What albums to test your Hi-Fi

[Dr Beat]

Hi all

I saw a thread in our forum recently, that commented that certain albums/music/ singers don't really test or show off the good , and the bad, points of your hi-fi, or the set that you are auditioning. Some just are "simple" arrangements , whilst some are just "more beats" than anything. I know you should have some audiophile stuff when you go off to demo, but are they normal stuff that do just this? I know a mate who carries a lot of classical stuff, whilst another only jazz stuff.

Anyone care to offer advice what CDs should one carry for an audition? It can't be *** Cat Dolls, right? C'mon, let's hear it, what CDs would you bring for an audition to flag out the good and bad points of a Hi Fi?

Cheers

 

[matthewpiano]

Personally I think you should just take a representative selection of the music you listen to, whether they are brilliant recordings or not. There is no point at all in take an 'audiophile' re-master of Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue' if you only listen to heavy metal, or auditioning with Mahler's 'Resurrection' Symphony if your tastes are more towards outer mongolian folk music.

Good hi-fi must serve your musical tastes and auditioning kit is about finding that out.

 

[Anonymous]

Agree with matthewpiano but my personal choice is usually one with a big dynamic range, and a variety of different sections like Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. Otherwise just favourite albums, like Elvis Costello's Imperial Bedroom or Talking Heads' Fear of Music.

 

[the record spot]

Must admit, I kind of agree but disagree at the same time. Take music you know well by all means, but if you do have some good recordings, and by that I mean stuff which isn't compressed to death and the like, then take them along. Good hifi can almost be reduced to the significance of diddly squat with tripe played thereon; if you have a fabulous source, so one perspective goes, then you have the building blocks for an excellent system, be it CD, vinyl, or whatever.

I'd suggest this goes a bit further; if you have excellent recordings with which to feed the source, you'll be adding to the cake, not just making up the icing.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Yeah; as above take a load of CD's that you'd listen to on a daily basis... Its the best way!

For me it has to be:

Pink Floyd - PULSE
Fischerspooner - #1
Gorrilaz
Elbow - Seldom Seen Kid
Jethro Tull - The best of
Hed Kandi - Lounge 2008
Layo & Bushwacka - Night Works
Massive Attack

Plenty of solid beats but also some smooth vocals and lots of varying instruments

 

[matthewpiano]

Just adding to my earlier post, I listen to a vast range of music so would tend to take a selection like:

The Sublime Voice (Carlo Bergonzi)
The Beautiful Voice (Renee Fleming)
Dvorak Symphony No. 9 (LSO/Davis on LSO Live)
Scheherezade (on an RCA Living Stereo recording)
Night Train (Oscar Peterson Trio)
Time Honoured Ghosts - Remaster (Barclay James Harvest)
Tea For The Tillerman (Cat Stevens)
Dummy (Portishead)
Absolution (Muse)
Animals (Pink FLoyd)
Burlesque (Bellowhead)

 

[matthewpiano]

I'm also starting to believe that the only way to really audition new equipment is in the comfort of your own home whether that means finding a helpful dealer or buying low risk items secondhand (that you are likely to get your money back on if you don't like them).

I'm going through phases with the Audiolab amp that I wouldn't experience in a dealer's dem room.

 

[seasiders rock]

The Blue Nile...Hats...

Mike Oldfield...Guiters.

Dave Matthews Band...Before these crowded streets.

Vinyl...The The...Soul mining...Try playing Giant with the wick turned up.

 

[Anonymous]

I usually take a selection;ÿ

Something orchestral: Shostakovich 10th symphony

Male voice: eg. Eric Bibb: Painting Signs

Solo piano, as the piano is difficult to reproduce accurately eg Pletnev Scriabin Preludes

Some early/baroque to see if it passes the screech test: eg Musica Antiqua Koln: Pachelbel Canon & Gigue; Bach Handel & Vivaldiÿ

an old jazz recording such as Kind of Blue or Brubeck's ÿJazz impressions of Eurasia

ÿBut in the end it depends on your musical taste - try to take a wide selection of the sort of music that you listen to.

 

[idc]

Here are mine from a previous thread; http://whathifi.com/forums/t/202288.aspx . I do think that you should take a wide range of music, some good recordings and some bad. My ultimate hifi test band are Gomez because of their numerous styles and complexity of their music and vocals.

