Which recordings do you use to evaluate equipment ?

[masterpaul]

Test Tracks
Which recordings do you use to evaluate equipment ?
The club is proposing to create a test sequence of excerpts (the good bits) to evaluate equipment quickly at club meetings.
Not your "favourites" - rather tracks that highlight specific properties such as imaging, soundstage, bass extension, treble clarity etc.
We will probably ban Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Hugh Masekela, Nils Lofgren, and anyone else done to death.
'Feedback' please

[Full Range]

I will post a couple of screenshots of the list I use 

The list covers many genres and styles Some tracks are short some long some have a unique aspect to a track e.g. a triangle ting that twinkles in the ear

 

Please disregard the cover art as the system seems to like Hotel California album art

 

 

 

[Ian McP]

Grace Jones: Nightclubbing

https://www.discogs.com/master/55576-Grace-Jones-Nightclubbing

 

Gwen Guthrie: Portrait

https://www.discogs.com/master/112901-Gwen-Guthrie-Portrait

 

standout track: Peanut Butter

 

Both the above albums recorded at Compass Point Studios Bahamas

https://www.discogs.com/label/264020-Compass-Point-Studios?srsltid=AfmBOophtz4iBFh8orCyTyjLHsANn2epcXm0CZm27NQdLUmhDIH1sWG7&page=1

Compass Point Studios during the 80's were renowned for their superb production and excellent backing musicians

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass_Point_Studios

 

The Skin I Live In: Alberto Iglesias

https://www.discogs.com/release/3439179-Alberto-Iglesias-The-Skin-I-Live-In

https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-skin-i-live-in-original-motion-picture-soundtrack--mw0002214323#userReviews

whole album is very good, recorded at the esteemed Air Studios, Lyndhurst Hall, London

 

standout track: El Asalto Del Hombre Tigre

scarily dynamic, deep bass too

 

Nik Bartsch's Ronin: Live

https://ecmrecords.com/product/live-nik-bartschs-ronin/

< Ronin around the world: a powerful and atmospheric concert recording with music captured in Germany, Austria, Holland, England, and Japan, a double-album which transmits the live impact of Nik Bärtsch’s band and its enveloping modular groove music of interlocking rhythms. >

https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/ph8r/

< A hair-raising and dazzling celebration of Ronin’s considerable achievements to date. >

 

Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin: Ghosted and Ghosted II

https://orenambarchi.bandcamp.com/album/ghosted

< Ambarchi, Berthling and Werliin share a fascination with rhythm and the myriad of ways it can subdivide within the beat. Using aspects of jazz, world and experimental musics, each tune settles into a deep groove, digging itself via continuous minimal adjustments into an ever-deeper, eternal groove. >

 

https://orenambarchi.bandcamp.com/album/ghosted-ii

< An utterly unique guitar/bass/drums triad: the guitar sounds like anything but a guitar; bass and drums simultaneously insistent and relaxed. Telephathic group-think opens a window to fresh fields of fusion: funk-jazz heads, polyrhythmic skeletons, ambient pastorals, post-kraut drones and shimmering soundtrack reveries. A music of sustained tension and deep atmosphere, marked by subtle, shifting dynamics playing out in an open sound field. >

 

Mop Mop

https://www.discogs.com/artist/335316-Mop-Mop

these four albums recommended

https://www.discogs.com/master/808395-Mop-Mop-Kiss-Of-Kali

https://www.discogs.com/master/322229-Mop-Mop-Ritual-Of-The-Savage

https://www.discogs.com/master/527683-MopMop-Isle-Of-Magic

https://www.discogs.com/master/993067-Mop-Mop-Lunar-Love

 

standout out track on Lunar Love: Spaceship Earth

then again, they're all good!

 

a taste of Mop Mop live!

 

 

regards Ian

[audio_file]

I made two test discs years ago to take to HiFi retailers and listen to their setups.

The first was a selection of tracks that I thought had some variety to hear different strengths and weaknesses.

The second took it a step further and cut only the sections of the songs I wanted to hear, and added some more songs to the list.

 

Here are the tracks from the first disc:

- Angus and Julia Stone - And The Boys

- Agnes Obel - Aventine

- Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Dance of the Knights (Prokofiev)

- Rammstein - Du Hast

- Dido - Hunter

- Johnny Cash - Hurt

- Depeche Mode - Just can't get enough

- The Piano Guys - Michael Meets Mozart

- Steve Strauss - Mr Bones

- Lorde - Royals

- Woodkid - Run Boy Run

- Rihanna - S&M

- Agnes Obel - The Curse

- Rebecca Pidgeon - The Raven

- Ingrid Michaelson - The Way I Am

 

I don't know where I put the second disc, so I can't give that one's track listing unfortunately.

[audio_file]

Alright I think I found the other one.

 

It had the previous tracks, plus the 1812 Overture and The Quarrel (Prokofiev).

 

I cut pieces from each track (two sections from Micheal meets Mozart.

 

I have the cuts, but I don't know which exact time points I cut from and to.