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

[GK.]

I don't find synthetic/electronic bass very useful for testing because you don't know what the timbre is supposed to sound like.

Being genuinely baffled over the inclusion of those Paula Cole tracks I was thinking the same. That synth bass is utterly excremental and about as musical as my arse about five hours after a breakfast of baked beans and fried onions. It would sound like shite no matter what it is played on.

IMO, this kind of lazy synth bass is borderline retarded. To me it sounds like Timmy Burch from South Park in the background going "ddddeeeerrrrrrrr........ ddddoooooooorrrrhrrhhhhhh...... deeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........ ddddddrrrrrrrroooooooohhhhhhhh.........." into a microphone through a sock. Unfortunately, this crap is pretty much normalized nowadays. You can hear it damn near everywhere. One of the reasons why I'd rather neuter myself than go clubbing.



Now here is some bass. If your speakers can play this loud without distress then you're doing OK:

 

[MRC01]

... That synth bass is utterly excremental and about as musical as my arse about five hours after a breakfast of baked beans and fried onions. It would sound like shite no matter what it is played on.

Along those lines, here's a great album to test bass response: two guys (Meyer & McBride) playing bass violins together. On a system having clean bass response, you can hear that each instrument has a different timbre and differentiate them. One is tighter and edgier, the other is fatter and more resonant. This was mentioned about a year ago in a Jazz thread:

Jazz ♫ Music only | In the now, or recently, or that you love...

Check out Monty Strikes Again by Monty Alexander on Amazon Music https://music.amazon.fr/albums/B00L4400LA?ref=dm_sh_mMGkNLhwuIKrCQ2eSqC7lsnIO

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Serruptic]

yesterday we had a very close thunder here (one or 2 seconds after lightning). I imidietly thought to myself "If only I could have recorded that with my Dayton mic". the following thunder was already far away.
Imo a thunder is perfect since we perfectly know how it should sound. So I went and looked for some files. This is a very nice I found (4.0): https://freesound.org/people/BlueDelta/sounds/446753/

Definitely one of the more recognizable sounds On that note, an artist I like N'to, released an EP with a couple of great EDM tracks and the 4th song is a 4 minute long recording of a thunderstorm rolling in. I thought it was a pretty solid recording, or at least an interesting listen.

 

[gorman]

I have to say that I am left a little perplexed by many messages here. Are people objecting to the methods illustrated in Olive's paper? Because it sure sounds like that and, if that was the case, I'd expect more substantial and documented criticism than "bass sounds like shite in that track".

 

[GK.]

Are people objecting to the methods illustrated in Olive's paper?

My expectations for the test tracks were quite lofty, given the thread title. I'm sure that the entire discography of humanity could deliver at least a couple of technically viable and musically superior substitutes for at least one or two of those cited tracks.

 

[gorman]

My expectations for the test tracks were quite lofty, given the thread title. I'm sure that the entire discography of humanity could deliver at least a couple of technically viable and musically superior substitutes for at least one or two of those cited tracks...

Does it say anywhere that those are the only tracks useful *for the stated purpose*? I don't think so.

 

[GK.]

Does it say anywhere that those are the only tracks useful *for the stated purpose*? I don't think so.

You're the one inferring that a musical critique of the selection is an objection "to the methods illustrated in Olive's paper".

 

[gorman]

You're the one inferring that a musical critique of the selection is an objection "to the methods illustrated in Olive's paper".

And yet...

It would sound like shite no matter what it is played on.

There is this. That, to me, seems to clearly offer that the track choice invalidates the methodology.
But enough back and forth. I made my point, you made yours and probably will further in reply. I'm done.

 

[Titurel]

Does it say anywhere that those are the only tracks useful *for the stated purpose*? I don't think so.

No, but there is strong implication (an appeal to authority, if you will) that tracks of the type and genre mentioned define (or limit) the domain of tracks useful for the stated purpose.

 

[Fidji]

Being genuinely baffled over the inclusion of those Paula Cole tracks I was thinking the same. That synth bass is utterly excremental and about as musical as my arse about five hours after a breakfast of baked beans and fried onions. It would sound like shite no matter what it is played on.

IMO, this kind of lazy synth bass is borderline retarded. To me it sounds like Timmy Burch from South Park in the background going "ddddeeeerrrrrrrr........ ddddoooooooorrrrhrrhhhhhh...... deeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........ ddddddrrrrrrrroooooooohhhhhhhh.........." into a microphone through a sock. Unfortunately, this crap is pretty much normalized nowadays. You can hear it damn near everywhere. One of the reasons why I'd rather neuter myself than go clubbing.



Now here is some bass. If your speakers can play this loud without distress then you're doing OK:

this type of simple and not very demanding music in terms of bass does not go very low, more of an audiophile jazzy midbass heavy. Anything with decent 8in woofer should do OK with this type of music.

For the purpose of testing the <100Hz there synthetic bass is actually better, as it reveals room and timing problems much better, if you know what to listen to. Or the other option is to go all-in and smash some really complex symphonical music, ideally with pipe organ, e.g. Saint-Saens 3rd Symphony. Much more complex and revealing, than all those double basses plucking.

