Torture test tracks

[Funk]

 

[music fiend]

James Blake Limit to Your Love for a serious bass workout.

I was going to name this! If you also have subwoofers the room itself will be tortured...

 

[tricky1]

If you want to hear how good (or bad) your system is try Columbus by Mary Black or Sierra by Boz Scaggs. Both should sound jaw dropping good.

Norah Jones
Come away with me

Sorry to disagree, but these are just the sort of tracks that would sound good on any system. There's no way these would test a system. Audio shows would love these.

 

[Geoffreybombom]

Good point, however if your jaw does not drop at least it may help you realise something is not right somewhere with your system.

 

[gez]

Just a general comment on threads like these where people are making music recommendations or asking others to listen to a peice of music (for whatever reason): It would be immensely helpful if you could:

a) be specific with the name/album etc of the artist - not everyone will be famililar with a given artists work and very often a song title has been used by multiple artists
b) be specific about the source if at all possible; eg LP, CD or streaming service - as clearly mastering can differ significantly
c) specifically for Classical - give the name of the performer, orchestra, conductor and label, as there is such a huge variation in how any composers work is played and recorded.

 

[Geoffreybombom]

Ok Gez, mine were both CD via a Rega Planet.

 

[Fretbuzz]

I half emptied a demo room at the NW audio show with this as a request a couple of years ago.

Where you hear it on a good system with loads of speaker bandwidth and drive you realise how much other ones can fall over themselves trying to play it.

 

[es.klopfte]

Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version

It is what it says on the tin - and a good test of how your kit copes with heavy guitars

 

[unit]

I was going to name this! If you also have subwoofers the room itself will be tortured...

…and your neighbours…

 

[music fiend]

…and your neighbours…

Hahaha! Luckily for them I live in a detached house.

 

[gustav_errata]

Cam Deas - "Slip" from the album Mechanosphere

We can close the thread now.

 

[daytona600]

Supplied a tape recently to customer with a Revox PR99 & Barefoot Sound Masterstack12

​

 

[tuga]

I find Keith Richard's acidic guitar notes on "Sympathy for the Devil" to be a good treble test, as is The Smile's "Bending Hectic" and Mutter's DG recording of the "Zigeunerweisen". Then there's Pinnock recording of Scarlatti's "Sonatas" on harpsichord.
Massed string in Romantic period orchestral music and large choral music can pose a real challenge. Another piece that's easy to mess up is Reich's "Six Marimbas".
Chamber's "Yesterdays" is good for testing speaker positioning bass smoothness.
I also like to play a bit of Billie's "Lady Day" (mono) compillation for good measure.
And many others.

 

[darrenyeats]

Had a chance to catch up with some of these. I must be very blessed (recently got diffusors, nailed listener/speaker position and new DAC). I'm pretty sure I sensed some bass notes I was missing, but clearly for me sins of omission are more musical than sins of commission. All music I had time to hear (see likes) I enjoyed with no skipping! (Or maybe I have low standards, hah.) Thanks.

 

[a dca]

Sheffield Track/Drum Record

For the less fortunates: there is also a digitalized version: http://sheffieldlab.com/item.php?item_id=42

 

[martin clark]

but clearly for me sins of omission are more musical than sins of commission.

So true!