MY FAVORITE High End Audio Demo Material! Best MUSIC to Test HiFi Gear
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- Опубликовано: 2 авг 2024
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Moby Play: amzn.to/39nTMCJ
Alanis Morissette MTV Unplugged: amzn.to/2TltI5x
The Weeknd Starboy: amzn.to/2vuLrhV
Michael Jackson Dangerous: amzn.to/3atKDbP
Chvrches Warning Call: amzn.to/3OGJqSV
Dave Matthews Band Under the Table and Dreaming: amzn.to/2PMBIdC
Rage Against the Machine: amzn.to/39qgOst
Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells III: amzn.to/3cqiB2N
Audioslave: amzn.to/3aq5v3C
REM Automatic for the People: amzn.to/39oNYJ5
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► MY FAVORITE High End Audio Demo Material! Best MUSIC to Test HiFi Gear
Want to know just how I test all the speakers and hifi gear we get in for review? Have you ever asked yourself "how good are my speakers"? This is a list of some of my favorite music I use to test hifi equipment. This high end audio demo material might not be the typical audiophile music test tracks but you will find out just what I look for when testing hifi equipment.
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Orinoco flow by enya for bass and max richer spring one for strings and the smiths for guitar and london grammar and grimes for lead vocals and magnificat for choir!
Shame tidal requires buying equipment to even use its hi-res.
@@chrisvinicombe9947 Yeah - kinda sorta ... It still plays pretty well without - MQA unfolds part way in software - then, yes, hardware to fully unfold.
Please also establish this playlist on Spotify, most of us do not listen to TIDAL.
nahm i won't recommend supporting mqa.
Time Stamps:
1:52 Moby - Everyloving
3:58 Alanis Morissette - Princes Familiar Unplugged
5:47 Daft Punk - I Feel It Coming
6:39 Michael Jackson - Who Is It
8:09 Chvches - Warning Call
9:01 Dave Matthews Band - Dancing Nancies
10:09 Rage Against The Machine - Take The Power Back
11:47 Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells III
13:12 Audioslave - Show Me How To Live
15:18 REM - Find The River
thanks, I dont have Tidal. thats a big help.
Screen shot , thank you 🇨🇦🎶
Great tracks Andrew!
My top 10 hifi test tracks:
1. Come and get it - Eli Paperboy Reed - fun bass guitar, kick drum, can be revealing & harsh sounding on a bad system
2. Tin Pan Alley - Stevie Ray Vaughan - lay back and put your feet up for an ear massage
3. Transcendence - Lindsey Stirling - bass chest kick! midrange violin, soundstage width
4. Climax - Usher - enveloping bass lines in the background, solid bass thumps, light high-hats throughout, usher vocals cut right through it all
5. Jet Lag - Live From Austin City Limits - Joss Stone - just relax and be IN the concert hall, so involving
6. God Bless The Child - George Benson, Al Jarreau, Jilll Scott - oh my goodness vocals! Deep male & pretty female vocals throughout. Snare rim hit details
7. Drum Solo from 9.0 Live album - Slipknot - This will tell you if your woofers are fast, transient. Requires powerful transducer motors or its mush!
8. Gamma - HWLS, ShockOne - play this loud! If you are not feeling the tightness and power of the bass in this track, you need a better sub. This is one hard hitting, brutal assault!
9. Put Your Records On - Live From Webster Hall, New York, 2006 - Corinne Bailey Rae - intimate session
10. Wicked Game - Acoustic Live - Stone Sour - (Come What(ever) May Special Edition - broken down rock vocals & acoustic cracker
Give them all a go!
Gotta also mention Norah Jones and Diana Krall. I know its old hat but oh my goodness - listen on a good system and tell me you don't get chills!
Great list and good notes to listen for!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews BTW Andrew, I'm still really interested in why you left dedicated home theater & your JBL 3677's. Still in love with mine. Good subject for a video me thinks! :)
I love seeing everyone’s list of music. Such a great conversation that is definitely making me want to revisit some old favs.
holy shit , somebody describing what when and where to hear on songs we may know what the hell he is saying. who would have thunk it. THANK YOU !! Figuring out where your current system stands and a chance to resolve issues has been completely overlooked.
Totally agree... I find most “audiophile” tracks to be unlistenable or unlikeable. It’s all snooty music or so esoteric it’s barely music. I can go from Louis Armstrong to Patsy Cline to Led Zeppelin to Donna Sommers to Eagles to Beastie Boys to Post Malone to Drake to Daft Punk to Tame Impala to Pink Floyd to Duke Ellington to Phil Collins to AC/DC in a single sitting.
I am just like you. I need a system that can play my wide-ranging music collection from acoustic jazz to classical to Motown, 80s high gloss pop, recent power-pop, hard rock.
I think the real irony is that one of the most common played audiophile artist has some of the worst recordings.
Have to agree with Kristy, love some dark side of the moon even have it on sacd.
I think the most common audiophile picks are:
1. Jazz at the pawnshop
2. Keith Don’t Go - Niels Lofgren
Both of which are very listenable…
The oft cited church music Cantate Domino however… not a fun listen.
@@ronreeder4572 I often hear Diana Krall and she has some horrid live recordings. She also has good ones as well.
Listening to Milli Vanilli via my tube amp / magnepans just for fun.
