what are your audiophile reference / test songs?

[ThijsJ]

mine are:

Angel - Massive Attack - Mezzanine

The Wilhelm Scream – James Blake – James Blake

Limit To Your Love – James Blake – James Blake

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi – Radiohead – In Rainbows

Secrets – The Cure – 17 Seconds **

Three – The Cure – 17 seconds **

Walking On The Moon – The Police – Greatest Hits

Spirits In The Material World – The Police – Greatest Hits

Sign "O" The Times – Price – Ultimate

Billie Jean – Michael Jackson – King of Pop

So What – Miles Davis – Kind of Blue

I Scare Myself – Thomas Dolby – The Flat Earth

Happiness Is Easy – Talk Talk – The Colour of Spring

Sketches of Spain – Nits – Nits?

The Expert – Yello – Touch

Vertical Vision – Yello - Touch

No Ordinary Love – Sade – The Best Of Sade

Soldier Of Love – Sade – Soldier of Love

---

Wonderwall * – Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?

Bros * – Wolf Alice – My Love Is cool

I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor * – Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

* great song but bad recorded and /or produced

** actually this entire record, I know every song, sounds and errors on 17 Seconds

 

[steve_1979]

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte by Otto Klemperer
Good quality, well recorded classical is always a good test of a hifi system. This version of the Magic Flute is one the greatest.
https://open.spotify.com/track/0tXg3owySimwQ2pFKTqzjB

Eric Bibb - I Heard the Angels Singing
Simple, well recorded acoustic guitar music. A good test of a speakers clarity and naturalness.
https://open.spotify.com/track/4dHulx13sbjrhsmkVXRiCh

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Some well recorded pop music.
https://open.spotify.com/track/7J1uxwnxfQLu4APicE5Rnj

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Parallel Universe
A harsh, heavily compressed and clipped track. This is a good test to see how speakers can cope with rough sounding music.
https://open.spotify.com/track/1Se0r96r0gnqg67kJPmESc

And the most importantally test of all... A sine wave sweep!
This is one of the best tests available check for frequency specific distortions or crossover issues. A sweep will clearly highlight these issues much more clearly than music will which is why this test for speaker designers to use when designing speakers. Careful you don't play it very loud or for too long though as a sine wave can easily damage speakers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNf9nzvnd1k

 

[gasolin]

Dire Straits, Pink Floyd (who doesn't like Dire starits and Pink Floyd, they are number 1 on my list on ref songs and hifi shows)

Eric Clapton unplugged,

Eva Cassidy Live At Blues Alley (extremly good sound quality),

Jazz at the pawnshop (also very good sound quality)

MJ Thriller (classic)

The Eagles hotel california (classic)

Anne Bison September in montreal

Dave Brubeck Take five (jazz when it's best)

Nils Loftgren Keith don't go

Vanesse Fernandez Here But i'm gone

 

[Gazzip]

Dirty Diana - Micheal Jackson (bass dump at the start is awesome)

Sand and Water - Beth Nielsen Chapman (female vocals and acoustic guitar)

Fragments of Time - Daft Punk (just because I like it)

Solomon's Helping Hand - Hans Zimmer (great for dynamics)

Private Dancer - Tina Turner (soundstage)

Stuck on You - Lionel Richie (Tuskegee version for male vocals)

She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult (The how loud can I play it without distortion test)

Shyer - London Grammar (just because I like it)

Counting Stars - OneRepublic (The "pop" test)

 

[Morgunner]

Sakari Oramo & Keski-Pohjanmaan Kamariorkesteri - C.P.E. Bach: Hamburger Sinfonien, Wq 182: Sinfonia in G Major, Wq. 182/1, H. 657 - III. Presto -> A wonderfully airy yet full bodied recording.

Los Angeles Philharmonic & Esa-Pekka Salonen - DG Concerts: Arvo Pärt: Symphony No. 4 "Los Angeles": II. Affannoso -> As above but different, full orchestra, delicacy, thunderous percussions and silence. Live performance.

