Test tracks (good recordings) link

[Pete Basel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTWa--9oNg0

[Unbiasedsound]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt_22fXoDYs         Pretty good recording of Flight of the Cosmic Hippo it just sounds so awesome on my DML panels one of my friends thought I had a hidden sub playing. 

[TMM]

Going to go out on a limb here and say that most of the tracks people use as 'test tracks' tend to be more flattering of poor speakers than demanding of well behaved ones. If there are only a handful of instruments playing then speakers issues may actually be euphonic instead of grating. It's for the same reason that instrument speakers (e.g. guitar speaker) intentionally have bad distortion to add a certain 'flavour' to the sound. If you play more than one instrument through them, they sound horrid.

My personal test of speakers is to play something very busy with a noise-like spectral response, which usually means heavy rock/metal music (example below that I quickly picked out). Any IMD or frequency response issues become immediately apparent as it becomes grating to listen to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MybRZLgpidc

[Geoff Millar]

Going to go out on a limb here and say that most of the tracks people use as 'test tracks' tend to be more flattering of poor speakers than demanding of well behaved ones. If there are only a handful of instruments playing then speakers issues may actually be euphonic instead of grating. It's for the same reason that instrument speakers (e.g. guitar speaker) intentionally have bad distortion to add a certain 'flavour' to the sound. If you play more than one instrument through them, they sound horrid.

My personal test of speakers is to play something very busy with a noise-like spectral response, which usually means heavy rock/metal music (example below that I quickly picked out). Any IMD or frequency response issues become immediately apparent as it becomes grating to listen to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MybRZLgpidc

Interesting point, but my way of thinking is to hear how a speaker reproduces my favourite music; and, for example, many 'designer' and big box storeÂ*speakers don't do that well at all.

I use a range of favourite tracks for testing speakers: some well recorded, some not so. Â*I don't use metal as I don't like that sort of music, but a concerto or symphony will do much the same thing in terms of the variety and volume of sounds, plus they have the advantage over most metal of wide dynamic range.

Poor tweeters will, for example, may make a solo violinÂ*sound thin and harsh and cymbals sound like garbage tin lids.Â*

Beethoven's Choral Symphony or Verdi's Requiem are at times a confusing racket in which you need to be able to hear and distinguish individual voices and instrumentsÂ* - providing they have been well recorded in the first place.Â*

My 'test CD' has some poor to average recordings to see what they sound like, too. Dylan's Basement Tapes and Hendrix at the LA Forum 1970 will sound really thin and hissy on a poor system. The CD includes in whole or part: :

The Beatles; Sam Brown;Miles Davis; Verdi Requiem "Dies Irae"; Dark Side of the Moon; The Basement Tapes; Renee Fleming; Hendrix; Tchaikovsky Piano and Violin Concertos; and Deep Purple's Made in Japan.Â* To my ears, none of them sound much good on poor speakers

Geoff

Â*

[Matt Clara]

Everything about it is tops. Clear, clean bass, crisp drums, searing guitars, and Devy's vocals are just mind melting. What RANGE!!!! The recording production is simply excellent, to go along with the soaring harmonies.

It's the most goose-bump inducing CD I've ever heard.

It truly "Transcends" every genre.

It may be brilliantly mastered, but omg, that music. Try some St. Germain. So Flute is a good one. Give it to 1:15 for the beat to drop, 3:50 before it really settles in, 4:35 for the sublime, 4:50 for the beat to drop again and away you go. https://youtu.be/r7YZqD7dZcQ Yeah, I know, it's all a matter of personal taste! Just having some fun.

[gdmoore28]

Jellyfish! I love this album, and it has it all for me, dynamics, thundering lows, soaring highs, dense layers of harmony and melody, delicate whisper to a scream transitions, and I think that it is one of the greatest rock albums that not many know about. I have gotten lost in a daze many times with this cd pumping thru my bedroom system. Glenn.

I've listened to the two Jellyfish albums regularly since they were first released, and I'm blown away by the quality of the hook-laden songwriting, vocal performances, and sterling recording quality even now. Two of my favorite albums of all time.

GeeDeeEmm

[Drummer]

I've listened to the two Jellyfish albums regularly since they were first released, and I'm blown away by the quality of the hook-laden songwriting, vocal performances, and sterling recording quality even now. Two of my favorite albums of all time.