Nine inch nails - Pretty hate machine , Track 5- "Something I can never have" , you should hear stereo birds definitely whoosh back and forth from about 2:20 on if you don't you may need to adjust speaker width. That is one of my test tracks.
Matt Hilty I’m going to insist to Andrew that we test this out ASAP. That album is so good and I can’t recall hearing that (haven’t listened to it in some time).
@@KristiWright Wow thanks for the response. I didn't expect that. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for sharing the art of listening and kind enough to make a playlist to help a person like me to dive into the audiophile world.
You are the first audiophile channel on youtube who, in very detail, teaches us, the beginner, how to listen, what to listen to in a list of specific track (which you include and it’s a bonus!).
I’m truly grateful.
Thank you Andrew for providing a very descriptive details and different characteristics of each track. This makes your content distinctive and standout from the rest. Keep up the wonderful work.
In the late '80's the album's I recall were from Dire Straits Brothers in Arms and Yello's Oh Yeah.
Decades later I did a year of audio recording and realized the things I was listening for, that were important, the words audiophiles use were mostly mic placement, room treatments and skill from who ever the engineer was behind the board.
Wizard of Oz behind the curtain moment.
Yello's Oh Yeah has been on of my test tracks since its release. Brothers in arms is a great track, also.
Fantastic! For this subject, I don't recall anything remotely this well articulated. Thank you.
Thank you!
I just went through each one of these songs, and at first there were some things missing per your descriptions of each song. I started playing with speaker placement, and WHAM! It is crazy how spot on you are! Your ears and years of experience are incredible! Thank you.
getting my hifi headphone set up running and these videos AND MOSTLY the comment section is giving me such great, diverse tracks to test these DT-1990's!!
Fleetwood Mac - The Chain - just to hear Buckingham swear under his breath at the beginning and the space in the breaks.
Royal Blood - Loose Change - that's gotta be a big, wide granite countertop at the end.
Sarah McLachlan - Surfacing - the drum work on this is so precise and crisp. The low end should be surprisingly low and very defined.
Pearl Jam - Indifference - Eddie's vocals are amazing on this one and right in the middle.
...and yes, the kick drum at the beginning of Take The Power Back should hit you in the face
ROYAL MOTHER F'ING BLOOD!!! Yes!
Surfacing is good, but I prefer The Freedom Sessions if you want that Nth degree of audiophile goodness ;).
@@andrewrobinsonreviews You are so obsessed with this band...
@@andrewrobinsonreviewsfor sure Freedom Sessions is fantastic. Surfacing was on the list as it has always been a favorite, but after some upgrades and getting the two-channel system to where I'm really happy with it, the album became a revelation, at least to me.
One of the most coherent and concise descriptions I've ever heard in our audiophile world. Well played sir, well played...
Thank you so much! Be well.
Started following along with your observations on a pair of my speakers and had no issues hearing all that was described. So I had an idea. Ive just completed putting together a tritrix TL kit and decided to test them out. They surpassed all expectations. Not equal to my better pairs, but held up to many of your descriptions of the music. Way more than expected for the price. Wow! They are definitely more than the sum of their parts and though I knew I liked them, I really didn't know how they stacked up until now. Thank you for this vid. Not just a playlist. Your in depth observations of the nuances of the songs being described were so much better than the average "here's what I listen to" list. As usual, great job, and thank you for the level of effort you put into bringing us quality content.
I once again thank you for the list. While it's not my favorite choices, i get why you choose them all and I've been playing with it for weeks now and not only has it helped my "dial" in my system, but my favorites sound better than I could have ever imagined !!
This video is a gem. I may not like the music you have listed but it helps us newbies learn what to listen for in what we like! Thank you so much!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Andrew, thank you for this. In my many years of reading, hi-fi magazines, nobody has ever done anything like this. I truly appreciate this.
Thank you for this, I have never truly listened to my (modest) system in this way. I listened to each and every track you listed, and listened for what you described, and I was truly surprised by what my system could actually deliver. You have actually "scratched my itch" so to say, as I was kinda getting the upgrade bug, I now know that I don't need to upgrade. Thank you once again, for giving me (us, your viewers), an insight on what you look for and hear, regarding your profession.
Thanks for the great content. Added your songs to my speaking testing playlist on Tidal. Just starting my audiophile journey. Current system is Parasound amp, Schiit Freya+ tube preamp, Topping D70 DAC and Wharfedale Evo 4.2 speakers. Loving the tube rolling on the Freya.
that sounds like an excellent system- especially starting out. i bet it's musical and pleasing!
Thank you very much for such detailed information ,so that I can reference my System to your experience. It helps to have someone out there like you. I admire the work you do for our Hi Fi community.
Keep it up.
Thank you so much!
I love that you mentioned Hella Good, myself and several other live sound engineers use this track to check PA systems in large to medium venues.
The specifics on why you use tracks and what to look for on each track is refreshing and educational.
One of my favourite test songs is “Wheat Kings” by The Tragically Hip. Many Americans have probably never heard it but it is very well known in here in Canada. It’s great for testing out speakers/headphones because of the stereo separation of the instruments and the acoustic twang of the guitars. There is also these beautiful sparkling chimes that can be heard throughout the song, I never knew they were present in so much of the song until I got a great pair of speakers. I would highly recommend people give it a listen especially if they’re into folk rock.
