Critical (Best) Music Tracks for Speaker and Room EQ Testing

[dualazmak]

I wonder why very few people would discuss about critical (best) "music" tracks for tweeter and super-tweeter and room EQ testing...

As I shared here and here, the "Track-20 High Fq Linearity Check" of "Super Audio Check CD" by CBS/Sony released in 1983 is really an extraordinary recording of "Bimmel Bolle Classic Orgel" containing very much powerful, high-energy, high-speed, high frequency bell ring transient sound together with wide range 30 Hz - 20 kHz base sound.

I usually use this track to check tweeters and super tweeters, as well as total Fq linearity. I have never heard recorded sound having such a high-energy and high-speed high Fq components.

Please simply PM me if you would be seriously interested in this track and/or "Super Audio Check CD" by CBS/Sony.

 

[cavedriver]

I wonder why very few people would discuss about critical (best) "music" tracks for tweeter and super-tweeter and room EQ testing...

As I shared here and here, the "Track-20 High Fq Linearity Check" of "Super Audio Check CD" by CBS/Sony released in 1983 is really an extraordinary recording of "Bimmel Bolle Classic Orgel" containing very much powerful, high-energy, high-speed, high frequency bell ring transient sound together with wide range 30 Hz - 20 kHz base sound.

I usually use this track to check tweeters and super tweeters, as well as total Fq linearity. I have never heard recorded sound having such a high-energy and high-speed high Fq components.
View attachment 212321

Please simply PM me if you would be seriously interested in this track and/or "Super Audio Check CD" by CBS/Sony.

Unfortunately so many of these audio test CD's have gone out of print. I suppose finding a high quality download is still possible?

 

[MickeyBoy]

I post the list of tracks Harman uses after literally decades of research to detect fidelity of speakers and room Auto Equalizers in another thread but thought it deserves its own thread. I have had the fortunate luck of sitting through a couple of their blind tests and can attest to the efficacy of the tracks used:

---------

AES Paper, The Subjective and Objective Evaluation of Room Correction Products
Sean E. Olive, John Jackson, Allan Devantier, David Hunt, and Sean M. Hess

JW - Jennifer Warnes, “Bird on a Wire”
TC - Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”
JW - James Taylor, “That’s Why I’m Here”


AES Paper, A New Listener Training Software Application
Sean Olive, AES Fellow
Harman International Industries

· Tracy Chapman, "Fast Car", Tracy Chapman
· Jennifer Warnes, "Bird on a Wire", Famous Blue Rain Coat
· James Taylor "That's Why I'm Here", “That’s Why I’m Here”
· Steely Dan “Cousin Dupree”, “ Two Against Nature”
· Paula Cole, “Tiger”,” This Fire”
· “Toy Soldier March”, Reference Recording
· Pink Noise (uncorrelated)

Is the "Toy Soldier March" called the "Parade of the wooden soldiers " on the Refence Recordings disk of the Dallas Winds conducted by F. Fennell?

 

[dasdoing]

Please simply PM me if you would be seriously interested in this track and/or "Super Audio Check CD" by CBS/Sony.

why don't you upload it to YouTube? the platfrom will take care of rights on it's own

 

[Jukka]

why don't you upload it to YouTube? the platfrom will take care of rights on it's own

Does YouTube still use 125 KB/s AAC for HD videos? I'd rather have lossless if talking about test tracks.

 

[dasdoing]

Does YouTube still use 125 KB/s AAC for HD videos? I'd rather have lossless if talking about test tracks.

you shouldn't worry. those algos have come a long way

 

[PatF]

I do not if Reference Recording label was mentioned but for orchestral music I highly recommend this records:

 

[Jomungur]

Good stuff on this thread.

If you like rock, a track I like to use to test detail retrieval is Smashing Pumpkins 1979. The signature sound of that track sounds like a guitar but is actually a vocal effect with a lot of delay. With a good enough system you can make this out, it's hard to do though.

 

[MikeFromNorway]

Nice thread.

Last year i heared this track on a Kii Audio Three demo. It pressurized the room quite well. The same day my friend blew his speakers with it. I had a D&D 8C demoed in my living room. On the same track we measured quite good output down to 25hz. The seller told me they where playing at 80%.

