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What is your favorite goto "test" music?

Frederick Fennell and the Dallas symphonic wind Orchestra and the title of the CD is called "Trittico", it will test the Dynamics and the capabilities of your subwoofers to the max

 
For years I used Joan Baez's Diamonds and Rust, and Art Garfunkel's Angel Clare. Now when I'm trying to check for even bass, I use Laura Turner's Soul Deep.

 
Just running a new rig thru it's paces here, so ...

- Dire Straits, Brothers In Arms
- Norah Jones, Come Away With Me (Her voice and piano will really stress your treble)
- Joe Satriani, Surfing With The Aliens
- Porcupine Tree, Up The Downstair (particularly good for holographic imaging adjustments)
- Enoch Light, Big Bands of the 40's and 50's
- Dvorak's 9th, LSO w/Kertesz conducting
- Beth Hart, Bang Bang Boom Boom
- Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman
- King Crimson, Red (Stevens remaster)

List goes on, but if those can make me happy, I'm good.
 
Dire Straits - Wild West End
Fantastic soundstage and detail. Mixed superbly.

Santana - Aquamarine
On a mediocre system it will sound shrilly. On a good one it sparkles and near the end some of the best, lowest bass notes ever.

ZZ Top - Rough Boys
Love the clear punchy in your chest bass drums, especially in the first couple seconds. The lead guitar is also badass. Turn it up!

Dave Brubeck - Take Five (stereo)
A classic with great soundstage and you can hear all the instruments clearly and separately.

Diana Krall - Body and Soul
Intimate song where you can hear the moisture in Diana's breath.

Yo-Yo Ma - Prelude: Bach Cello Suite #1 in G-Major
How can one instrument be so freakin' good!

On vinyl.

Made some edits.
 
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Dire Straits - You and Your Friend


Sade - Kiss of Life


Robert Cray - Strong Persuader


Santana - Europa


Teddy Pendergrass - Love T.K.O.

 
George Benson - This Masquerade


Gladys Knight and the Pips - Neither One of Us


5th Element Soundtrack - Diva Song


Peter Gabriel - Major Tom


Nena - 99 Luftballons

 
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Someone mentioned Frederick Fennell. I use the Telarc release of The Cleveland Symphonic Winds, in particular the Holst Suites 1 and 2. The emphasis is on the brass instruments and percussion. My second disc is Steely Dan/Gaucho. Pick almost any track but ‘Time Out Of Mind’ fits the bill. You might also listen to Steely Dan’s Aja the song from the same named album. The main soloists are Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone and Steve Gadd on drums. Many feel that the Gadd drum solos are the greatest ever put down on a rock/pop album.
 
I have several:

Orlando López - Cachaíto This guy was the bass player in the Beuna Vista Socal club and his record has the biggest, fattest double bass sound that I've heard... and the music is great. Great for testing bass!

Leon Parker - Belief and Awakening albums Parker is a drummer/percussionist and his music uses very open sounding (not busy) type arrangements so you really hear the sound of the instruments: lots of hand drums, shakers make for very textural sounds, hypnotic and very well recorded.

Herbie Hancock - Thrust This album is engineered more like a rock album than a jazz one and has a very fat, in-your-face sound. Very crisp, with deep/fat bass and lots of textures going on... Great music!

Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin This is what I feel is a really good example of a well recored, psychedelic, textural rock album. The style is different but the overall vibe is a bit like a more contemporary Dark Side of the Moon.

Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch In a real avant guard direction, but brilliant and brilliantly recorded. Made in the early 60s and will give you a sense of just how far recording technology had come that long ago. So clean and with so much detail...
 
I've been using "Handle Me With Care" by the Traveling Wilburys as my "softball" test. That song tends to sound full, rich and pleasant using just about any speakers and medium (I have it on CD and it's available on every streaming service that I've checked). If that song sounds tinny / hallow / harsh, then something has to be wrong. "The Tide is High", by Blondie, is another "softball".

I should do a little analysis as to why it sounds so pleasing to my ears (beyond just liking the music). I wonder if there's some euphonic distortion or compression, at play, that produces that "full" sensation.
 
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And one more...

Patricia Barber - "Gotcha" from Live a Fortnight in France.


"Dansons La Gigue" from the same album is excellent. Both have outstanding dynamics and clarity.
 
Shoulda mentioned this one-Maurice Ravel's "Bolero", specifically the 1958 Morton Gould early stereo version. Used to Crank my pitiful Sony "all-In-Wonder" to it. I think it is an RCA budget release, but like some other releases like this, IT don't know it ain't a fancy pants 6 eye record, it just plays really, really well. Gould cheated & on the very last, he added a couple more snare drums, one for each side, & THAT really sends the recording into Overdrive..
 
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...

LP version
Leonards backing vocals on
Singer must Die
will show you what bass definition is,
not 'slam' or 'punch',
BUT, definition.
 
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