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Music to Judge bass response

Lucinda Williams' latest album, "Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone", has the best-recorded kick drum I have ever heard.
The self-titled album by Canadian livecore trio The New Deal features constantly changing bass guitar, synth and kick drum low frequencies.
Them's my suggestions.
 
Portishead's "Dummy" album. I don't listen to this kind of music (I listen to classic rock), but this is one of the albums that stuck from my teenage years. The song "It Could Be Sweet" from that album will challenge the low end of any system. If a system can't handle it, it will sound awful and overblown. If it can, it will sound tight and controlled, and you will be able to hear definition and texture to the low end. There are several other tracks on that album that may be helpful as well. Either that, or anything with church organs in it. lol
 
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Any time you want to bring most systems to their knees acquire a copy of Bass Mekanik 5.1. Play it loud and listen for the doubling or outright distortion you'll probably hear. This is a serious test even for my dual 12" TL subs.
 
I like Sk8tr Boi by Avril Lavigne and Holly Cole has some good bass runs. Sk8tr Boi is really quite impressive with the right equipment, going almost subsonic. I remember using it to test out some 901s on my 1801 amp and it is the first time I ever saw those meters go all the way to the right! Scared the crap out of the guys who brought them over!
 
Bachmann Turner Overdrive---"Not Fragile". It may not go super deep, but there are some bass lines on that album that will show you just how tight your bass really is.
 
Some fun choices, but really ... there's just so many ways that bass can go horribly wrong, and it's difficult at best to judge with the ear alone.

Your best bet is to invest a couple hundred bucks in a mixer, calibrated mike, and download a free copy of Room Equalizer Wizard. Takes the guesswork right out of it. Run a couple sweeps and you KNOW exactly what's happening.

* If you just want to rattle the room around a bit, Porcupine Tree's Russia on Ice has some pure sine wave action at the end. If that don't smoke yer cones and break some glass, nothing will ... Another fun one is Bjork Army of Me. Killer lease breakers if nothing else ... <G>
 
I really helps to have heard it LIVE - and then take it home...

Most of my tests are Grateful Dead/Phil Lesh oriented...

You have to have actually HEARD such low-ness...before you can evaluate.

The first time I saw the GD...the most striking thing was the BASS.

Phil was out there tuning up - and I heard notes...that sounded so low that all I could sense was a vibration in my chest....I didn't even know I was hearing them...until I was.

Plus - there is this stereo bass effect - where two channels seem to re-enforce each other - and create an even lower tone! On live recordings...this will really light your system up!
 
as for ELP Tank,,,,that was boosted about 12db on the original mix, a friend who blew the KEF B139s ouut of his IMF monitor IIIs refused to EVER play that again.
 
hifitommy said:
as for ELP Tank,,,,that was boosted about 12db on the original mix, a friend who blew the KEF B139s out of his IMF monitor IIIs refused to EVER play that again.
Click to expand...

Yea, that would probably not be my first choice in speakers for that track knowing what I know. Hmmm, I wonder what the cd is like?

I would think you'd be able to see the modulations in the grooves of the original vinyl.
 
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