If your setup can handle this you should be proud. I present you: (with a cliche)

THE ULTIMATE BASS TEST TRACK

Bjørk - Hollow, 16-bit remix

Please, start off @60% of what you think your speakers can handle. Good luck

 

[Eldus]

I have had the privilege to demo the "Track-20 High Fq Linearity Check of CBS/SONY Super Audio Check CD". The first thing I am struck with is the depth of the recording. I have other classical CDs from the 80s that sound much worse. Most of those are "congested". This is not. A great classical recording that sounds great Tchaikovsky*/ Kirov Orchestra, Valery Gergiev – The Nutcracker.

 

[bone215]

Nice thread.

Last year i heared this track on a Kii Audio Three demo. It pressurized the room quite well. The same day my friend blew his speakers with it. I had a D&D 8C demoed in my living room. On the same track we measured quite good output down to 25hz. The seller told me they where playing at 80%.

If your setup can handle this you should be proud. I present you: (with a cliche)

THE ULTIMATE BASS TEST TRACK

Bjørk - Hollow, 16-bit remix

Please, start off @60% of what you think your speakers can handle. Good luck

This provided much acoustic ruckus in my room, shaking lots of stuff.

 

[MarkS]

I do not if know Reference Recording label was mentioned but for orchestral music I highly recommend this records:

Thank you, these are great! (They are available on Apple Music lossless streaming.)

 

[Madlop26]

So I have The Revel M16 bookshelf as A speakers and the SVS Ultra bookshelf as B speakers, I used to switch them frequently for fun but now I am using mainly the Revels, they sound better to me, despite being less expensive than the ultras, today I did an AB testing with the Harman songs...oh boy. Conclusion: the Ultra wins.......... in looks......anybody interested in a barely used pair of SVS ultras bookshelf?, lol

 

[Frgirard]

the better track is the voice of your loved ones in MONO.

 

[Pegwill]

Hi Guys

Don’t know if this has been discussed here, excuse me if so. I came across this sometime back and although I have not tried it myself yet, I thought it might be of interest to others.

SH Spotlight - Play the Kinks "Waterloo Sunset" in stereo, check and fix or improve your stereo playback with it!

We've talked about this before but try it. Play the stereo WATERLOO SUNSET and see how far you can get the background singing to go. The recording...

forums.stevehoffman.tv

Have a good weekend

Regards

Pegwill

 

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

I'm quite new to the audiophile space and I must say that the tracks in the OP really opened up my speakers.

 

[Pe8er]

Any thoughts on this?

 

[concorde1]

Now that I've turned over a new leaf about listening and I stream my music, and I don't listen to CD's of varying and even dubious quality . . .

Here are some tracks that stand out as sounding exceptionally good.

On The Beach - Neil Young
YYZ - Rush
Dreams - Fleetwood Mac
Grantchester Meadows - Pink Floyd
Summer Nights - [Soundtrack to Grease]
Push It to the Limit - [Soundtrack to Scarface]

 

[dualazmak]

Hello friends,

Just for your reference, I just started here and thereafter my "pot series" entitled "Excellent Recording Quality Music Albums/Tracks for Subjective (and Possibly Objective) Test/Check/Tuning of Multichannel Multi-Driver Multi-Way Multi-Amplifier Time-Aligned Active Stereo Audio System and Room Acoustics; at least a Portion and/or One Track being Analyzed by Color Spectrum of Adobe Audition in Common Parameters" on my multichannel multi-amplifier project thread; sorry for the rather long title...

Please note that I will slowly and steadily proceed and organize the "post series" (maybe a few posts in a month or so). I would highly appreciate your kind attention and possible participation there.

 

[kemmler3D]

Does anyone else intentionally use bad or flawed tracks to test speakers?

I have a playlist full of poorly mixed /problematic tracks that helps me quickly test transducer performance. Some are lacking bass, some have a ton of bass, a couple have muddy mixes in the mids, some quickly sound sibilant on the wrong tweeter, etc.

One track I like using in particular has a "degenerate" waveform for the lead synth: They rectified the signal so (in theory) I guess the speaker should only go out, but not in. Needless to say, it presents a challenge for a lot of equipment. It's actually hell on lossy encoders, let alone speakers from what I have heard, so high performers show themselves very quickly with this one:

https://soundcloud.com/plump-djs%2Fthe-rub-off