Fink - Biscuits (Live from Amager Bio, Copenhagen – Oct 14 2011) -> Nice live recording which can give lesser speakers issues.

Ryan Adams - I See Monsters -> Intimate with great guitar.

Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust -> A pearl of a recording from the days long gone.

Ane Brun - These Days (Live, Songs Tour 2013 digital only album) -> If only one, this would be it. Soundstage!

Roger Waters - Perfect Sense (Parts I And II) from In The Flesh (Live) -> Plenty of stuff to take notice of, including the phase trickery placing the sampled voice of Hal (2001 Space Odyssey) to your far left.

Kaiti Kink Ensemble - Let Me Into Your Mind: Casual classical turns into dub with a bassline leathal to smaller mammals.

 

[torikoos]

Roger Waters - Perfect Sense (Parts I And II) from In The Flesh (Live) -> Plenty of stuff to take notice of, including the phase trickery placing the sampled voice of Hal (2001 Space Odyssey) to your far left.

Was that one recorded with Qsound? I have a Roger Waters CD 'amused to death', which makes use of that technology, many sound effects are placed very far outside the stereo field. Similar recordings are also found on Sting's 'Soul Cages' album, and a Julian Lennon album 'Help Yourself'. They are excellent to determine if speaker placement is spot on in terms of soundstage and phase.(wiring issues etc).

 

[Morgunner]

Roger Waters - Perfect Sense (Parts I And II) from In The Flesh (Live) -> Plenty of stuff to take notice of, including the phase trickery placing the sampled voice of Hal (2001 Space Odyssey) to your far left.

Was that one recorded with Qsound? I have a Roger Waters CD 'amused to death', which makes use of that technology, many sound effects are placed very far outside the stereo field. Similar recordings are also found on Sting's 'Soul Cages' album, and a Julian Lennon album 'Help Yourself'. They are excellent to determine if speaker placement is spot on in terms of soundstage and phase.(wiring issues etc).

Yes. I have it both in stereo and 5.1 and I have to say stereo is more impressive. In surround it's mixed very differently with HAL moving around the soundstage.

 

[rich51080]

Metallica - Nothing Else Matters - great test for vocals and acoustics.

The Cult - She sells sanctuary - After the guitar intro when the bass kicks in. Sounds sublime on a good system.

Suede - Stay - This sounds amazing and is a well produced track. Has a great drum fill at the start when played on a great system it should be imaged well.

Fine Young Cannibals - She drives me crazy - Wow this is one great track when heard on a good system. The drums snap and have reverb and the vocals should image well.

Those are 4 tracks I have used in the past for testing components.

 

[torikoos]

Diana Krall - Temptation

Gregory Porter - Musical Genocide

Sting - Jeremiah Blues pt 1

Paul Simon - Homeless

The Eagles - Hotel California (live) Love how the bassdrum kicks in on a good system.

Joe Bonnamassa - Sloe Gin (live at the albert hall)

Jean Michel Jarre - Ethnicolor ( Remastered )

And on vinyl, it has to be my direct cut 'Jazz at the Pawnshop', but perhaps I'm being nostalgic.

 

[muljao]

It be great if when someone posts here they make a playlist of their songs if they use a streaming service(spotify, tidal etc) with a link to the stream

 

[avole]

Then Red Hot CP. Classical is always the best recorded, pop the worse, and Red Hot CP the worst of the worst. Great songs, though.

Everything other than classical is useless, as there simply isn't the dynamic range.

 

[gasolin]

Then Red Hot CP. Classical is always the best recorded, pop the worse, and Red Hot CP the worst of the worst. Great songs, though.

Everything other than classical is useless, as there simply isn't the dynamic range.

Metallica death magnetic

 

[knaithrover]

Are you a Hypnotist? : The Flaming Lips

Golden Slumbers : The Beatles

Looks Like Rain : Bob Weir

Scott 1, 2 & 3

When the Levee Breaks : Led Zep

Tourettes : Nirvana

 

[drummerman]

KebMo - Just like you

Not because its an audiophile recording (it isn't but its good) but I have used this for years on different systems so have a pretty good idea what they're doing if something is out.

