What album do you put on when listening to new components?

[ohmegaman]

I like using the same album as a 'control' when listening to new receivers or speakers. I know how it should sound, and what I should be hearing. It's how I judge unfamiliar components.
For me? Supertramp's Breakfast In America is sonically beautiful, and covers all the bases for dialing in the sound I like.

How about yours???

 

[kwayde]

I repair audio gear so I always have a turntable, tape deck and CD player on hand for testing.

The CDs that are usually used are Dire Straits, "On Every Street" along with Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris, "All the Roadrunning" and Cowboy Junkies, "Pale Sun, Crescent Moon".

The turntable has Spirit, "12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" on it.

The tape deck varies between store bought and home made tapes. Store bought are KD Lang, "Ingenue", Simply Red, Travis Tritt, Tom Petty and more. Home made are used to test record functions.

 

[gizzyman47]

My go to is usually Michael Buble' -Fever, or Tears for Fears -Woman in chains

 

[ohmegaman]

I repair audio gear so I always have a turntable, tape deck and CD player on hand for testing.

The CDs that are usually used are Dire Straits, "On Every Street" along with Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris, "All the Roadrunning" and Cowboy Junkies, "Pale Sun, Crescent Moon".

The turntable has Spirit, "12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" on it.

The tape deck varies between store bought and home made tapes. Store bought are KD Lang, "Ingenue", Simply Red, Travis Tritt, Tom Petty and more. Home made are used to test record functions.

Ooohhh, those are good. Dire Straits is going on next..

My go to is usually Michael Buble' -Fever, or Tears for Fears -Woman in chains

Michael Buble is new to me (thanks!), but Tears for Fears: shucks, forgot about that one.

 

[whoaru99]

Depends a bit but I often start with Pink Floyd's Mother and Goodbye Blue Sky.

 

[painttoad]

vinyl:

side 3 of fiona apple 'extraordinary machine'

side 1 of chuck mangione 'children of sanchez'

dire straits: 'making movies' either or both sides

cd:

diana krall: 'the girl in the other room'

dire straits: love over gold, s/t

a couple tunes from the cranberries

a few tunes from steely dan

 

[onepixel]

I use songs.

Wild West End - Dire Straits. Mark's vocals, lead and rhythm guitars.
Rough Boys - ZZ Top. Chest pounding loudness with clarity.
Peel Me Grape - Diana Krall. The moisture in her breath. Accurate and tight double bass, hearing the strings being played. The piano.
Marathon - Santana. Not sounding bright, full soundstage. Hearing the sensuous, lowest bass notes at the end.
Take Five (stereo) - The Dave Brubeck Quartet. No electric instruments, jazz, soundstage.
Line On My Face - Peter Frampton. Live presence in an arena.

Bouncing Of The Satellite (album) - B-52s. Overall danceability.

 

[Dr Morbius]

Nils Lofgren “Acoustic Live”……..incredible sonics!

 

[highvoltage_]

Flim & the BB's - Big Notes. One song - Funhouse. Everything from a steam calliope to a 5 Hz door slamming. Great system test.

 

[AndyN01]

Recently used these when auditioning CD players:

Phantom of the Opera - original cast with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman

Enya - The Memory of Trees

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

And I've now got some great alternatives

 

[odcics2]

The first McCartney album from 1970. All analog.
The pianos in Momma Miss America should sound like they’re in the room with you.

 

[ohmegaman]

Wow, really great suggestions everyone. Some stuff I'd never heard before, some stuff I forgot about. All great tracks to sit and really listen to.
Thanks so much for sharing!!

 

[JJIrons69]

Not an album, but a song with good dynamics.

Pink Floyd - Pigs (Three Different Ones)

This has been my go-to for a while. Let's say I know when it sounds appealing to me.

 

[jqp]

Listening In Depth: An Introduction to Columbia Stereophonic Sound (1958) for restored, new-to-me gear from the same era.

Acoustic Research Demonstration Record "The sound of musical instruments" is another good one for evaluating a system.

The only components I have bought new in the past decade or so are phono cartridges, styli, phono preamps, vacuum tubes and the like.

 

[newenglandj]

Lately it's been:

Manu Katche- Neighbourhood

Alex DeGrasse- Southern Exposure

Power Tools- Strange Meeting

 

[genxsheepdog]

Lately it's been:

Manu Katche- Neighbourhood

Alex DeGrasse- Southern Exposure

Power Tools- Strange Meeting

I loved Manu Katche when he was playing with Peter Gabriel, I've never heard his solo stuff.

 

[genxsheepdog]

 

[twiiii]

1812 Overture on the Telarc label conducted by Kunzel and the Cleveland Pop's. I have both the LP and CD. Then there aee two Sheffield Labs Direct to disc LP. One with Harry James Orchestra and the Other with Lincoln Mayorga and his group. A digital Glen Miller LP is good, too. Most of Acoustic Sounds reissued LP's are great. Reference Recodings has great LP's too. Downtown Burbank with the tonight Show band conducted by Tommy Newsom is my favorite big Band record and it was released as a direct to Disc record Album. Doc is featured on a couple of selections.

 

[jqp]

Listening In Depth: An Introduction to Columbia Stereophonic Sound (1958) for restored, new-to-me gear from the same era.

Acoustic Research Demonstration Record "The sound of musical instruments" is another good one for evaluating a system.

The only components I have bought new in the past decade or so are phono cartridges, styli, phono preamps, vacuum tubes and the like.

You can have a listen to excerpts from the Columbia album on youtube. Played with a somewhat period correct turntable and cartridge.

Duke Ellington's Track 360 starts around the 4:50 mark and is quite the treat.

 

[w1jim]