Thank you Andrew! Listening to you, following your indications, pausing and listening to every song and looking for the things you mention it was fun! And instead of giving a bunch of audiophile recordings or cliche steely dan, dire straits songs you went for a list that not only makes sense but shows your understanding on music and music systems and to me, doing this exercise not only appreciated more my stereo but you and your channel. Thanks man!
WOW, thank you! Glad you liked the video!
Exactly! I started to really listen to music kinda late, in my 20s. So those hifi, audiophile albums from the 60s, 70s arent really what I've listened at the time. So I was very happy to see, Alanis Morissette, Audioslave, RATM, R.E.M in this list. By the way I'm 39
I really like this list though Dire Straits has a special place in my heart and my playlists ;)
Andrew you crushed this video! Explaining what to listen for and what the listener should experience is no small feat. Well done sir! Thumbs up.
This was really helpful. Thanks!
I wasn’t sure whether my decent but definitely not high-end home cinema system can live up to ”audiophile“ standards. Not only do I now know that yes it does (to a certain degree), your descriptions also helped me figure out which settings of the AV receiver actually improve the sound.
Great vid as usual, Andrew. Thanks very much!
I’ve got a certain bunch of go to albums (I’ve always been a vinyl guy, btw), but also listen to the occasional CD.
My main test albums are:
- Pixies “Surfer Rosa”
- Daft Punk “Random Access Memories”
- Morphine “Good”
- Natalie Merchant “Tigerlily” (MoFi LP)
- David Bowie “Lets Dance” (the RL mastered LP)
- E. Power Biggs “Bach on Harpsichord”
- Beatles “Sgt. Pepper” U.K. Parlophone mono and stereo
- 1812 Overture
I’m forgetting a few, but ya get the gist.
Thanks again, Andrew!
Great list Nick.
That is a great list!
Josh Peters
Thanks, Josh. Much appreciated!
Andrew Robinson
Thank you, Andrew!
My Dad who had his own business for 30 years in Hifi, building his own speakers etc. and selling them always says ppl should listen to vocal rich music to test their equipment because Basically every human has an expert hearing in what the human voice should sound like since we listen to it since we are born. Its very difficult to judge good/bad equipment with Instruments if you arent an experienced musician
@@honkyjesuseternal I think a lot of my Dad
I don’t disagree. I often use my own recorded voice when evaluating speakers. Your dad was a smart man.
What’s your deal, sir? There was nothing wrong with Mr Nsolo’s original comment.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Thats interesting. Your voice sounds pretty cool. No option for me xD
I think that's excellent advice and it makes a lot of sense! I never thought about it like that but very logical! Thank you!
I was glad to see you used a Chvrches song! They’re not a type of music I’d generally gravitate towards, but my wife got me into them and they’re geniuses! “The Mother We Share” is my go to track to test out my system
Creating a playlist of the songs now can’t wait to sample them on my set up! Thank you so much!
This is one of the best videos I've watched in a long time. I actually ended up watching this, pausing after you described each song, streamed that song, listened and then went to the next song. I heard everything in each song that you said and was like OK cool. Then I bad a thought though, how big of a difference is it? I put the playlist on in my car and played Staryboy first, just like you said, muddy and a bit boomy. I'd never liked this song at all in hearing it on Spotify in the car so didn't even consider putting it on my home system
Another song that blew me away was the Audioslave track. The difference on my system vs the car was mind blowing. It started to make me wonder what music I'm not exploring because I first heard it in such a sub optimal way that I didn't give it a "proper" listen.
Would love for you to do another round like this.
I did the same. Watched the vid and paused then streamed the song. Really was a great vid. So much more than "here's my evaluation playlist".
Same! His descriptions were spot on and I think bass tightness/clarity is what is the most notable part of a HI-FI system
Mike Chivy I recently spent some time using REW to adjust the built in. PEQ on my SVS SB3000s. The songs that showed of bass really helped me put that tweaking to the rest
@@DevonRegan That's a fantastic sub. I have the SB2000's and I love them. I'm tempted to eventually upgrade to the RELT T/9i since I've heard they're hard to beat for music.
Happens to me all the time, the only time I really listen to pop music on the radio at work, tend to really dislike it. But sometimes I'll put them on at home and am usually very supprised at how much it transforms the song
Hi Andrew, here is my playlist for 2021:
Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms
Michael Franks: Blue Pacific and/or Passion Fruit
Sting: Fields of Gold
The Rippingtons: Live Across America
Swing out Sister: It's Better to Travel
Level 42: World Machine
Jars of Clay: Furthermore
Phil Collins: Both Siders
Sting 's Shape of My Heart
Great call on Swing Out Sister
Possibly the most useful vid for the community I've seen yet on any channel. Great job again Andrew.
WOW, thank you!
First day i listen to you vids and this is by far the most usefull video i've seen in order to select gear. A massive thanks to you!
My Top Demo Songs
1 - IGY: Donald Fagen
2 - Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
3- Sirius/Eye in the Sky - Alan Parson Project
4 - Wrapped Around You Finger - Police
5 - True to Life - Roxy Music
6 - The Telephone Call - Kraftwerk
7 - Dirty Mind - Prince
8 - Float On - The Floaters
9 - Wild Horses - Prefab Sprout
10 - Money To Tight to Mention - Simply Red
Steely Dan's album Aja has been used for generations as a go-to album to demo audio gear. Incredible album.
