

[lovlid]

I don't get it. Why I take an old recording (e.g. Wagner), with all the limitation of the time, to test current or not so old speakers? It's like hooking up an mp3 player for a sound check

Are you assuming the article is talking about the first Wagner recordings? And that it was recorded when Wagner was still around? How cute.

 

[Tim Honey]

Are you assuming the article is talking about the first Wagner recordings? And that it was recorded when Wagner was still around? How cute.

There's probably a more constructive way to answer the question than to just be condescending. Or can't you actually explain it?

 

[JennaChaplin]

Surely there are recordings made after 2003 (19 years ago!) that are more worthy? For instance, I much prefer LVB symphonies and piano concertos made within the last 10 years - the recording equipment, and all that has been learned by engineers over the years, create a much more realistic and convincing experience. Many older recordings, including much-loved ones, are bedevilled by limiters and muddled instruments. But that's just my opinion of course.

Any suggestions from other contributors to this thread? When I have time, I may make some suggestions of my own.

 

[freelunch]

Great production, yes, Steely Dan/Donald Fagen. Kamakiriad is also nice. Good to see I'm not the only one listening to Jellyfish. Overblown, maybe, but fabulous recording. I also vote for Latin Quarter, Modern Times (1985) and Big Dish, Satellites (1991). It doesn't hurt that they are excellent albums as well.

I have a test CD that I take to hi-fi auditions. Each song contains elements that I look for in good equipment. (Sorry to be a bore...):

Boccherini, Concerti da Violoncello; Mary Coughlan, A Leaf from a Tree; The Civil Wars, I've Got This Friend; Alison Krauss, Baby Now That I've Found You; The Carpenters, This Masquerade; The Buena Vista Social Club, Amor de Loca Juventud; The Grateful Dead, Sugar Magnolia; Bonnie Raitt, Love Letter; The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, New Walkin' Blues; Gary Moore, Still Got the Blues; Lloyd Cole, Grace; Donald Fagen, Walk Between the Raindrops; The Cardigans, Erase/Rewind; Tom Verlaine, Ancient Egypt; Prefab Sprout, The King of Rock'n'Roll; Little Feat, Mercenary Territory (live); The Stranglers, Goodbye Toulouse; The Pretenders, Hollywood Perfume; The Veronicas (yes), Take Me On The Floor; U2, Vertigo.

 

[Ian AV]

I agree for any music genre, once the obsession of making everything louder than everything else for the mp3 mob ended. Everything inevitably got better as digital took over in the recording studio putting paid to inherent analogue harmonic distortions and the ubiquitous tape grunge. Unfortunately, much music has this artificially re-added for those who like that sort of thing. Personally, I prefer the pure, original sound like that live in a venue small enough that drums don't need amplification. That is the true sound to emulate.