music to test a hifi....

[admin_exported]

Hello All

Can anybody recommend any albums that will test how good a hifi is?

This has probably been a topic before.. sorry.

Also I have just found the a bad example of compressed music on CDs.

I bought placebo's greatest hits and always thought it sounded terrible - this was confirmed when i downloaded and burned placebos Meds album which sounds spot one - arggggghhh!!

thanks

 

[daveh75]

ideally you need to use music you like and know inside out

 

[Anonymous]

You test for your ideal so choose your ideal track and have an idea what you're looking for. See then if you get close to your ideal.

 

[basshound]

agree that you must use a track that you know really well,if you hear stuff that you`ve not noticed before and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up then you`re on the right tack

p.s. I like placebo too,the first album is outstanding,maybe consider using something from that (assuming you have it)

 

[Anonymous]

I completely agree that you should use what you know. But if you're busting for ideas: Hifi shops always have these because everyone and their auntie's cat knows them back to front.

Dark Side of the Moon
Frampton Comes Alive
Beethoven's 9th Symphony
Kind of Blue
Abbey Road

But personally I think a strong female vocalist is a must for testing gear.

 

[the record spot]

Joni Mitchell - Night Ride Home (title track)

System 7 - Tokyo Transmissions - Anything from Track 4 onwards - very detailed dance from Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy, but plenty going on to keep a CD player busy.

Genesis - A Trick of The Tail - Mad Man Moon - this has a lot going on too, but is also very quiet in places, so you get the handling of voice and piano, but then the busy instrumental section.

Aimee Mann - Whatever - 50 Years After The Fair & Stupid Thing - two great tracks from this standout debut album from one of the best kept secrets in music. Apart from being a couple of good songs, she deserves not to be quite so big a secret any more...!

And there's tons of others. Better to use a well recorded and mastered album than dependance on something that's compressed to death too by the bye.

 

[Anonymous]

hi, i would try van morrison still on top all remastered hits, a test for any system.

 

[gregory]

Some recordings sound good others not so good, why not try a stereo test record to make sure your turntable is optimally set up correctly. There is a common knowledge regarding certain recordings that sound good, i.e fleetwood mac's rumours, pat methanys offramp, ozark mountain daredevil's men from earth, in fact most albums recoded on the A&M label sound good, Supertramp is a good example. I have always found the original to have the best sound quality even over 200gms pressings, when Led Zeppelin had their records pressed Jimmy Page insited on using virgin vinyl only. I have compared my original zep ll to a 200gms pressing and the original wins hands down but if your TT is not set up properly you will miss out on the wonderful sound vinyl has to offer.

 

[gregory]

Just re read your post, i assumed you are using vinyl so please ignore my last post if not.

 

[Thaiman]

I see many of this kinna threads hundread of times and there will be many people recomended their favourate test tracks according to his/her musical taste.

You are the one that buying!? So what are your favourate albums? Let say If I recomended you Moloko, "the time is now" (which is a very well engineer track) but you will never ever want to listen to Moloko what sense would that make? I assume you would like to buy Hifi system to play the music that you like! (Placebo sound amazing on my system by the way) good luck

 

[Anonymous]

One of the best recorded albums for many reasons is Yes - Going For The One.

Another best is the ever popular Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon.

But one of the best ever which combines brilliant music with a superb recording is Radiohead OK Computer. I have the YES one on 2003 Remastered CD and 1977 pressed 180g vinyl, the DSOTM on audiophile 180g virgin vinyl and the Radiohead on both 180g vinyl and 1997 CD.

 

[gregory]

As a yes fan myself i compared fragile on cd, musical fidelity x ray V's my rega p2. the rega has an immediacy about it that the x ray lacks but still turns in a fine performance, i think Thaimans point is a good one, only the music you know well will give you a good indication of how your system sounds, what exactly are you after, better sound or music you like.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

Hughes123:One of the best recorded albums for many reasons is Yes - Going For The One.

Another best is the ever popular Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon.

But one of the best ever which combines brilliant music with a superb recording is Radiohead OK Computer. I have the YES one on 2003 Remastered CD and 1977 pressed 180g vinyl, the DSOTM on audiophile 180g virgin vinyl and the Radiohead on both 180g vinyl and 1997 CD.

All of Radiohead's stuff is superbly recorded. I was listening to the "free" In Rainbows this morning - absolutely stunning.

However, I'm with TM. Loads of people hate Radiohead (weirdos), so using those albums would not make any sense.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

Hughes123:One of the best recorded albums for many reasons is Yes - Going For The One.

Another best is the ever popular Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon.

But one of the best ever which combines brilliant music with a superb recording is Radiohead OK Computer. I have the YES one on 2003 Remastered CD and 1977 pressed 180g vinyl, the DSOTM on audiophile 180g virgin vinyl and the Radiohead on both 180g vinyl and 1997 CD.

All of Radiohead's stuff is superbly recorded. I was listening to the "free" In Rainbows this morning - absolutely stunning.

However, I'm with TM. Loads of people hate Radiohead (weirdos), so using those albums would not make any sense.

 

[Anonymous]

Thaiman:
Let say If I recomended you Moloko, "the time is now" (which is a very well engineer track) but you will never ever want to listen to Moloko what sense would that make

I played that Moloko track last night and yes it does sound great. Something to do with Mark Brydons skills and years of experience from building Fon Studios etc.? I usually find that most busy dance music (Basement Jaxx!) really put my system to a test. Could it be my Arcam CDP having trouble?

 

[Anonymous]

I also love Radiohead albums, OK Computer is my favourite. Also Massive Attack's Mezzanine, some deep bass and punch to test your system.

Joe Jackson and Steely Dan cds also are very well recorded.

Recently I've listened to a pair of Al Stewart albums, The Year of the cat and Time Passages; they're both produced by Mr Alan Parsons and they both sound very good IMO, especially Time Passages.

 

[Anonymous]

First of all, in order to test equipment and determine if it really sounds natural, you need to know how acoustic instruments sound in the first place. Unfortunately, most people do not regularly attend to classical concerts; they haven't been exposed throughout their lives to the sound of an orchestra or even a piano, so they don't have recorded in their brains how a cello, a violin, or a clarinet sounds. You can't judge hi-fi equipment comparing it to what you hear in a rock concert, simply because what you hear in a rock concert is not a natural, acoustic sound, but rather an amplified one, which comes out of microphones, amps and a PA speaker system.

Having that said, for me, the best way to test hi-fi is using classical music. This will tell you right away if the system preserves the timbre of instruments.

And also, the most difficult thing to reproduce is a full size orchestra. Some demanding classical pieces are Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, Mahler and Bruckner symphonies, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Strauss' Also Spracht Zaratustra, the sailor's chorus of Wagner's Der Fiegende Holl„nder ...and in general any big symphonic / choral work from the romanticism or later.