I know your demos and the things to listen to apply to loudspeakers but I listened to all of them through my IEMs (Shuoer H27), DAC/amp (Hidizs S8) using Amazon Music HD on an iPad Air 3. I heard everything you described but it was different because it was going directly into my ears. It was really, really revealing. Great list!
I appreciate you explaining how to look for where the sound should be. I like that you seem to like explaining it , I’m sure learning a lot of cool things.
I do like the following tracks for demo and tuning. 1-Sylvan Esso, Coffee. The bells and the vocals are just a midrange and tweeter fest test. 2-Burning Down the House Alternate Version by the Talking Heads. this tracks sounds great and has several passages without vocals that I really like. 3-The Imperial March by John Williams the Empire Strikes Back Soundtrack version. Its just Darth Vader and we all know how it should sound. 4-Bob Marley Natural Mystic and Turn Your Lights Down Low. 5-Fantasy by the XX, its bass and more bass in a different expression. 6-A little Less Conversation JLX Radio Edit, its a modern mix of the classic tune. Thanks for all the content Guys.
Test track I have always loved.... LOVED and really listened to it closely recently is...
Willie Nelson-Pancho and Lefty. Very good recording, Willie starts with his fairly reverbed voice and guitar but the song progression is just beautiful. There are probably another 4 or 5 instruments that make an oh so subtle appearance, just so tasteful. It's like a painter that does so much with just a few strokes of the brush.
Can the speakers resolve those instruments? What are they and can you feel what they give to the (what I consider) one of the most romantic songs ever written?
The lyrics are just phenomenal too - it's a Townes Van Zandt song. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I really wanted to thank you for the suggestions around the demo material. I downloaded the songs in master audio where I could find it on title and enjoyed auditioning the BMW 803‘s today. I spent about an hour listening to them at reference and determined that I need just a little bit more bass. I think I would like to listen to the 802s as well. I’m going to be watching all of your content and will be purchasing a set of speakers before the end of the year when we move into our new home. I just started the process and your videos are very helpful. I have a budget of about $30,000 for the speakers alone and I am focusing on brands like Wilson, Martin Logan, B&W and S Faber.
This needs more views!
First time I found such a good description on what to listen to.
Big thumbs up!
Andreas Vollenweider "Stella" off of Cosmopoly. No description needed, you will get it the first time you hear it. Gary Numan Ghost Nation off of Broken World. Huge sound, wide stage. Eric Clapton & BB King 3 O'clock Blues off of Riding with the King. Well recorded. Notice I didn't say Diana Krall. I am recovering. Promise.
Tool's Chocolate Chip Trip for soundstage and imaging. Its nuts when you "see" how the sounds cross from left to right and beyond the speakers. Thanks for playlist
The whole album is amazing
Thanks for the super suggestion. It blew my mind.
Some of these songs are also my listening samples. Your description of MJ’s Who Is It is spot on. You got a pair of good ears !
Wonderful playlist and precise explanation of your choices. Thanks for sharing
Best track to test Yosi Horikawa - Bubbles
This guy's a good guy. His reviews are well done and he's informative.
Thank you so much, K M! We appreciate you watching.
Very helpful, thanks! Sometimes I don't know what I should be listening for or experiencing in my setup with certain songs. I definitely can tell a difference with my Forte iii speakers when I play music I've grown up with and hear the things that were never there in prior listening sessions. I'm now convinced that my ICE power AVR is still up to the task of driving the Klipsch with adequate headroom just fine even in a 1000sq ft living space. Love your videos btw
Finally, someone who understands what to listen for in drumming dynamics. Great recommendations, especially the Audioslave. With great speakers, the ring of the snare and the "chick" of the high hat are captivating. And that guitar soundstage - whoa!
Just a suggestion on Presentation. The slides are too fleeting. I’d prefer that you skip the slides altogether in all your videos in preference to text at the bottom left of the screen for a longer duration. Thank you again for an excellent video.
I am a very very very big fan of using an album called "long live the jazz" and "purple walls" by a DJ called "swindle" it has a lot of very bass heavy tracks, one in particular, "it was nothing" even extending below 25hz which is VERY VERY difficult for 90% of systems to reproduce with authority. Some of the tracks are extremely wide such as "when I fly away", which was the first time I experienced sound extending past my speakers. (before I got into hi-fi) finally, there is a track called "new life" which is extremely delicate, dynamic and holographic. Again, a wide stage, deep bass, with a lot of nuance parts hidden in there. Just beautiful. 🥰 if I had to pick one artist, it would be modern swindle. I have others, but this is the easiest album that has most, (but not all,) the bits I'd test a system to reproduce. ☺
Andrew, big fan here. I got into hi-fi recently after setting up my home theater and interestingly enough, I find myself listening to two channel stereo more often than movies. I’ve been religiously watching your videos but this one in particular, I’ve spent more than 10 hours going Through not only your recommendations but all the recommendations in the comments and I’m still not done! So thank you!
This is a great video. I really, really appreciate the explanations on what to listen for, what each description means. That is very helpful for me.
Thank you
The system testing song for me is Daft Punk's Giorgio by Moroder. That song has everything you want to test in one song. It has heavy bass, it has clarity, it has loud moments with lots of detail and subtle elevating moments as well. I don't know what Daft Punk did with this album but to my ears it sounds really incredible.
My go to track !!!!
Recorded to analog tape and mastered by Robert Ludwig
@@playboyv12 that's awesome! I didn't know.
