What songs do you use to test HiFi speakers/amps/headphones?

Rocker

Grumpyrocker said:

I always use my favourite albums. There's no point me getting a system that does an amazing job of some "audiophile" jazz albums I would never normally listen to if Maiden's Seventh Son sounds crap with the gear.

The thing is @Grumpyrocker your well setup hi-fi system will make Maiden sound great. As it will Tracy Chapman and all the other audiophile favorites. The key words are ‘well setup’, just like a guitar in fact. And you don’t have to be an audiophile to own a great hi-fi system either. If you find that you are listening for the audiophile things like separation, midrange, bass extension etc, there is something wrong with your system. If that is the case, it is time to talk to your local hi-fi dealer and get the problem resolved. When you listen to music through your system, you should only be aware of and hear the music. 

Alvin

To test speakers , how about something by John Bercow ?

fob

You should definitely add Famous Blue Raincoat by Jennifer Warnes to your list.

robinbowes

Grumpyrocker said:

I always use my favourite albums. There's no point me getting a system that does an amazing job of some "audiophile" jazz albums I would never normally listen to if Maiden's Seventh Son sounds crap with the gear.

This is very true. 

However, as others have already pointed out, a good system will sound good with (nearly) all types of music. 

english_bob

robinbowes said:

Grumpyrocker said:

I always use my favourite albums. There's no point me getting a system that does an amazing job of some "audiophile" jazz albums I would never normally listen to if Maiden's Seventh Son sounds crap with the gear.

This is very true. 

However, as others have already pointed out, a good system will sound good with (nearly) all types of music. 

Yes. But finding out how good is likely to be easier with music you know well- if you're already accustomed to how you think a particular piece sounds you're more likely to hear the difference between the system you currently play it on and the one you're thinking of buying.

I still remember the revelation of being able to hear the squeaky bass drum pedals on some of my favourite 70s rock albums on a really decent hi-fi setup, or the spit on Louis Armstrong's lips on La Vie en Rose.

bingefeller

Spotify has a "Songs To Test Headphones With" playlist, although probably not the best thing to test headphones with streaming audio.  Still, you could listen to them on CD.

https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWZtZ8vUCzche

and this one too:

https://open.spotify.com/user/namtrac/playlist/7dCk3HbuF49FZrFJRdYzIp

schrodinger1612

Not individual songs but albums which I think have amazing (audiophile quality?) production. 


Dire Straits - Self Titled
Herbie Hancock - Headhunters
NIN - The Fragile 
Metallica - Black Album
U2 - Joshua Tree
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Biosphere - Substrata
Brian Eno - On Land
Pink Floyd - DSOTM and WYWH
Eno & Fripp - No Pussyfooting
Hendrix - Electric Lady Land
Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues
Sabbath - Self Titled
Devin Townsend - Ocean machine
Bowie - Station To Station

TheBigDipper

I'd agree with using music you know and love when trying out new hifi. You need the new stuff to sound better (in your opinion) or what's the point of the upgrade? 

After upgrading, I have found that some music sounds worse as the new system exposes things in it that I don't like., but that's life, I guess. 

Back to an old comment from @ICBM . "Together Alone"... The intro of Kare Kare (esp. that backward raked chord before the vocals start) gets me every time. 

ICBM

TheBigDipper said:

Back to an old comment from @ICBM . "Together Alone"... The intro of Kare Kare (esp. that backward raked chord before the vocals start) gets me every time. 

Yes, the first time I heard this I was absolutely stunned by the sound quality on it.



Unfortunately mp3/Youtube doesn't do it justice, it has to be CD to really hear it properly - if you can't tell the difference on this, you really do need a better system...

sweepy

Al Stewart Year of the Cat
John Martyn One World
Two classics, but beautifully recorded, mixed and mastered

Matt_McG

For me, there's quite a lot of my favourites already listed. 

One that is a really eye opener, is Frank Sinatra's "Only the Lonely", which is a beautiful album (really wonderful songs and arrangements) but which also just sounds amazing.

The woodwind and bass, the horn solo with the discordant strings and almost 'Bond' like arrangement in the middle:



But then there's:

The Stravinsky reference at the start of this, and then the sounds of the strings, which go quite deep, and his voice, distant brass, etc.



Or, I also like to use well recorded RnB or neo-soul.

Zoolooter

Any early 80s Grace Jones with Sly and Robbie in the rhythm section. Crystal clear, great production.

JezWynd

This. When I bought my first pair of good headphones I played this and was blown away by the audio quality and stereo separation. It's been my go to ever since.

schrodinger1612

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

Stuckfast

I had an interesting experience once when I visited the home of someone who designs galactically expensive hi-fi systems (of the sort that cost six figures) and listened to a whole bunch of stuff on his own super-duper prototype system. He demoed it by playing things like early Cliff Richard singles that were recorded to mono on a couple of mics, and they sounded incredible -- like being in the room with the band. But anything modern that was recorded with a ton of mics sounded like a complete mess.

SRich

Stuckfast said:

Cliff Richard singles..........

Cliff Richard huh?.......sounds expensive.

duotone

Stuckfast said:

I had an interesting experience once when I visited the home of someone who designs galactically expensive hi-fi systems (of the sort that cost six figures) and listened to a whole bunch of stuff on his own super-duper prototype system. He demoed it by playing things like early Cliff Richard singles that were recorded to mono on a couple of mics, and they sounded incredible -- like being in the room with the band. But anything modern that was recorded with a ton of mics sounded like a complete mess.

Hmmmm, that’s interesting.  What modern stuff did you Iisten to?

Winny_Pooh

@Matt_McG if you like Sinatra then check out Summer Wind, what a sound!

Matt_McG

I can kind of see that. A lot of really fantastic sounding albums: Kind of Blue springs to mind, were recorded with just a few mics and a bunch of guys in a room.

richardhomer

sweepy said:

John Martyn One World

Good call - a great sounding record. The follow-up (Grace and Danger) is very good too - along with most his ‘70s albums from Solid Air onwards.