QuestForThe13thNote said:
if you like electronic stuff with lots of synths I’d recommend Todd terje, it’s album time, to test the speed and dynamics of your system. If a system is lazy on dynamics this album shows it up, and if good, all the synths are really tight and well singularly placed. The track Preben goes to aculpulco is a good one for the test.
If you want to test high frequencies in your system, check out the last track on orbitals snivilisation album. The synthesiser sounds really come out and hit you with their hf impact.
The CD version of Todd Terje's It's Album Time - presumably the version you've been listening to? - is dynamically over compressed.
I suppose with albums like this, if the system's adding dynamic compression to the dynamic compression on the recording it will sound noticeably flat and uninvolving.
I prefer to look at things in a different way. If you have a relatively uncompressed recording and play it at reasonable volume on a system with relatively little compression: you'll be worried that your speaker drivers will burst out from the cabinets. Or it'll sound like the music is a series of spikes being driven right into your brain. Or that the music is just naturally there, in the same way it would be if you had the band playing live in your room.