I find it pointless, even stressful/confusing to arrive with 10 'test' cds at a dealer demo ... not that I have partaken in one for ages!

I have, on occasions taken a few but usually only listened to them once I've narrowed it down to one or two components or know exactly what I want to listen to.

Last time I did that was when the original Naim XS came out ... .

Yes, I don't do much to support the Hifi industry

 

[knaithrover]

Then Red Hot CP. Classical is always the best recorded, pop the worse, and Red Hot CP the worst of the worst. Great songs, though.

Everything other than classical is useless, as there simply isn't the dynamic range.

Some sweeping statements there. Everything is useless other than classical? Wow.

 

[MajorFubar]

For me, there are so many songs it would take a list the size of the OP's. But the first four tracks off the China album by Vangelis usually tell me everything I need to know about a system, because I can more or less extrapolate how they sound to pretty much everything else I listen to, from classic rock through electronic to classical. I also like listening to some of the material I have recorded and produced myself, because I know exactly what's going on in the track more than anyone else and how it's supposed to sound.

 

[Infiniteloop]

Then Red Hot CP. Classical is always the best recorded, pop the worse, and Red Hot CP the worst of the worst. Great songs, though.

Everything other than classical is useless, as there simply isn't the dynamic range.

For dynamic range, I always turn to Messiaen's Turangalila symphony, preferably the Riccardo Chailly/Royal Contergebouw Orchestra recording. This is a real system tester. It can sound absolutely horrendous if the system isn't balanced. When it is, the result is sublime.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

The aristocrats ..... Flatlands

dire straits ..... All of there albums

jeff Kollman .....guitar screams

manowar ..... Battle hymns , thunder in the sky

Metallica ...... Black album , and justice for all

michael Burks ...... Voodoo spell

over kill .... Horrorscope

pink floyd ...... Wish you were here , division bell , dark side of the moon

Simon & garfunkel ....... Sound of silence

tina turner ..... Proud Mary

black sabbath first album

these are just some of the album or songs I use some for instruments sounds or the singing

 

[Morgunner]

Sakari Oramo & Keski-Pohjanmaan Kamariorkesteri - C.P.E. Bach: Hamburger Sinfonien, Wq 182: Sinfonia in G Major, Wq. 182/1, H. 657 - III. Presto -> A wonderfully airy yet full bodied recording.

Los Angeles Philharmonic & Esa-Pekka Salonen - DG Concerts: Arvo Pärt: Symphony No. 4 "Los Angeles": II. Affannoso -> As above but different, full orchestra, delicacy, thunderous percussions and silence. Live performance.

Fink - Biscuits (Live from Amager Bio, Copenhagen – Oct 14 2011) -> Nice live recording which can give lesser speakers issues.

Ryan Adams - I See Monsters -> Intimate with great guitar.

Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust -> A pearl of a recording from the days long gone.

Ane Brun - These Days (Live, Songs Tour 2013 digital only album) -> If only one, this would be it. Soundstage!

Roger Waters - Perfect Sense (Parts I And II) from In The Flesh (Live) -> Plenty of stuff to take notice of, including the phase trickery placing the sampled voice of Hal (2001 Space Odyssey) to your far left.

Kaiti Kink Ensemble - Let Me Into Your Mind: Casual classical turns into dub with a bassline leathal to smaller mammals.

iTunes

Spotify

Unfortunately not at all sure those links work... Roger Waters not available on Spotify. On iTunes the performer of the Bach piece may have been changed...