 

[cavedriver]

"Ranked by Dynamic Range and Mastering Quality" - at least it's a list ranked by a measurable quantity, vs. most internet opinion-driven lists:​

https://www.****************/2025/0...5uITaNFutIqWQ8qIMA_aem_dOOp5AhsJhS1bjBMS6J0NA

 

[MarkS]

"Mastering quality" appears to be a purely subjective measure. And they're recommending vinyl sources, even of recordings made entirely in the digital domain

 

[kyuu]

"Mastering quality" appears to be a purely subjective measure. And they're recommending vinyl sources, even of recordings made entirely in the digital domain

Unfortunately that's not entirely eye-rolling, as it's quite common for albums to have much better dynamic range on the vinyl release than on the CD or digital store/streaming releases regardless of what domain it was mastered in.

 

[Phosphenetre]

For the purpose of testing the <100Hz there synthetic bass is actually better, as it reveals room and timing problems much better, if you know what to listen to. Or the other option is to go all-in and smash some really complex symphonical music, ideally with pipe organ, e.g. Saint-Saens 3rd Symphony. Much more complex and revealing, than all those double basses plucking.

Is there a specific recording for Saint-Saens 3rd Symphony that you consider reference-grade?

 

[MarkS]

I'd go with digital-recording pioneer Telarc (not the youtube version of course):

 

[Fidji]

Is there a specific recording for Saint-Saens 3rd Symphony that you consider reference-grade?

Overall - No3. Organ is great piece to attends live [although options will be limited] - if not for anything else, then just to deeply understand how futile is any attempt to recreate "real" sound at home. But this is valid for any good pipe organ music.

for MCH - this BR Audio disc [actually the only one I am aware of, but is OK on its merit]

for 2Ch - this one has very good sound quality, as well as artistic merit, Ormandy is also good.

Munch/Boston/RCA always comes to fold as "best" - but with any of the Munch/Ormandy/Barenboim you will not miss anything else. Funnily enough, there is also broad agreement on WORST recording - and that would be digital Karajan

 

[Phosphenetre]

Overall - No3. Organ is great piece to attends live [although options will be limited] - if not for anything else, then just to deeply understand how futile is any attempt to recreate "real" sound at home. But this is valid for any good pipe organ music.

for MCH - this BR Audio disc [actually the only one I am aware of, but is OK on its merit]

View attachment 464907

for 2Ch - this one has very good sound quality, as well as artistic merit, Ormandy is also good.

View attachment 464908

Munch/Boston/RCA always comes to fold as "best" - but with any of the Munch/Ormandy/Barenboim you will not miss anything else. Funnily enough, there is also broad agreement on WORST recording - and that would be digital Karajan

View attachment 464909

Thanks for the suggestions. I see that Reference Recordings has a recording of Symphony No. 3 too, and pretty much everything they put out is immaculately recorded. Have you heard it?

 

[Axo1989]

Being genuinely baffled over the inclusion of those Paula Cole tracks I was thinking the same. That synth bass is utterly excremental and about as musical as my arse about five hours after a breakfast of baked beans and fried onions. It would sound like shite no matter what it is played on.

IMO, this kind of lazy synth bass is borderline retarded. To me it sounds like Timmy Burch from South Park in the background going "ddddeeeerrrrrrrr........ ddddoooooooorrrrhrrhhhhhh...... deeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........ ddddddrrrrrrrroooooooohhhhhhhh.........." into a microphone through a sock. Unfortunately, this crap is pretty much normalized nowadays. You can hear it damn near everywhere. One of the reasons why I'd rather neuter myself than go clubbing.

Nice rant. About a 6-year-old post. But don't let anyone stop you.

Now here is some bass. If your speakers can play this loud without distress then you're doing OK:

Ahh, a jazz snob? There's no accounting for taste.

 

[EPICURIOUS007]

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)


AES Paper, Differences in Performance and Preference of Trained versus Untrained Listeners in Loudspeaker Tests: A Case Study*
Sean E. Olive, AES Fellow

James Taylor, “That’s Why I’m Here” from “That’s Why I’m Here,” Sony Records.
Little Feat, “Hangin’ on to the Good Times” from “Let It Roll,” Warner Brothers.
Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car” from “Tracy Chapman,” Elektra/Asylum Records.
Jennifer Warnes, “Bird on a Wire” from “Famous Blue Rain Coat,” Attic Records.

And this from a 1992 research at NRC on genre of music and its revealing nature in this regard:

A bit about the science, the suitability of track is a matter of statistics. Colorations in speakers are only revealing if there is significant content/energy in that part of hearing spectrum. Rock music tends to have such rich spectrum. Classical music as a general rule does not. Hence the domination of rock/pop music in the top most critical list.

In both this space and audio compression with which I am intimately familiar with, high fidelity of the music recording is not an aid and if anything a distraction. A "pretty" sounding track sounds pretty on many systems because we are drawn to it by its good substance. Critical test clips on the other hand tend to be uninteresting and force you to pay attention to the task which is to analyze equipment with your ear.

fast car was the song used to demo and buy my first stereo at circuit city while in high school lol,
ended up getting a little compact sony for $200.00 was so happy. it was a b-day gift from my dad.
we didn't have much growing up and for me at the time (15 years old) it was a big deal,.

 

[Pilot]

The tracks I use: