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Brinks

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Nov 15, 2019
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Overture-Cotton Avenue’ Joni Mitchell featuring Jaco Pastorius from the album Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter.
A masterpiece of vocals and guitars, this track shocks you with its transients and amazing imaging.
My original copy (over 40 years old) sounds magnificent.
 

Doogra

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Nov 15, 2019
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View attachment 5

Hello What Hi-Fi? Community!


As you may know, What Hi-Fi? updates our official playlist with a new selection of the music we've been listening to (and testing with) in the past month. As a forum launch celebration, we’re asking the community to put forward songs to add to our official Ultimate audiophile playlist.


🎵 Getting involved is super simple, just post a title of your song (one per member), and a description as to why it’s a good recording. We’ll find it on Tidal and handle the rest.


🎧The rules for our playlist are that you can only post once, and we can’t have the same artist twice, so make sure you pick the best song for the playlist.


To have a look at some of the tracks we’ve chosen previously, we’ve linked to them below. Happy listening!

To listen to the playlist via the streaming service of your choice, just click on the relevant link below to load up on new music.

Listen: What Hi-Fi? Spotify playlist 2019

Listen: What Hi-Fi? Tidal playlist December 2019

Listen: What Hi-Fi? Deezer playlist December 2019

Listen: What Hi-Fi? Qobuz playlist December 2019

We’re looking forward to hearing what you are listening to!

Future Community Team🎼
When auditioning audio gear I have always used Seal's "Show Me" as one of my standard tracks. The combination of minimal instrumentation and his vocal qualities make this an absolute joy to listen to on quality audio gear.
 
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mdr

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Nov 15, 2019
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When I was choosing my hifi, the one track that tested them more than any, was Chris Rea - Road to hell, Where the raindrops make way for the deep gravelly voice. On a good hifi this track will shine.
 
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kenosha

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Nov 15, 2019
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"Goodbye" by Melody Gardot from her album The Absence.

This track has it all: it's a great tune that transcends genres, the lyrics are great, Melody's vocals are exquisite (as always). And the recording is fantastic. You can hear each instrument and voice distinctly, even when there's a lot of layers at the same time, it's a very dimensional and spacious sound and a terrific track for auditioning gear.

But I don't care if my suggestion doesn't make the cut. I'm just happy to see everyone else's suggestions. Whathifi readers have better than average musical taste and an ear for high-quality recordings.

Many of the suggestions on this list are tracks I know and agree that they are excellent suggestions for this play list.

But there are a lot of tracks you've suggested that I haven't heard before, and I'm now checking them out on TIDAL and digging them very much.
 

dragospascu

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Nov 15, 2019
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Well, my vote has to go to Steely Dan - Gaucho.
But since I discover a lot of great music following your website, here's my contribution: Fanfare Ciocarlia - Cucuritza. I dare you to keep still listening to it :)
 

MoPac

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My vote is for Trentemoller: The Last Resort - Evil Dub. This guy paints the stage with sounds better than any other electronic music producer I've ever heard and it's not boring.
 
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andyvarde

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Sep 23, 2011
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Brilliant pick. A very well-recorded track, a great tune, the band smokes on this track. A fun listen with very high replay value, and good for auditioning new gear.
Agree. If we had several goes this would have been on my list. Saw them at Blenheim Palace in the summer and I must say they have still got it!
 
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Oozle1884

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Nov 15, 2019
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Hi everyone, not visited for a while so thought I'd add my two penneth!
Paul Simon..... Late in the evening, was a B side ( remember them)? to you can call me Al (12" version) I played it more than the A side and have used it as one of my test tracks eversince, there's so much going on so many instruments massive soundstage and oh that rhthym!!!
 

pep-tdi

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Nov 15, 2019
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Almost 30 years now and something about this track, Manic Street Preachers: Motorcycle Emptiness. Ticks every box for me, and symbolises pre awful music such as the likes of Take That, Boyzone, and the Apex rubbish group Oasis........Blue touch paper lit?
 
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Dazatron1980

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Nov 16, 2019
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Im gonna say Dissolved Girl by Massive Attack
Beautiful vocals, a track that conrasts light and dark so well with production to die for
 
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techygeezer

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Jan 10, 2015
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View attachment 5

Hello What Hi-Fi? Community!


As you may know, What Hi-Fi? updates our official playlist with a new selection of the music we've been listening to (and testing with) in the past month. As a forum launch celebration, we’re asking the community to put forward songs to add to our official Ultimate audiophile playlist.


🎵 Getting involved is super simple, just post a title of your song (one per member), and a description as to why it’s a good recording. We’ll find it on Tidal and handle the rest.


🎧The rules for our playlist are that you can only post once, and we can’t have the same artist twice, so make sure you pick the best song for the playlist.


To have a look at some of the tracks we’ve chosen previously, we’ve linked to them below. Happy listening!

To listen to the playlist via the streaming service of your choice, just click on the relevant link below to load up on new music.

Listen: What Hi-Fi? Spotify playlist 2019

Listen: What Hi-Fi? Tidal playlist December 2019

Listen: What Hi-Fi? Deezer playlist December 2019

Listen: What Hi-Fi? Qobuz playlist December 2019

We’re looking forward to hearing what you are listening to!

Future Community Team🎼
 

2BFrank

Member
Nov 16, 2019
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Prince - The Rainbow Children (NPG Records, 2001)

Overall Prince catalogue isn't really exciting when it is about testing you're hi-fi components, but this album and the jazz title track in particular is an exception to me. Very 'in your face' ..a bit over the top maybe even. Although somewhat brutal all elements are here to push limits on you're system, especially low end. My no.1 pick since it's release in 2001

View: https://open.spotify.com/album/7iikVlTD1TjzDhOJWgUdsc
 
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Flip44

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Nov 16, 2019
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My choice is Shinkansen by Tom Middleton. This track takes you on a sweeping electronic journey and hooks you with a smooth rolling baseline part way in.. Epic stuff in my opinion.. Great for testing out headphones and speakers!
 

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