There will be certain albums or tracks that can physically test your system, with the results being measurable or blatantly audible, but the problem is that we all listen for different things. Person A is listening for an easy going tone that they can relax to, with no harshness or sharp edges - he might not care about subtle details. Person B is a detail person - he doesn't care about whether what he's hearing sounds natural in any way or has any sort of emotion to it, he just wants to hear the lead singer scratching his ass between lines. Person C is listening out for the soundstage, and correct placement of large orchestras. Person D is after a fast, tight sound, void of character but rich in timing. I could go on (I'm sure someone will throw in some amusing ones), and some people might want a number of those characteristics together. You get the point. With any number of system combinations out there, some satisfy, some don't, it just depends what you want the system to do, or what you want from the system.
There are some speakers I don't like the sound of when they're not driven properly - when they are, they're amongst my favourite speakers - other people may prefer them when they're not driven properly. How should these albums sound on a system that suits any one person's preference? Do they still show the system's strengths? I have albums I use, either because I like the balance, or like the way the drums sound, or the vocals sound like they're in the room. Much of the time it'll come down to what you know, as you can't really assess a system with music you've never heard before and don't know (other than if the instruments sound realistic, if you have experience of those instruments of course).
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