Damn! That’s an awesome track.
I have two Daft Punk tracks I use: Solar Sailer from the Tron Legacy soundtrack, and Doing it Right with Panda Bear.
Anything from Steely Dan, consistently some of the best production from any genre
Aja
This playlist and explanations of what to listen out for really helped me to understand what some of the phrases used by audiophiles when describing speaker performance. The tracks also helped me to tweak my speaker placement, so thanks again. My go to test albums are Aja and Dark side of the moon. Call me predictable!
Wow, just gave Moby a listen and you are spot on! It was haunting. Went track for track and Audioslave blew me away, huge stage and presence. REM strings strumming, voice crystal clear. Onkyo NR7100 with DCM Timeframe TF700 on zone two so pure speaker, sounded great. Vocals (I may be crazy) made me think of Jackson brown?
My go to has always been Norah Jones Don't know why & Sunrise.... I always used these when checking headphones and tube amps....
Great video and information....
For sound stage I use Yosi Horikawa - Spaces album song Crossing. Like you are standing on the corner of the street and hear 360 degree sounds with 2 speakers. Try it out.
Wow, nice recommendation. Pulled it up my Tidal account. Nice HiFi setup test.
I've been on my road to recovery for about a decade. The turning point for me was the realization that I was buying music I didn't really like just for the quality of the recording.
Been there, done that. Spent a lot of money on s--t I never listened to. Thanks for watching!
saddleupbike And alternatively (for me), I’ve been pulling out old albums that I once loved and I can’t even get through an entire side without thinking “How did I listen to this s-t?”. My father was right - I was listening to garbage.
Hey Andrew, great video! You did a great job of explaining all the different nuances of each song. I stopped the video at each song and added each to a new Spotify playlist. Sitting here listening to all of them in surround sound now! Thanks, Jim
Hey Andrew, I just stumbled on a good one... Avratz by Infected Mushrooms
Andrew Robinson, thanks for the list of demo music to test speakers and systems which is most helpful.
We've all seen RUclips videos where someone had an impressive audio setup and yet, they've often chosen horrible music to "showcase" their equipment (eg. just loud rap music or bland tunes with lots of base, but no clear vocals or classical music orchestration, etc. to really illustrate the beauty of their sound system or home theatre).
Dark Side of the Moon? Kristi knows her stuff! That’s one of my go-to albums whenever I test speakers. Not that your list isn’t great though. Love me some RATM, Audioslave, DMB, MJ, and R.E.M., amongst some other songs/artists you mentioned.
DropTheHammer 😍
1. Money for nothing, extended version, remastered- Dire Straits. adjust the volume in the first 20-30 seconds. I use it for a headroom measurement. If the equipment is excellent, the sound will come up over you, then push straight at you. When the drums join, it should be tight and immediate.
2. Love on a real train- State Azure cover of Tangerine Dream. I use this for details and layering. if you watch the video, you can see where the changes are made as the artist is actually playing it.
3. Hidden Places- Karunesh. Tests the width and side to side movement.
4. Magic mushrooms- Hyperflow, the remake. Another movement piece.
5. Yes, any album. Clarity and separation.
I'm not a basshead, but I do expect a 2 channel rig to play as much of the available frequencies, that I can hear. 20-20,000 is perfect, but I'll settle for 28-20,000. 2 channel, 3-way loudspeakers, class A/B amplification, minimum CD quality source. #classabbitch 👍🏼
Just used all these songs to test my equipment, all will be staying on my playlist👍🏻 Thank you!
Russ...dude....your list is fire!
What a video... thank you for this. I have found an even greater appreciation for my sound system. Thank you.
Thanks Andrew for this video. Gives me some tracks to try and an idea of what you listen to for reviewing.
Rage fan here as well.
Hello Andrew, Awesome video!!! Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon is awesome, cheers Kristi 🤘🤘. I like to use Rush - La Villa Strangiato, its an instrumental. And if you wanna hear your system really rock.... Iron Maiden - Rime of the ancient mariner. Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Jim Albruzzess Danke 😊
One of my favorite songs to test with is Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa.
Thank you, this artist is great.
This list is wonderful,it’s just great..A lot of excellent imaging and dynamics and different sonic landscapes.Really good.
Been watching a bunch of your videos lately and finally hit the subscribe button just now. I like your relaxed take. Keep up the good work!
Awesome, thank you!
Got to say Andrew, there are some very, very good gear reviewers on YT (of which I know you don't watch, but I am sure you are aware of.....Zero Fidelity, Guttenberg, Darko et al), but in terms of being succinct and descriptive for what you should be listening for and covering a range of music that most of us would listen to (sorry classical listeners. I love classical to, but the vast majority won't and don't listen. Cruel, but sadly true), this is one of the best videos I think I have seen. Genuinely. After watching this video the first time, I put a reminder in my phone to watch it again and find every track I could on whatever format I had (I was surprised at how many I actually had, but clearly hadn't listened to in a long time!) and play them out and I had SUCH a fun afternoon doing so as I haven't "critically" listened for quite some time. No bad thing, as the music comes first and I am pretty happy with my setup. But, listening to these tracks and before doing so, listening to your description so I knew what to listen for really made it a lot of fun and really insightful and did actually so some innacuracies in my gear but also how "right" it was....for me. Which is the important bit. Most of what you suggested should be there WAS there. And for my fun afternoon and for being so very, very accurate and clear in your descriptions, a big thank you from over the pond in the UK. Oh, and I love my setup just that little bit more now......
