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What are your favorite test tracks?

PostPosted: 10 Sep 2014, 22:47
by skrodahl
There are certain tracks that I use to test my equipment. They vary from time to time, but there are still those few that I return to. I'll list them below, but what are your favorites?

    Come Together, Beatles - Abbey Road
    Cool song, dizzying drum routine, great bass, a track that will push your system in a way few other songs will.

    Hey Nineteen, Steely Dan - Gaucho
    One of the sweetest, cleanest and clearest sounding I've ever heard, with a fantastic sound stage.

    Thrills, Cake - B Sides & Rarities
    A great track by Cake that just tickles the ears. :)

    Baba O'Riley, The Who - Who's Next
    The start of this song pulses from left to right and back again which lets you "see" the sound stage and positioning of the instruments.

    How Come You Never Go There, Feist - Metals
    A relatively simple track, it has lots of bass and Feist's sweet voice. With the right equipment, the sound stage will be clearly visible on this track.

    The Build-Up, Kings of Convenience - Riot On An Empty Street
    Kings of Convenience, featuring Feist. A low key, acoustic track that has a wide dynamic range and lots of details.

    Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
    Another great recording, look out for the bass guitar in the chorus.

    Rock 'n' Roll Tar Död På Mig (Igen), Bob Hund - Sover Aldrig
    A live track from the Swedish band Bob Hund. Until I discovered RuneAudio, I never actually heard the faint singing of the audience. It's one of those live tracks that almost makes you believe you are there, and it has two electric guitars "talking" to each other kinda off key.

Re: What are your favorite test tracks?

PostPosted: 10 Sep 2014, 23:15
by ACX
I have a lot :)
Here are some of them, in mixed order of preference and reasons:

  • Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room
  • Rebecca Pidgeon - Spanish Harlem
  • Paco De Lucia - Entre dos Aguas
  • Pink Floyd - Mother
  • Tsuyoshi Yamamoto - Misty
  • Eagles - Hotel California ("Hell Freezes Over" live version)
  • Stefano Bollani - Apanhei-te Cavaquinho
  • Eiji Oue, Minnesota Symphony Orchestra - [Exotic Dances from the Opera #03] TCHAIKOVSKY: Mezeppa: Hopak
  • John Williams - Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra (Greatest Hits 1969-1999 version)
  • Fabrizio De André - Le acciughe fanno il pallone
  • Lizz Wright - A Taste of Honey
  • Musica Nuda - Pazzo Il Mondo!
  • Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name
  • Livingston Taylor - Isn't She Lovely
  • Petra Magoni & Ferruccio Spinetti - Il camello e il dromedario
  • AC/DC - Hells Bells
  • Daft Punk - Within
  • Goran Bregović - Ederlezi (Scena Durdevdana Na Rijeci)
  • Kraftwerk - Boing Boom Tschak
  • Massive Attack - Angel
  • Nine Inch Nails - Closer
  • Pantera - Cowboys From Hell
  • RadioHead - No Surprises
  • Renaud Garcia-Fons - Oriental Bass
  • The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
These are all great pieces, both for their beauty and their ability of revealing many critical parameters of hi-fi systems.

Re: What are your favorite test tracks?

PostPosted: 11 Sep 2014, 10:16
by Dukobpa3

Re: What are your favorite test tracks?

PostPosted: 11 Sep 2014, 11:35
by Peter
There are a lot, but some, in no order of preference, are those listed. For some it is how they make me feel when I hear them, others the sound stage and precision, and the rest the range and variety of sound images and textures.
I do not explain myself well :evil:
ACDC Thunderstruck
Phil Collins In The Air tonight
Richard Wagner Overture to Tannhauser
Jacques Offenbach Orpheus in the Underworld Overture
Bob Dylan Black Diamond Bay
Jethro Tull Fires at Midnight
Neil Young My, My, Hey Hey and Hey, Hey, My, My
Kate Bush Wuthering Heights
Passenger Let Her Go
Guns ‘n Roses Welcome To The Jungle
Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells 1
Frank Zappa Camarillo Brillo
Jimi Hendrix All Along The Watchtower and Purple Haze
Boston More Than A Feeling
Mahavishnu Orchestra Eternity’s Breath Part 1
Al Di Meola Alien Chase on Arabian Desert
Motorhead Ace of Spades
Stanley Clarke School Days

Re: What are your favorite test tracks?

PostPosted: 12 Sep 2014, 03:54
by m1kehunter
The first track I always listen to on different equipment is Aqueous Transmission by Incubus.

Re: What are your favorite test tracks?

PostPosted: 07 Apr 2015, 15:01
by LucidSamples
I always use test tracks from spotify. Just in search bar type "test tracks" it's all

Re: What are your favorite test tracks?

PostPosted: 02 Jun 2015, 21:10
by pistollero
2006 best of chris isaak. very good recording

Re: What are your favorite test tracks?

PostPosted: 14 Jun 2015, 08:48
by moshel
the ones that works are:
Glenn Gould playing goldberg variations (the 1981 version). if you can hear him humming with the music, its a good sign. Also piano is great for getting unbalanced system.
any pixies track (like where is my mind, i got a broken face) - the shear density of the music makes any clipping stand out. also listen to the bass lines and the dynamics of the drums.
us3 cantaloop - brilliant recording, not too hard to reproduce but dynamics are great and if you are not on the edge of your seat something is wrong

many more but these really works best

Re: What are your favorite test tracks?

PostPosted: 18 Aug 2015, 19:18
by mlg
ACX wrote:
  • Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room
  • Petra Magoni & Ferruccio Spinetti - Il camello e il dromedario

+1

moshel wrote:us3 cantaloop - brilliant recording, not too hard to reproduce but dynamics are great and if you are not on the edge of your seat something is wrong

+1

Nearly every time:
  • Mozambique - Galliano - Portal ‎– Blow Up
  • Morton's foot - Rabih Abou-Khalil ‎– Morton's Foot
  • Pancake… - Youn Sun Nah 5 ‎– So I Am...
  • J.S. Bach, Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin, RIAS-Kammerchor, René Jacobs ‎– Motets
    or
  • G. Rossini, RIAS Kammerchor, Marcus Creed – Petite messe solenelle
  • B Flat À La Socalled - David Krakauer & Socalled with Klezmer Madness! ‎– Bubbemeises: Lies My Gramma Told Me
  • Dancing - Keith Jarrett / Gary Peacock / Jack DeJohnette ‎– Changeless
  • Le Carnaval de Venise - Michel Godard ‎– Aborigene
  • Red Emma - Dave Douglas ‎– The Tiny Bell Trio
    or
  • Charms Of The Night Sky - Dave Douglas ‎– Charms Of The Night Sky
  • Forma 2000 - Nicola Conte ‎– Jet Sounds

And of course, many others depending of my mood, mostly classicals but I usually also tried with some other style I do not listen so much (rock, folk, french singers, …)

Re: What are your favorite test tracks?

PostPosted: 29 Mar 2016, 16:52
by TommyBoy
Beth Hart, Immortal CD , Am I The One !! (amazing singer, amazing dynimics, you will cry)
Bo Kaspers Orkester, Samling CD, Vi kommer aldrig att dö (swedish amazing track, and amazing recording quality)
Dire Straits, I could say ALL of it, but if you can only afford one CD, get Brothers in Arms, ALL on this cd is TOP quality in all possible ways !