 

[Electro]

The aristocrats ..... Flatlands

dire straits ..... All of there albums

jeff Kollman .....guitar screams

manowar ..... Battle hymns , thunder in the sky

Metallica ...... Black album , and justice for all

michael Burks ...... Voodoo spell

over kill .... Horrorscope

pink floyd ...... Wish you were here , division bell , dark side of the moon

Simon & garfunkel ....... Sound of silence

tina turner ..... Proud Mary

black sabbath first album

these are just some of the album or songs I use some for instruments sounds or the singing

The Aristocrats - Flatlands , is definitely a winner.

I have seen Guthrie Govan play live a couple of times and also met him at a Jeff Beck gig in the audience, Guthrie Govan is one of the best guitarists I have ever heard.

Check out "Culture Clash" as well *smile*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1yQPhGCjPg

The Cd I play most often to demo my system is Jeff Beck live at Ronnie Scotts.

It sounds live, you are actually there, you can feel it !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSqNEkoOF1o

 

[Blacksabbath25]

The aristocrats ..... Flatlands

dire straits ..... All of there albums

jeff Kollman .....guitar screams

manowar ..... Battle hymns , thunder in the sky

Metallica ...... Black album , and justice for all

michael Burks ...... Voodoo spell

over kill .... Horrorscope

pink floyd ...... Wish you were here , division bell , dark side of the moon

Simon & garfunkel ....... Sound of silence

tina turner ..... Proud Mary

black sabbath first album

these are just some of the album or songs I use some for instruments sounds or the singing

The Aristocrats - Flatlands , is definitely a winner.

I have seen Guthrie Govan play live a couple of times and also met him at a Jeff Beck gig in the audience, Guthrie Govan is one of the best guitarists I have ever heard.

Check out "Culture Clash" as well *smile*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1yQPhGCjPg

The Cd I play most often to demo my system is Jeff Beck live at Ronnie Scotts.

It sounds live, you are actually there, you can feel it !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSqNEkoOF1o

your like the jeff kollman guiter screams then its live but its one of the best recorded albums ive heard yet . its a mix of blues and rock songs and a hint of jazz . i have some jeff beck stuff he is good and the aristocrats i like a lot i am getting into blues / rock alot at late it just sounds so good on my setup . blacksabbath started of as a blues band before it was called blacksabbath it was called earth *smile*

 

[Gazzip]

Nobody has told anybody else that their choices are wrong. Completely out of character for the WHFSAV forum!

 

[tonky]

For me - I use a few but don't overload the hearing sense by choosing too much.

Suite Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby Stills and Nash.

The track is fantastic music - but the recording is poor (imho) .It's 7 and a half minutes long or so. Great harmonies - with a shift in pace half way through. - a bit like two songs in one. The separation of the vocals between the guys is a very good test for me

I've played it so often ( the whole brilliant album really) I can pick up subtle differences

tonky

ps The First Dire Straits album - a good choice BS

 

[matthewpiano]

The most rewarding demonstration I've ever had was at Audio Counsel. I took a pile of music that I love with no regard to sound quality, and I also listened to some music that I didn't know at the time, suggested by the dealer.

From my own music my treasured Andre Previn recording of Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony moved me to tears, and tracks from Crosby Stills & Nash's eponymous debut album drew me in with a freshness I hadn't got from them before. Of the music new to me I was drawn into some recordings by Milt Jackson, and since then I've added them to my own collection.

My problem is that I couldn't afford the whole system in one go. I purchased the amp with a view to staging the rest of it, but then went off the track, largely because the amp wasn't being made the best of by my existing source and speakers and I became impatient. I wish I'd stuck to my guns. The system was Consonance CD120 Linear, Exposure 1010 amp, and Audio Note AX-2 speakers.

The moral of my experience is to pick music you love rather than just recordings you feel will show a system off, and when you hit on a combination of equipment that draws you into the music, stick to your plan and build that system up. That is what hi-fi is all about in the end.

 

[Native_bon]

The best recorded album I have listened to till date. Pat Metheny: Trio99>00

Another excellent recording as well as excellent music is: Fingerpainting. The music of Herbie Hancock. Featuring Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton & Mark Whitfield. Excellent timing and skills portrayed between them.

Finally, Marcus Miller M2