Music you take when auditioning equipment

[Top Cat]

Hi all,

I have never auditioned Hi-fi equipment before (all my equipment is budget and decades old) but I wondered what music I should take to help me choose new equipment, I thought that perhaps something that would test the bass, dub for example and maybe something with good stereo separation as well, like Voodoo Chile. Anything else?

What do you take with you to judge the equipment you are auditioning? Something that is minimalis? Technical? Or just something that you are familiar with?

 

[Deleted member 108165]

Hi all,

I have never auditioned Hi-fi equipment before (all my equipment is budget and decades old) but I wondered what music I should take to help me choose new equipment, I thought that perhaps something that would test the bass, dub for example and maybe something with good stereo separation as well, like Voodoo Chile. Anything else?

What do you take with you to judge the equipment you are auditioning? Something that is minimalis? Technical? Or just something that you are familiar with?

Always take something you a very familiar with.

 

[Al ears]

Hi all,

I have never auditioned Hi-fi equipment before (all my equipment is budget and decades old) but I wondered what music I should take to help me choose new equipment, I thought that perhaps something that would test the bass, dub for example and maybe something with good stereo separation as well, like Voodoo Chile. Anything else?

What do you take with you to judge the equipment you are auditioning? Something that is minimalis? Technical? Or just something that you are familiar with?

Always take something you a very familiar with.

+1.

Agree. Something you like and very familiar with that has a broad range. Not much good using a well recorded classical track if you're not sure on how it's meant to sound.

There have been threads on here in the past about what actual albums / cds people take along but this is little help if you are unfamiliar with the work in question.

 

[MajorFubar]

+1 to all of the above, but to say the same thing from a slightly different perspective, take along the albums you want to sound good on your HiFi in your house. No point if the speakers in the shop sound good playing Greatest Hits of Mahler but your Morbid Angel record collection sounds cr-p on them.

 

[chebby]

Take the music you love playing the most. You want this process to be enjoyable don't you?

Don't be too suprised if nothing you listen to sounds quite as good as your old gear, or if you need a lot more cash than you thought to match it.

 

[SteveR750]

Since all of my music is stored and played from my laptop, I take that with me having made up a standard parlay of about 6 songs, songs which I like and know really well. They're not necessarily "hi-fi" tracks, some of them are 70s recordings with a much more restricted bandwidth than current material. It's these old supposedly poorly recorded tracks that show up the differences in really looking for.

 

[ID.]

I take a range of stuff, but always include

Xtal by Aphex Twin

Pretty much all about the bass and treble, but really tells me a lot about the resolution of the system.

Also happy for the dealer to throw in a few tracks. A good system should also make music I'm unfamiliar with sound good and hook you in.

 

[philpot1001]

Its been a while for me, but i tend to take 1 album that sounds fantastic, and brings out the best of all systems. Next time i go ill take Dire Straits - Best of (really supreme mastering), one really badly mastered album that i always have beef with (Gerry Rafferty - Best of, suffers with slightly recessed vocals and one track is really bright), and one that has excessive bass (i have a dance compilation album called Bargrooves that can sound boomy).

 

[Vladimir]

Xtal by Aphex Twin

I use the Windowlicker. It catches some attention in the hi-fi store.

"This is not Sultans of Swing!"

No. It isn't.

 

[Infiniteloop]

There are some in these forums that I'm sure would love to take their favourite test tones with them.

Oh, and an oscilloscope.

How else are they going to be convinced of the accuracy of the system they're listening to?*biggrin*

 

[matthewpiano]

Sometimes it can be helpful to hear something you aren't familiar with to see how effectively a system draws you into new musical territory. I certainly appreciate the dealer putting something unfamiliar on for me.

Aside from that, there is a handful of things I nearly always turn to, though it has been a long time since I was last in a dealer's audition room.

Going to the National Hi-Fi Show a week on Saturday so looking forward to hearing some systems there.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_10206860771459045]

Hi all,

I have never auditioned Hi-fi equipment before (all my equipment is budget and decades old) but I wondered what music I should take to help me choose new equipment, I thought that perhaps something that would test the bass, dub for example and maybe something with good stereo separation as well, like Voodoo Chile. Anything else?

What do you take with you to judge the equipment you are auditioning? Something that is minimalis? Technical? Or just something that you are familiar with?

...Something new, something borrowed, something bl... What ever you want! (I know it doesn't rhyme - but indulge me!)

Personally, when I audition equipment, I stick to the above 'Marrage rhyme'. An album or song you really know well (am I hearing anything new from this album?); an album or song only just bought (does it sound better on the new equipment?); [taking into account different systems / components / speakers etc. - Everyone has different sonic 'tastes' and an album sounding excellent on one system can sound awful on another] an album or song borrowed from a friend (does it sound better / worse; does it engage me more or less and, do I like it more or less on this system; could I listen to it on these componants?); finally [I hear the sigh of relief!] an album or song you REALLY [and I do mean REALLY] enjoy listening to, something you would play ad nauseum and never get tired of hearing (do I still love this song; can I still listen to it on the new system; does it start to grate on you etc?).

I know this is just a personal opinion, but I hope it has been helpful.

For me: Old = Rumours (Fleetwood Mac); New = The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman (Sparks); Borrowed = Montibello Memories (Matrimony) & Bl.. Use Your Illusion II (Guns 'n' Roses).

Hope this helps in some small way.

Regards,

Darren.

 

[jmjones]

I would echo the statements about taking something you like. In my case it is "Something Inside So Strong" by Labi Sifre. By the time the backing choir has cut in, I've usually heard everything I need. Twiddly bits, a great voice, baseline then it gets full on.