My testers? You really need to check out ANYTHING from Leftfield's Leftism album. Has been my go-to album for testing for years. Space, rhythm, bass, depth, sparkle...has the lot. And such a fantastic album too. And this is a weird one too as I don't actually like the album or the band, but I do love this track and it covers all bases.....Afternoons and Coffeespoons by Crash Test Dummies. From the first "crackle" of needle on the record to the strum of the guitar to the bass slide into the body of the song, its brilliantly produced and sounds fantastic and the dynamics of it will seriously test your speakers.
There are some great suggestions below as well. I have stolen some of them and made a Spotify playlist of all of them, including the ones you mentioned and have named the playlist after yourself. You're welcome ;-)
I'm 63 and some of the music u use to demo, I have no experience with. That's ok I grew up on different music then you did. But you need to use music you're familiar with. Good job Andrew. I use Fleetwood Mac, the chain for bass and Phil Collins drum solo on In The Air Tonight.
I'm amazed by the watchful eye Mike Oldfield, the wrap around sensation you described amazed me. Especially the text tone sounding parts, it's as if there were two speakers hovering at the side of each ear over my shoulders.
Thanks for putting together this list. It's great to have a reference of songs from a pro. I've used Norah Jones first album Come Away With Me whenever I change something in my setup. Love the album and there is some nice subtle stuff in there that requires quality to really hear. Funny I saw a video not long ago from a high end shop doing an assembly and setup of a very nice turntable. The tech said they use Norah Jones as a test album on their turntables because of the grainy texture of her vocals. Hey maybe I knew something and didn't even know it!
Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek", Fleetwood Mac's "Big Love" from The Dance live album, and Dire Strait's "So Far Away" (although the entire Brothers In Arms album is a fantastic demo piece) are my go-tos for demo material.
Great video topic, by the way.
+1 for Imogen Heap
+1 for Imogen Heap as well!!!
If you guys all love Imogen Heap too, then you should also definitely check out her other, lesser known work/album called Frou Frou- Details is the album title, and it is VERY aptly titled! It is definitely one of the "hidden gems" of electronica/pop because the entire album is SO well recorded and involving! You can hear her every breath and even her *lips parting* when she opens her mouth immediately before she sings a verse if you have truly resolving speakers! It is an amazing album, and always has been one of my top go-to's for speaker evaluating ever since it came out in 2002 I think it was!
I'm a new audiophiler and I appreciate you helping explain what to listen for in specific songs to help evaluate a home system, I just have a Sony 1080 AVR with 2 klipsch TV 82 towers, and other surround speaker, enjoy 2 channel listening, would like to get into separates and up grade to la scalla's, but confused with pre pro, integrated amp, processor, how to integrate a dac, could you do a session on getting started for beginners
It sounds like you and I are at the same stage. Andrew seems to recommend, learning to crawl before you run. Find yourself a good quality set of speakers, then a good quality receiver, preferably with streaming capability, a DAC and a turntable, or CD player. Start with your basics. That way you don’t over do it with a $5k System when you maybe perfectly satisfied with a $500 System. Does that make sense?
@@gustercc yes thanks for the tip
Loved this video. I use Supertramp's School and Bloody Well Right. The dynamics are huge and it's a good test of punchy but not muddy bass response. I'm going to look into some of your test tracks as well. Keep up the great work!
Ty for sharing.
First time in a hi fi shop, weeks ago, they played Ghost Rider, make us stronger
Amazing!
Damn it you made me postpone my sleep so I can check out what I've been missing on the tracks you mentioned 😊
WOW, just listened to each of the tracks after hearing your explanation of what I should be listening out for and MY GOD I've just heard it. Now really pleased with my system. Good work and thank you.
In the first song I heard the humming started off kinda very soft then alittle more pronounced. Did I achieve musical Navana... lol 👍
Hi
I must admit it was fun, I listened all of it on my system to see if I could ear what you were talking about. For my semi-old system I was happy. Cambridge CXN, PS audio HCA-2 and a pair of 1970 ESS amt 1b
To add to the dave matthews song, "say goodbye" off of Crash has an incredible drum intro. If things are setup right it almost feels like the full kit is against your wall and you can place each tom along the space of the wall.
When that flute comes in.....huuurrnghh. I'm transported to another 'nother plane.
richard martinez yes!
Be Brave - My Brightest Diamond
Bird on a Wire - Jennifer Warnes
Little Room - Norah Jones
Here in Texas(Live) - David Grace
Out of My Mind - John Mayer Trio
Secret Heart - Feist
End Titles (The Pink Panther) - Christophe Beck
Thanks To You - Boz Scaggs
Cut Them Loose - Clarence Spady
**All available on Amazon Music**
10 - I Believe In You - Talk Talk. Mark Hollis was a genius. Period.
9 - Old Man - Neil Young. Great imaging & soundstage
7 - Lust - Balligomingo - If sex were a song.... Beverly's vocals are superb.
7 - Belfast Child - Simple Minds - If this track doesn't invoke goosebumps.....
6 - Avalon - Roxy Music - one of the finest quality rock recordings (IMO)
5 - You And You Friend - Dire Straits - soundstage & imaging.
