25 of the best tracks for testing bass

[What Hi-Fi?]

Check your system sounds as it should with this genre-spanning selection of brilliant basslines.

25 of the best tracks for testing bass : Read more

 

[simonali]

Like the Gogo Penguin track. Will be checking out the rest of the album.

 

[simonali]

View: https://youtu.be/jVo8bPozgvM

 

[wiseguy]

Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture

 

[Rhyanski]

Massive Attack's "Angel" is very bass intensive, but I consider "Unfinished Sympathy" being more suitable for testing, as there's a low frequency thud that comes slightly off-beat, and is so low that on many systems sounds washed out.

Enter Shikari's "SSSnakepit" - first 35 seconds literally will push the system to the limit. This is how you wreck your speakers...
Korn's "Freak on a leash" is a nice test as well from the very beginning, especially at 20-22s from the start.

Back in the days there was a hip-hop group called "Nemesis", who literally were obsessed with bass and low frequencies. Basically anything from those guys is nice for testing as the bass is very much synthetic and very low. This is their spotify page.

View: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0FhfezGfDiRAGxIXz4qeKl?si=-K7hXOvKRTCETZIqiVIBPA

 

[pawlie73]

Smith & Mighty "Move You Run"-boot rattling bass, Elbow "Starlings"- lotsa low end rumble

 

[DavinB]

Self -from the Subliminal Plastic Motives album, Sophmore Jinx is a great tune test out some bass...

 

[BlaezaLite]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHnsrXqkSC0

Bad Company UK The Nine

View: https://youtu.be/svW2KL-9KQI

Netsky Lost in this World
May not be some peoples cup of coffee, but both of these are just head nodding classic dnb tunes. Enjoy the rolling bass!

 

[alexanderb]

Thanks for the article! I just got a separate subwoofer for the first time and have enjoyed working through the list. Here are a few more I can add:

 

[Sir Ken Smith OBE]

I seem to remember the What Hi-Fi staff go-to test track for bass about 25 years ago was Working for The Man by PJ Harvey

 

[Robin182]

I agree with Fleetwood Mac's The Chain particularly but Frankie Goes to Hollywood and War will give it a monster test too and for low level response it has to be River of Bass by Underworld, this track knows how to go low!

 

[patmarcus]

Agree with many of the above. Here's an addition from the nu-school of Hip Hop that had me open mouthed at both the production finesse and the cavernous bass - "Ain't it different" by Headie One. I had to check more than once that my sub (a REL S812) wasnt on.

 

[davidc]

Seriously, no Telarc 1812 Overture? The cannon is at 6Hz, 6Hz, did I say 6Hz?!