 

[CnoEvil]

I like to test a system with the following:

- Solo Piano (which is hard to get right)
- Violins (shouldn't sound screechy or piercing)
- Soprano (shouldn't sound like a cat with it's tail caught in a door)
- Cymbals / Drums (Cymbals shouldn't sound glassy and drums tight, deep and punchy)
- Something you know that's poorly recorded (you don't want a significant percentage of your collection put out of bounds because it's unlistenable).
- Something bass heavy and tuneful, to make sure it's not reduced to a slurred mess.
- Something with a lot going on, to see if it can stop it sounding muddled.
- Male voice (shouldn't have a "cupped hands" effect).
Try to bring stuff you know...and a good sign is if you hear elements that you never knew were there, or you can make out lyrics that were usually unintelligible.

 

[Infiniteloop]

I like to test a system with the following:

- Solo Piano (which is hard to get right) - Violins (shouldn't sound screechy or piercing) - Soprano (shouldn't sound like a cat with it's tail caught in a door) - Cymbals / Drums (Cymbals shouldn't sound glassy and drums tight, deep and punchy) - Something you know that's poorly recorded (you don't want a significant percentage of your collection put out of bounds because it's unlistenable). - Something bass heavy and tuneful, to make sure it's not reduced to a slurred mess. - Something with a lot going on, to see if it can stop it sounding muddled. - Male voice (shouldn't have a "cupped hands" effect). Try to bring stuff you know...and a good sign is if you hear elements that you never knew were there, or you can make out lyrics that were usually unintelligible.

+1

...and something to get your toes tapping. If a system does that, you know you're on the right lines.

 

[Andrewjvt]

I take music i know very well so i can hear improvements in the sound. I also take a wide range of different music styles to get a good feel for strengths and weaknesses

 

[Top Cat]

Thank you for your feedback everyone, much appreciated and maybe not just by me.

Cno, all good points there, thank you.

I was half going to suggest that maybe I should audition something that I do not like, for example, Robbie Williams (apologies for swearing) and seeing if I got more objectively involved in the music but that could just have me judging how quickly a component reacts to being turned off/ muted, rather than getting involved in the music and experiencing the wonder of hearing a bit of detail that you have never heard before.

 

[Top Cat]

Xtal by Aphex Twin

I use the Windowlicker. It catches some attention in the hi-fi store.

"This is not Sultans of Swing!"

No. It isn't.

I am very likely to take Squarepusher's fabulous Ultravisitor album - I think it would have both the bass sound that I would want to audition and the detail (I saw him a few months ago at the Dome in Brighton, it was one of the best gigs I have ever been to) and will think about taking some Aphex Twin too but I think there's other stuff, like Led Zeppelin II, that would interest me more and I don't want to be pushing a wheelbarrow full of CDs, that are not on my iPod / laptop, in to the store! It's going to be tough compiling a shortlist though, I reckon maybe take a maximum of 10 CDs.

As mentioned in my OP, all my equipment is budget and I was going to go for a speaker upgrade first but I am going to look at headphones first, for a few reasons 1) the £10 set of headphones I purchased about 2-3 months ago seem to already be failing (and they are, unsurpisingly, rubbish) 2) Actually having some decent headphones will mean that I do not have to upgrade the speakers and then the amplifier 3) I could even audition a DAC at the same time.

I think the Dire Straits album of the same name is a great album by the way.

 

[ID.]

Xtal by Aphex Twin

I use the Windowlicker. It catches some attention in the hi-fi store.

"This is not Sultans of Swing!"

No. It isn't.

I am very likely to take Squarepusher's fabulous Ultravisitor album - I think it would have both the bass sound that I would want to audition and the detail (I saw him a few months ago at the Dome in Brighton, it was one of the best gigs I have ever been to) and will think about taking some Aphex Twin too but I think there's other stuff, like Led Zeppelin II, that would interest me more and I don't want to be pushing a wheelbarrow full of CDs, that are not on my iPod / laptop, in to the store! It's going to be tough compiling a shortlist though, I reckon maybe take a maximum of 10 CDs.

As mentioned in my OP, all my equipment is budget and I was going to go for a speaker upgrade first but I am going to look at headphones first, for a few reasons 1) the £10 set of headphones I purchased about 2-3 months ago seem to already be failing (and they are, unsurpisingly, rubbish) 2) Actually having some decent headphones will mean that I do not have to upgrade the speakers and then the amplifier 3) I could even audition a DAC at the same time.

I think the Dire Straits album of the same name is a great album by the way.

I usually burn a dozen tracks or so to one CD rather than packing 10+ CDs into a travel case.

 

[Vladimir]

Something of a lighter calibre that I would recommend is Todd Terje - It's Album Time and for multilayered Terre Thaemlitz (aka DJ Sprinkles) - Midtown 120 Blues or Queerifications & Ruins: Collected Remixes.

 

[Top Cat]

Something of a lighter calibre that I would recommend is Todd Terje - It's Album Time and for multilayered Terre Thaemlitz (aka DJ Sprinkles) - Midtown 120 Blues or Queerifications & Ruins: Collected Remixes.

Oh man, you've hit the nail on the head there with the Midtown 120 Blues - love a bit of deep house! It was worth joining the forum just to get that recommendation!

 

[Vladimir]

It's a great album. Anyone into deep house can give it a listen at Soundcloud.

 

[Top Cat]

I just purchased some KEF M400 headphones. A poor attempt at a review is here:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/headphones-etc/kef-m-400-headphones-attempt-review