4 - The Big Muddy - Bruce Springsteen (And I'm not that much of a Springsteen fan)
3 - Resurrection Blues - Otis Taylor
2 - Rapunzel - Dave Matthews Band. Agreed - extremely distinct drums sounds - Carter is an talent soaked ANIMAL!
1 - Over & Out - Flim & The BBs. You should be able to hear the cymbal is 2 feet higher than the snare and about 6 inches to the left. HUGE drum sound.
Honorable mention - Fun House - Flim & The BBs - The door slamming drum crash the follows the train whistle sound should literally pass right through your chest.
Aaaaand - Woman in Chains - Tears For Fears.
OK - I'm done.
Love that you had RATM and Audioslave on the list. I used to own the Mesa Boogie bass amp that Tim Commerford recorded Audioslave's Out of Exile on, thing had some serious mojo! I definitely have upgradeitis but my Yamaha RX-A680 does a decent job with my small Yamaha speakers and sub, not the widest soundstage but pretty remarkable clarity and the sub does a faithful job of reproducing that nice mid-bass until you hit reference level (about 10db hotter than I ever need in my room). Thanks for the continued great content, this was a fun list to work through!
I was looking them up on Tidal and queuing them during the video, and I'll be listening to all in one sitting here in a few. One song I recommend is Monsieur Camembert's "Manhattan." Listen a couple of times and you'll be hooked for sure!!! Good video!
Late to the game but Kristi is right to listen to Dark Side of the Moon. It's a soundstage and dynamics monster. Plenty of music moves around a bit but this has waves that wash over you, changes in depth, width, and height that should be dramatic.
1812 Overture is my other must pass. Dynamics all over the place and if you don't feel something when the cannons come in there's something wrong. If your amp just shuts off you don't have the overhead you think you have.
Rezz - Life & Death: Bass control. Bass shouldn't be sloppy and there's a lot to deal with.
Yes to the CD of the 1812 Overture. A guy was bragging on his system and I challenged him to allow me to test it for him. All I brought with me was the 1812 Overture on CD.
His system failed, the speakers may have been destroyed. I told him ahead of time it could happen but he wanted to go ahead anyway. Later he came to my house and when the cannons fired he was speechless for about 30 seconds. I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it but Dark Side of the Moon is a good choice too. I'm not familiar with the third one. Another favorite of mine is the CD "Lose This Life" by Tait.
@@johnmclaughlin4496 Rezz is an artist in the New Beat genre of EDM. It doesn't suit everyone's tastes but her music has a good amount of deep bass texture that can devolve into garbled wub wub wub if the system isn't up for it.
@@booniebrew7913 Haha, I totally know what you mean with Rezz, she is awesome! That track is aptly titled, because if your system *doesn't* have *Bass Control* then it DOES sound like a "wub, wub, wub", Lol!
That's so cool that your wife is passionate about music and audio as well. Very cool.
I think so too!
These are great hints! I have a Demo playlist that I use. I'll run through your list (once the family is awake) and see what I like. I am convinced that a SET amp is in my future but I sure would like to hear a nice SET system before I go "all in".
What an awesome reference video!!!
I'll be going back to this many times I'm sure. I used to use an old "audiophile test" album on RUclips. I think it was from a speaker manufacturer. Maybe B&W? But I didn't save it anywhere, and can't find it again.
It was similar to this, where they described what you should hear, except they then played the songs. No biggie though. I have a few streaming services to pick from. So I know I can aquire all of these easily enough. Thank you very much. ✌️
Thank you and I hope it is of some help to you!
I like to use Frankenstein by the Edgar Winter Group to test out systems
Tool - Chocolate Chip Trip sounds great and sounds very wide.
Thank you for sharing, very insightful and great passion for music .
I'm going to have to try my speakers all over again!!Thanks for what I need to look for!!
1. Stevie Wonder beginning of "Sir Duke" -- If I can clearly hear the previous recording delay after the first horn lines I know the dynamics and sensitivity of the speakers are good. This is also excellent for mid range, horns, warmth, punch. Every Stevie track I've ever heard is mixed to go to 11 without distorting. If the system distorts at super high volumes, it's the system, not the track.
2. Porcupine Tree -- "Blackest Eyes" One of those unsung heavy recordings that you look back on and go "How did I not know that existed?" Very spacey with lots of elements panning though the stereo range in many points of the song It should jump scare you when it kicks with a wall of heavy that should not distort even at very high volumes because it was mixed well. It should then shock you again when the verse kicks in and everything goes ultra clean. This recording has more dynamic levels, hidden corners and sub-moods than a dream home built in 1977. I like this as my heavy reference because there are a lot of things buried in this recording: Hard panned acoustic guitars, whisper vocal tracks, a banjo, spoken words over vocal melodies, claps, random soundscapes, a hammond/leslie, layers and layers of harmonies, all flanked by an very punchy drum track that is not taking a back seat. You should hear the snare right behind your nose with the ride, splash and crashes behind your ears. All those little elements should be jumping out.
3. Bob James "Take me to the Mardi Gras". I only listen to the first 27 seconds which is one of the punchiest, most famous Steve Gadd drum beats and tones ever recorded. That kick should hit you in the chest full range with all of the etherial chimes and bells floating in 3D space. You should hear the room and the dynamics.
