Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

[RexDog]

Chris Cornell - Unplugged In Sweden (Full Album)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3Qjk9LqDvw

[Fractals]

I believe, to get the best out of a speaker test, it's best to choose from a range of songs you have some familiarity with... so I usually go with soundtracks at firsts. They tend to be full bodied (full spectrum with great timbre as it's orchestral) and have that swell of sound you are accustomed to (and you get to sing or hum along).

superman theme song- John williwams
Raiders of the lost arc theme - John williams
empirial March - John Williams
chariots of fire - vangelis
led zepplin for stereo and timbre
yellow submarine- Beatles for timbre
Ac/dc for in your face rock
Bach cello suit 1 - yo yo ma. Shows off the subtlety .
finally
Tusk - Fleetwood Mac
chain - Fleetwood Mac

[bignose]

El-Harpo by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Live duel between harmonica and a pipe organ and a piano.

[Thump]

Bass:
TRON Legacy Soundtrack -> Original -> CD1 -> Track 12
Daft Punk - End of Line (FLAC or better)

Pure digital, no vocals. Xmax and failing surrounds will be revealed if you get carried away. It'll also have police tapping their feet in beat as they wait for you to answer your front door if you hear them knocking before they enter uninvited.

There are remixes out there. None of them come close to this true original track IMO. It starts strong, heavy and gets heavier from there. Structural impact should be noted for this one. With a powerful system really cranked this sucker can damage a house.

Outstanding for finding vases and other objects the wife has sitting on slick surfaces needing secured before they dance off to their death.

Here's a sample of End of Line from the tube but doesn't do justice. When I light up my Oppo using a pure track with no "noise" buried it's a fun one:

Bass:
TRON Legacy Soundtrack -> Original -> CD1 -> Track 15
Daft Punk - Solar Sailer (FLAC or better)

Pure digital, no vocals. This one is a mellow start with a nice float-along feel. Once the low kicks in it'll set your walls into a sustained tremble rate taking down loose hanging pictures. Great for finding things your wife barely hung.

Also great for isolating frame corners, light fixtures, window blinds and all other objects rattling that need padding.

Bass:
Boston Acoustics Bass Test Cd -Woofer Cooker (FLAC or better)

Believe this goes down into and below 20hz and keeps it active while the rest of the stuff plays in the higher ranges. The woofer cooker warning is no joke. This thing is very dangerous to your sub at too high a volume.


Personal note - lucky house layout factors:

In my favor, the living room of our home is designed right in the middle of a 2K+ sq'. It does effectively isolate it as best normal walls can. We also have a large very dense couch that does, measurably, attenuate the bass. When behind the couch, staring straight ahead toward the media wall and media center (and where the subs are) the depth and power of the lows are reduced preventing them from hitting a wall 45+ feet in front of them. Without that couch it would be hitting that wall like a freight train.

My neighbor on that side is pretty old, but none the less, the more I can save any of them the displeasure of hearing music they may hate (that we love) while keeping the volume at our levels the better.

Layers of walls surrounding the large central living room are key here and I really dig it since we can blast this place beyond club levels. When the drink is flowing my Esoteric based LCR + 2x Infinity Perfect 12.1 subs give whatever level we can stand, and easily exceed it too which is amazing actually.

A back yard large enough to dissipate the audio prevents rattling (too badly) windows of homes on that next street. The front is nothing but a driveway to the street.

All-in-all it's a wonderful configuration allowing a mind-bending, party-loud environment without the police being called on me.

Rock on!

[Ynantr]

I've always used Catalunya because it has a bit of everything. Whatever you use, it should be a track you're very familiar with.

[Bill C]

Oh and David bowtie station to station cd. Especially the track station to station and the track .. stay

[Bill C]

Dire straights the entire brothers in arms cd. Michael Jackson thriller album.robert plant shaken and stirred cd. Emerson lake and Palmer song "from the beginning" Edgar winter group song Frankenstein . Absolutely everything that Dr. Dre has produced or recorded. And of course pink Floyd's dark side of the moon. All those tracks and albums will put your system to the test for sure. Oh yeah and the overture of ???1812??? With the cannon blasts.. real joy to listen to on a good system.

[Spaker]

I'd be willing to wager not many of you are familiar with this guy. Deadmau5 is a producer and performer of live electronic music. Not a DJ. Doesnt play other peoples songs. Doesnt play recorded songs. Recreates them live. Anyway, a .wav or .flac version of this track always gives me a good idea of how a speaker came out. Lots of hi end and midrange.... and that 4 to the floor kick will eventually chime in and let you know what your woofers are made of.

Deadmau5 - The Velt oh... yeah... he performs in a giant cartoon like mouse head helmet his fans make him. until he gets hot.

[[email protected]]

Sarah McLachlan- Ice
Susannah McCorkle- I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire (cover of The Ink Spots' song, which some may know from Fallout)
Roadrunner United - Roads
Seether- Needles (the snare in the intro especially)
Primus- The Antipop (Les' normal bass genius)
Fleetwood Mac- The Chain
The Bravery- Unconditional
Bellarive- Lazarus (I especially love this song when the chorus ends, the singer has no backing for a couple seconds, and really shows his voice off)
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Learning To Fly
Victor Wooten- The Lesson
311- Love Song
Pentatonix ft Dolly Parton- Jolene
The Doors- Riders On The Storm
Superbus- Radio Song
Regina Spektor- While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Kubo and the Two Strings OST)
Weezer- Say It Ain't So
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones- The Sinister Minister
Thrice- Black Honey
Helmet- Unsung
The Who- Love Reign O'er Me
Luciano Pavarotti- Nessun Dorma

These are just some of the ones I use. I like all kinds of stuff.

[Mountainman Bob]

Sugarland just dropped a new album 'BIGGER'

Seems like a decent effort in both production and recording quality..

I'm partial to track 6 'Lean it on back'

[Unbiasedsound]

James Blake - Limit To Your Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOT2-OTebx0

That is a unique awesome track...this will be added to my collection of test music that helicopter like bass line was unique.

[Derekj]

James Blake - Limit To Your Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOT2-OTebx0

Didn't expect that!

[Swerve City]

James Blake - Limit To Your Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOT2-OTebx0

[JRivera]

Just to add: a German friend of mine gave me a link with very High audio resolution files, useful for serious 2CH/MultiCH testing: http://www.2l.no/hires/index.html
Regards

[mattp]

Milky Chance: Stolen Dance

Very interesting phase effects in this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7yDE_JyhtU