 

[Anonymous]

*** cat dolls.

 

[Anonymous]

Massive Attack - Mezzanine.

Lows, highs, bassy, floaty. If this sounds good on your system, anything will

 

[Anonymous]

VERTIGO cd single buy U2
Track 2 VERTIGO 4:13
Jacknife lee 10" remix. play it loud, bsssy rythem that hits you in the face
and a slashing sound that cuts across from speaker to speaker.Anyone agree
that this sounds good on your system.

 

[Anonymous]

If you want to test how well a hi fi deals with high and low frequencies and it's dynamism, Prodigy - Fat Of The Land

 

[Anonymous]

I seem to remember bringing along:

- Schoenberg Gurrelieder (Rattle) - massively complex orchestral and choral textures, plus big solo voices.

- Respighi - Roman Trilogy (Maazel) - big brass, organ, percussion in large quantities, major test of detail and dynamic range.

- Thomas Quasthoff - Romantische Lieder - An extraordinary voice with unique characteristics - difficult to reproduce, but also for testing piano reproduction

- Frank Martin, Mass (Westminster Cathedral Choir) - Gramophone award winning choral recording

- Vivaldi Four Seasons (Concerto Italiano) - for timing

- Krenek Octet (Kremerata Baltica) - Lush strings, needs warmth, but detail as many parts.

Perhaps a little esoteric but fairly representative of my listening habits...

 

[the record spot]

Motorhead, Future Sound of London, Iron Maiden for when I buy Cerwin Vega! kit...!

 

[Anonymous]

Currently:

Rogers Waters - Amused to Death
David Gilmour - Live in Gdansk
Leftfield - Leftism
Counting Crows - Hard Candy (esp. the track 'Good Time)
Hickox (RIP) and the LSO - Vaughan Williams - A London Symphony
Biffy Clyro - Puzzle

 

[Anonymous]

I'm in the process of upgrading my speakers and have had a listen to a few different makes so far. The disks I used have been Sufjan Stevens - Illinois, Grinderman, Headhunters - Herbie Hancock, Stereotyp - My Beat & Broadcast - Tender Buttons. They worked a treat as I so far have discounted the Neat Motive 1's from my list.

 

[Anonymous]

lydgate,Your choice of music is very good. BUT and it's a "BIG BUT" The production on these albums are not the best. I have them also. You might not agree which is fair enough just my opinion. The original poster should take the music he likes the most. Music he knows very well is important. Not new sounds to him.

 

[ianr23gp]

hi fi newbie:

If you want to test how well a hi fi deals with high and low frequencies and it's dynamism, Prodigy - Fat Of The Land

Have to agree with hi fi newbie. Prodigy's epic sounding 'Climatize' from that album made my buy a Roksan K2 amp and B&W CM combo... Loose percussion handled with confident ease and a thundering bass with incredible detail was all the convincing I needed.

 

[tonky]

The Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album has beautifully natural vocals projected into my living room via a CA840A v2 and epos es14 speakers.

Duffy's Rockferry album and damian Rice "O" are superb too.

 

[Anonymous]

Purchase the WHAT HIFI HIGH END ENTERTAINMENT Magazine - or get a back issue if its still not on sale. It has a double spread about Hifi Terms:Ambience - Depth - Soundstage - Attack - Punch etc and each individual category has an Album Tester for you HIFI fans out there. Also there is some GREAT EQUIPMENT reviews there. I still read it too dream!!

 

[Anonymous]

" What albums to test your Hi-F"? As if the music were interchangeable. You'll never get an idea of the relative merits with that attitude. Test it with your own music, not recommendations from others. You do have some albums right?

If you like the music more, it's a good system/component. If not, don't buy. If it only sounds good with the right recordings, it sucks. 'Musical' equipment makes everything sound more involving.

 

[tonky]

I think it goes without saying that the previous comments come from people who thoroughly enjoy the musical content of the albums mentioned anyway! The fact is that some recordings ARE better and this fact is easily discernable on a decent hi fi. This is an added bonus!

I also listen to many other cds and thoroughly enjoy their musical content.

 

[manicm]

Come to think of it I think Roxy Music's Avalon makes a great test disc. There is a lot of air and atmosphere on this album and a system will either communicate it or not. There's also some great kick-drum on India to test bass!