HiDef testing : what to choose

xlider

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May 3, 2013
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Hi,

I bought a very nice system a couple of weeks ago (TEAC AI501) and a couple of nice speakers (MA Silver 8). The cables are good, and I have had about 40 hours of running in...

It is now time to do some testing to see what my ears can hear or not, and what makes sense with the material I have.

I would like to test the following:

- CD listening Digital connection with a DVD player through coax. The DVD player has a funny function that says "oversampling", so I'll test that as well.

- Through Apple TV and Toslink Digital connection : different bitrates for MP3, lossless,... I understand the Apple TV resamples at 48kHz, which seems weird, but let's listen.

- Through asynchrone USB, different bitrates of MP3 and escalate lossless up to 192 kHz - 24 bits...

The idea is to have blind listening and see where this brings me.

2 issues though:

- When comparing different sources, the volumes are often not the same, and my ears are very sensitive to volume effects.

- I read a lot about CD and above quality. I basically become dependent not only on my system, but also on the recording...

So here is the question:

==> Which tracks do you recommend to do this testing. I would like to use some classical and some rock examples... Ideally, I would like ot know if there are accepted "standards" to which I can tune to.

Thanks
 

BigH

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Dec 29, 2012
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Well I don't know what cds you have but I would use for classical, full orchestra, piano sonatas and some violin music. Jazz trio I find to be very good with piano, double bass and drums. Also try some vocals, male and female.

If you can stream Deezer try this album: THIS IS K2 HD SOUND! - Various. Tracks 5 and 15 are good.
 

GeoffreyW

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Sep 17, 2005
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There's loads of hi def Studio Master classical, rock and jazz at Linn Records, all downloadable. Expensive for full albums, but you can download tracks. They're in either FLAC or ALAC format, and you should find some suitable tracks there, I'd guess. I download tracks to my laptop, then transfer them to memory stick, to maintain integrity - hopefully.
 

pauln

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You should look for well produced CDs with good dynamic range; original 80's releases (NOT the more recent remasters) from Donald Fagin, Steely Dan and Dire Straits spring to mind. Certainly in the 90's, it seemed like the sound engineer on every gig I worked on used Kamakiriad/The Nightfly/Solitude Standing for EQ-ing purposes. Stanley Clarke albums are good for bass guitar. Dark Side of the Moon is another perennial favourite. For speech, Richard Burton reading Under Milk Wood is excellent.
 

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