GeeDeeEmm

I am totally with you on everything that you feel! You might really dig Imperial Drag. Some of the guys from Jellyfish, with Eric Dover, and no Andy. I would cream if I could listen to Spilt Milk on your big beautiful horn system! I have turned so many friends and musicians on to Jellyfish over the years, and many of them got hooked like a drug. Glenn.

[kevintomb]

a lot of what I formerly thought was well recorded "Classic rock", no longer passes my test for great sound quality. 
 

[Mountainman Bob]

a lot of what I formerly thought was well recorded "Classic rock", no longer passes my test for great sound quality.Â*
Â*

+1 on that.........some of the newer recordings are blowing my mind and making me think I need to upgrade the system, even music genres I would have never thought twice about are starting to sound good!

[Drummer]

+1 on that.........some of the newer recordings are blowing my mind and making me think I need to upgrade the system, even music genres I would have never thought twice about are starting to sound good!

I agree with both of you 100 percent, but, I would rather listen to music that moves me, even when it isn't recorded perfection, than to just listen to the sound only. Wings is a perfect example. The guitar tracks are so forward on some tracks that it feels like the guitarist snuck behing the console and drove the faders skyward, but I love the songs and the band. For me, I want to listen to what I love sound as good as it can, or as good as I can afford and justify for it to sound. Glenn.

[Mountainman Bob]

I agree with both of you 100 percent, but, I would rather listen to music that moves me, even when it isn't recorded perfection, than to just listen to the sound only. Wings is a perfect example. The guitar tracks are so forward on some tracks that it feels like the guitarist snuck behing the console and drove the faders skyward, but I love the songs and the band. For me, I want to listen to what I love sound as good as it can, or as good as I can afford and justify for it to sound. Glenn.

 yah you just can't reproduce the feel ,I find alot of modern classic covers to be lacking "it" even though the recording is much better......I suppose might have been the original atmosphere,nowadays you get arrested for just thinking about how the vintage rock stars acted!
Is justification sorta like "honey I need to raise my headroom and lower my distortion ratings to keep up with the recording industry standards" think that might work?

[Drummer]

Â*yah you just can't reproduce the feel ,I find alot of modern classic covers to be lacking "it" even though the recording is much better......I suppose might have been the original atmosphere,nowadays you get arrested for just thinking about how the vintage rock stars acted!
Is justification sorta like "honey I need to raise my headroom and lower my distortion ratings to keep up with the recording industry standards" think that might work?

Justification boils down to how much money I would like to keep on banking vs how content  I am with what I already am fortunate to have. I was married for 17 years, and my ex wife didn't like me spending dough on certain things that I enjoy, but she had no problem blowing "our" money on aquiring useless stuff that was soon forgotten about. Now I am with a beautiful Jamaican singer that loves the fact that I have passions that she also shares, and she's the best listening partner that I could have ever dreamed of. She gets excited about me talking about having even better sound that we both will benefit from daily. She is hooked already by hearing details in music that she had never heard in the same familiar songs. Score!!! Glenn.

[Mountainman Bob]

Justification boils down to how much money I would like to keep on banking vs how contentÂ* I am with what I already am fortunate to have. I was married for 17 years, and my ex wife didn't like me spending dough on certain things that I enjoy, but she had no problem blowing "our" money on aquiring useless stuff that was soon forgotten about. Now I am with a beautiful Jamaican singer that loves the fact that I have passions that she also shares, and she's the best listening partner that I could have ever dreamed of. She gets excited about me talking about having even better sound that we both will benefit from daily. She is hooked already by hearing details in music that she had never heard in the same familiar songs. Score!!! Glenn.

 Thats awesome! my wife likes disco.....nuff said!

[gdmoore28]

You might really dig Imperial Drag. Some of the guys from Jellyfish, with Eric Dover, and no Andy.

Thanks! I'll order that album. I'm a drummer, too, by the way.

GeeDeeEmm

[Drummer]

Thanks! I'll order that album. I'm a drummer, too, by the way.

GeeDeeEmm

Awesome! A fellow loon that likes to beat on things with sticks! Let me know your thoughts after you've had some time with the album. I love this cut. Glenn.