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What is your favorite goto "test" music?

doctor fuse said:
There are a couple of Columbia albums I use - Stravinsky conducting Rite of Spring to check out the general PRaT and to see if I can hear the low rumble of a truck driving by the New York studio, and Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic in Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (used extensively in the Shining soundtrack) to see if I can hear Lenny's almost-inaudible inhale before he gives an important downbeat.
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Ah, the Bartok. I love the Baltimore Symphony recording, might need to hunt down the New York Philharmonic version.
 
Oscar Peterson playing "Mellow Tone" recorded two track live to very high quality R-R at 30 ips and recently transferred to digital 24/192 WAV file ( and other formats). Files available from HiFi Statement Magazine as free downloads. Amazing dynamics, ambience of the great hall of a Schloss in Bavaria and Oscars' grunts and mumbles.
Sorry I don't have cover art etc but this is available at the same site where there are also other great musicians playing in similar venues. It appears these are well-heeled amateur recordings in front of invited audiences. Very intimate and warm ambience of almost a private party audience.

Great for checking out the whole range of your system.
 
Start off by browsing the sat tv music channels ... 50's, 60s, 70's, 80's ... etc.

As far as songs ... usually

Roxy Music ... Avalon
Cold Play ... Paradise
David Bowie ... theme to Cat People
Madonna ... Rain
Freddie Hubbard ...Jodo
Willie Nelson ... Red Headed Stranger
 
My "go to" music has always been Little Feat's "Waiting for Columbus". I was at Lisner Auditorium when they recorded the album, in box seats. Remember like it was yesterday, even though it was 1977.
 
Waiting For Columbus for me also! First time I heard the whole album was with some huge Magnepans Speakers and it got me Higher than the Weed I was smoking! That was in 1979 in Eugene Oregon.

Opus
 
My "goto" is:
Artist: John Coltrane
Album Name: Africa/Brass
Media Type: LP and CD
Record Label: Impulse
Record Label Number: MCA-29007
Album Picture:

R-3565174-1335489857.jpeg.jpg




Classical and rock gotos

My classical "goto" is:
Artist: Igor Stravinsky - The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez
Album Name: Pétrouchka · Le Sacre Du Printemps
Media Type: CD
Record Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Record Label Number: 435 769-2
Album Picture:

R-5226748-1388175581-6043.jpeg.jpg



My rock "goto" is:
Artist: ZZ Top (Okay, I was thinking of saying Rush's 2112 here, but I go to this one a bit more often)
Album Name: Tres Hombres from The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1990 (original dry sound rather than the reverbed up 80s version)
Media Type: CD
Record Label: Warner Bros
Record Label Number: 8122796642
Album Picture:

R-4651510-1395867764-5750.jpeg.jpg
 
Interesting responses. I thought about posting a thread regarding this but glad I did a search for previous posts first.

As a newbie, I guess I'm a bit surprised by many using digital formats. Maybe I'm assuming that most are testing vintage equipment. I theorize that vintage equipment was built mostly to reproduce the sound from a nice piece of analog vinyl. Maybe I'm wrong about that.

Anyways, my gotos are usually
Pink Floyd's Meddle
Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - Tales of the Unexpected.
Liona Boyd - Live in Tokyo
Paco de Lucia - interpteta a Manuel de Falla
Also a few recordings with steel drums.
 
Keldog said:
Interesting responses. I thought about posting a thread regarding this but glad I did a search for previous posts first.

As a newbie, I guess I'm a bit surprised by many using digital formats. Maybe I'm assuming that most are testing vintage equipment. I theorize that vintage equipment was built mostly to reproduce the sound from a nice piece of analog vinyl. Maybe I'm wrong about that.

Anyways, my gotos are usually
Pink Floyd's Meddle
Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - Tales of the Unexpected.
Liona Boyd - Live in Tokyo
Paco de Lucia - interpteta a Manuel de Falla
Also a few recordings with steel drums.
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For me the issue is the variation. The sound of an LP on a turntable can vary greatly depending on the turntable, tonearm, cartridge, the album, even if the surface it's on is prone to vibration or it's close to the speakers. So unless you're using a turntable in an environment with which you're familiar, evaluating other components can be difficult as you may not be certain what is causing the difference in sound. CDs and digital files are more consistent, even with players at widely different price points.
 
Gnesen said:
My "goto" is:

Artist: Jennifer Warnes
Album Name: Famous Blue Raincoat
Media Type: Spotify Premium
Record Label: Private Music
Specific Song: Bird on a Wire
Album Picture:

View attachment 805269
Click to expand...

This, as well as Jennifer Warnes "ballad of a run away horse" on the first of three Three Blind Mice collection recordings ( TBM is a remarkable label from Japan, ) all three of their "best of" records are amazing recordings.

Also, Prokofiev's Cinderella... fantastic for flushing out a system's true dynamic range.
 
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Carraway said:
For me the issue is the variation. The sound of an LP on a turntable can vary greatly depending on the turntable, tonearm, cartridge, the album, even if the surface it's on is prone to vibration or it's close to the speakers. So unless you're using a turntable in an environment with which you're familiar, evaluating other components can be difficult as you may not be certain what is causing the difference in sound. CDs and digital files are more consistent, even with players at widely different price points.
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The consistency of digital does make sense. I have a cd player integrated into my system. However, as an avid vinyl collector, I usually tell folks that there is still too much I haven't heard yet on pre-cd era so I've never been much of a collector of them except to buy one ate goodwill or a yard sale for a buck and immediately rip it on my computer to mp3. I listen to all my mp3 music through ear buds at work. For pur listening enjoyment, I just like to sit back to a fine 33 1/3.

I'm learning tons from this forum, though. I really enjoy the discussions and helpful members.

Cheers!
 
Ode to Billy Joe by Bobby Gentry is an excellent sibilance test record. Especially the first track Mississippi Delta The whole song is full of s's.
 
OnTheBlitz said:
Hello AK'ers,

When ever I add/replace a new piece of Gear or make any tweak to my system, I have a favorite "goto" Album I use to listen and evaluate the change.

If you happen to do the same as me:
Please list Artist, Album Name, Media Type, Record Label, Record Label number and Picture of the Album cover, if possible (I grab my pics from Google images).

My "goto" is:
Artist: Special EFX
Album Name: Double Feature
Media Type: CD
Record Label: GRP
Record Label Number: GRD-9559
Album Picture:
View attachment 804438

Thanks
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The Rippingtons - Live in LA
Diana Krall - Live in Paris
Clair Marlo - Let it Go
Alpine Speed of Sound compilation test disk.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/official-alpine-reference-disc-car-audio-nationals-ii-mw0001755510
 
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Dire Straits Brothers In Arms
Pink Floyd DSOTM
For acoustic music I've found the Devil MakesThree self titled studio album is really good. All strings and vocals. The better the system the more little nuances you hear that go along with playing acoustic string instruments.
 
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