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Best Track

MarkWinston

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What is the track that you folks feel is the best to showcase a system's capability? A track that has to highlight dynamics, subtlety, imaging, soundstage, low, mid and high frequency? In short, what track do you use to impress a fellow audiophile? Dont need multiple answers, just one will do.
 

Helicopter

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YoYo Ma Six Evolutions if I want to show off my room and speakers, not so much because it 'has it all' as because what it has is impressive in my setup. The undistorted bass of my Focal Aria 948s is often unlike anything visitors have ever heard.

For showing off my vinyl setup, I like Analog Productions 45s of classic popular albums like Rumours or Headhunters because visitors can hear vinyl better than they ever heard it in the vinyl era.

I don't think I have actually had an 'audiophile' over to hear my stuff though, just normal guests.
 

Honken

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Let your fellow audiophile pick his own track.
I get your point, but personally I wouldn't mind some inspiration, there is a lot of music out there that I am unaware of. I know what tracks I personally reach for, but I am always open for new suggestions.

So one of the first tracks that I reach for after fiddling with my setup would be Porcupine Tree - Lazarus. Not sure if I ever tried to impress anyone but myself with it though.
 

Chrispy

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A single track, no way. Let alone what you're trying to test (like if outside of speakers what the hell are you comparing in the first place?)
 

eddantes

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There's no one song... But here are a few, that some smart folks thought would make for good test songs:

https://artoflistening.harman.com/professional-reference-songs

I will add that many Sting recordings are quite worthy (Frigile, Desert Rose, etc.) Englishman in New York might be that one song except for that one ungodly annoying sound that makes me want to claw my ears off my head in the refrain (woop, woop, woop, FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUaaarrrgggghhhh!)
 

b4nt

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There's no one song... But here are a few, that some smart folks thought would make for good test songs:

https://artoflistening.harman.com/professional-reference-songs

I will add that many Sting recordings are quite worthy (Frigile, Desert Rose, etc.) Englishman in New York might be that one song except for that one ungodly annoying sound that makes me want to claw my ears off my head in the refrain (woop, woop, woop, FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUaaarrrgggghhhh!)

That link is an ad, not a playlist. I cannot listen.
 

eddantes

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That link is an ad, not a playlist. I cannot listen.

That link - links to a blurb and links to a Spotify and Tidal playlists. Look again.
 

Helicopter

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Thanks, could so listen to many excerpts of that list. But either that track list or Tidal is very poor.

Try that single one, being so of lossy quality:
Personally, I will just use this for the list and play the songs on Amazon Music HD.

I would note, these are songs that reveal differences in speaker quality, and are not necessarily chosen to make the system sound great... they might reveal some flaws too... i guess they should show that a great system is great too.
 

b4nt

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Personally, I will just use this for the list and play the songs on Amazon Music HD.

I would note, these are songs that reveal differences in speaker quality, and are not necessarily chosen to make the system sound great... they might reveal some flaws too... i guess they should show that a great system is great too.

Last years, I bought two speakers sets. Took some 50 known albums with me, to listen to random tracks. Not to get out what I expect, but to check the details speakers could or not render.

I wouldn't use the Harman/Tidal track list. Many speakers could seem acceptable.
 

syn08

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Anything with Masonna, Hanatarash or Hijokaidan.

Well, a wrong question begs for a wrong answer :D.
 

b4nt

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Personally, I will just use this for the list and play the songs on Amazon Music HD.

May I add LOL ?

Harman.PNG
 

izeek

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my all time favorite. like someone else said, id play something that really makes my system shine.
the synthesizer will task any tweeter particularly at the end.
the bass line and lower-mids will suck up a lot of power while being asked for control.
 

b4nt

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@Helicopter Harman choosed Dido, Don't beleive in love, for their reference track list. Listen to Dido, same album, but Thank you. Get the details. Listen using speakers, you will hear the difference :)
 

restorer-john

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@Helicopter Harman choosed Dido, Don't beleive in love, for their reference track list. Listen to Dido, same album, but Thank you. Get the details. Listen using speakers, you will hear the difference :)

That was when, last century sometime? Or have they updated it for this millennia? The last Harman list Amir posted is now so old, so out of date, it's irrelevant. Lots of HiFi store demo-classics, but things have moved on. The recordings people raved about in 1992 were good for the time, but there are literally millions of better recorded tracks out there to a) demonstate gear in a glowing way and b) hear what a system is capable of.
 
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