4. Paul Simon "Kodachrome" and "Tenderness" In my opinion one of the greatest studio mixes by one of the greatest session musicians in history. Kodachrome is extremely bright with a lot of warm lows and amazing stereo imaging. If this sounds muddy or compressed at high volumes, if that snare and high-hat aren't completely razor crisp right to the top of the frequency range, if Paul's S's are distorting, it's not the fault of the recording. I usually follow it up with "Tenderness" which is on the same album because it's a much warmer, slow flowing beautiful glistening track -- if the system can handle both, I know it's good.
5. Pink Floyd "Breath" and "Time" Soft to loud dynamics, stereo imaging, clarity of the soundscape in the beginning. Crescendo. Rock. Warmth. I usually go right into "Time"
6. Michael Jackson "Billie Jean". If the ssss sounds are going to distort, they'll do it on this track. That shaker has to be clear and crisp but not distorting. The kick on this track (much like Steve Gadd's) has to be super super tight and punchy.
7. Radiohead -- "Paranoid Android" into "Homesick Alien." Paranoid Android: A whole range of stops, starts dynamics, distortion, stereo imaging. A rollercoaster. Homesick Alien: quite simply, if I don't get goosebumps within the first 15 seconds of that song, the system is garbage.
8. D'Angelo -- "Playa Playa" and "Spanish Joint". One of the great modern recordings of our time. The intro should be spacey, ultra dry, tons of stereo imaging, warm and insanely crisp. The way ?uest drive the kick and snare, that kick should feel like the foot of god when it comes in. The vocals, the horns, the subtle guitars, the bumpy bass, it should all feel like you're surrounded. Same deal with Spanish Joint, you should be able to hear all the little parts and dynamics in that recording.
9. Medeski Martin and Wood -- Tonic (I jump through the whole album). I think one of their greatest live recordings and you really get an absolute sense you're there if the sound system is up to par. You should hear the creaking piano bench, the crowd babbling at times, you should hear Chris Wood singing his solo while he's playing.
10. Imogen Heap -- "Headlock" A fantastic reference for layers, a balance of acoustic and electronic instruments. A fantastic balance of stereo. Great dynamics.
11. Justice -- DVNO. This one should be crispy and compressed but it's all about the bass, all about the bump, how well that's handled on the low end. One of the of the ultimate dance tracks. I want to smell the electricity coming out of this track.
12. Phoenix -- I toggle through the entire "United" album (for reasons that are clear to anyone whose heard it) -- it's one of the more diverse albums out there.
13. Aphex Twin -- "syro u473t8+e (piezoluminescence mix)". One of the tightest electronic tracks out there, really allows me to know how well and how tight a system can handle the entire frequency range.
14. Joan Armatrading -- "Down to Zero" -- Mainly because I know that track so well and appreciate the very unique open, almost country recording that it is. To me it's one of the best ways to go there. It's an excellent recording. Joan's voice should just hit you and if it's a good system, the power of it will bring you to tears. It's a very melody forward recording. The acoustic guitars do this very interesting stereo pan where I believe two separate hard panned takes are in the left / right ear.
Thanks for getting that out of my head, it's good to write it down somewhere.
Thanks for the listen, man. Im currently listening to Blackest Eyes for the first time.
@@joeynavarro6762 Nice! I think it is one of those very heavy rock recordings that still manage to maintain dynamics, it's not just one super compressed ear sausage. Everything really sits in the mix and it's a joy to listen to that entire alum through really good speakers.
Hey Now - London Grammar (Bass)
Lost Without You - Freya Ridings (Air)
2049 - Hans Zimmer (Detail)
The Chokin Kind - Joss Stone (Female Vocals)
Rooster Live MTV - Alice In Chains (Overall)
Gravity Live Nokia - John Mayer (Male Vocals)
Within - Daft Punk (Stereo Imaging)
Hotel California Live 1994 - The Eagles (Duh)
Most Deadmua5 stuff is great too. There are so many other great songs out there.
ANYONE WHO ACTUALLY LISTENS:
Let me know if you want any more suggestions after having your mind blown by these.
Fantastic list! My German Physiks passed with flying colors!
@@gabojones3087 That London Grammar song comes out of nowhere with that bass doesn’t it ;) Thank you for actually listening though!
@@gabojones3087 Try this one, it may blow your mind and sound like he’s in the room under the right conditions. Vanishing Act - Lou Reed
I’ve just tried vanishing act! Those initial piano notes and then LR’s voice. Brilliant! Keep them coming
Great list. Wondering how you differentiate between Freya Ridings and Joss Stone as they both can equally be listed under female vocals. Joss Stone definitely has an edge though.
Thanks for the playlist and the video why the song was on the list. I used this playlist when I updated speaker cables.
Thanks for posting not just a link to your playlist! Your explanations are great and very helpful. I made a playlist (Spotify) and tested it with my headphones (Sennheiser Momentum) - hmmm, maybe, maybe not. I tested it with my Harman amplifier (HK970) and my floorstanding speakers (old Quadral) - hmm, maybe. So I thought my ears are not trained enough. Today I sat into my car and the playlist was still selected - and wow! Suddenly I could hear the slamming bass, the 3D soundstage, nearly everything (even while driving with 50km/h)! Just the bass isn't that pronounced. My BMW sound system is far better than my sound system at home. I am happy, because thanks to your playlist and explanations I know now, that I'm not too dumb to be able to hear the differences - it's just my bad sound system at home! So thanks again. I love your videos (and perspective on high-end audio)!