best song for displaying quality?

[menuserve]

I'm curious... what do you play for people when they want to hear your stereo?

I have songs that i use to show the bass and songs for clarity of the mids and highs...

Does anyone have one song that really emphasizes the bass and mids/highs?

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

Try one of the IASCA demo cd's.

 

[DocL]

"Money for nothing" by Dire Straights is good song to test the system with.

 

[Dave Hardy]

It's a little cheesy, but the Top Gun theme has a nice broad range.

For home theater, nothing beats the IMAX Superspeedway DVD

 

[Shumdit]

I use a disc called Spies:Music Of Espionage as a test. It is no longer being made, but I can always burn a copy if someone needed one.
Also, a not out of production James Newton Howard Disc seems to be popular that I have.

 

[arfnsx]

It's a little cheesy, but the Top Gun theme has a nice broad range.

For home theater, nothing beats the IMAX Superspeedway DVD

Where do you get the IMAX DVD?

thanks

 

[SoCalDude]

Where do you get the IMAX DVD?

http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=IMA005136

 

[D'Ecosse]

For home theater, nothing beats the IMAX Superspeedway DVD

Aahhh - you mean this one? <!--StartFragment -->

 

[arfnsx]

This is exactly why I wanted it. I just did my NSX audio system over and I want to test it.

thanks

 

[Dave Hardy]

Aahhh - you mean this one? <!--StartFragment -->

That's the one. Of course when it's in my living room it's mearly cool. In a car, if I heard an Indy car passing me in surround sound, I might just shit myself.

 

[Lime Green NSX]

I used to work as a installer in the early 90's and the best song we used was Madonna Vogue. It might be cheesy as well but it hits the notes!!!!!! Try it!!

 

[nbovelle]

I always like to test with classical music, although it is not what I regularly listen to. I use Bach's Toccata and Fugue. It has sustained bass tones as well as some crisp highs. It takes a good system to reproduce both tones simultaneously for an extended period of time. If it can reproduce that well, it will have no problems with rock, rap, jazz or anything else.

Nate in DC

 

[Hapa88]

I've always added a few tracks from the ShenMue Orchestra soundtrack to my test CDs. They are modern classical pieces that have a very dynamic range both in spectrum and in loudness.

It's actually the music from a video game (called ShenMue) that was originally made for the Sega Dreamcast system. I've never played the game myself, nor ever had a Dreamcast, but I heard the music from a old roommate of mine. It's since become one of my favorites.

I highly recommend the CD. You can find it online for less than $10.

http://www.tracksounds.com/reviews/shenmue.htm

 

[D'Ecosse]

I don't know about the best to show off the technical capabilities, but this one sure is fun

Here's an excerpt:


Schumacher

 

[SchuttsR1]

My personal fav song to use is Outkast Rossa Parks. I used it alot in compition with great results.

 

[D'Ecosse]

My personal fav song to use is Outkast Rossa Parks. I used it alot in compition with great results.

Outkast has some great stuff with really wide range -
Two of my fave's to demo are Pink & Blue & Prototype

 

[Malibu Rapper]

My personal fav song to use is Outkast Rossa Parks. I used it alot in compition with great results.

That song has great bass... ah hah...

Also checkout Mule - Hundred Years (great recording)
Destiny's Child - Bills, Bills, Bills
Fourplay - Between the Sheets
Al Jarreau - Mornin'
Sade - Kiss of Life

 

[D'Ecosse]

Al Jarreau - Mornin'

Surely "Boogie Down" in the Al Jarreau playlist? <!--StartFragment -->

 

[Hugh]

Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon is a great demo CD. You have a plethora of musical instruments, male and female voices and the coins dropping on Money sound very real on a great system.

Steely Dan recordings are good too. Aja in particular is a great recording.

 

[steveny]

Little known bit of info...If you can understand anything James Brown says you have a good
system. :wink: :biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[zomby woof]

"Day of the Eagle" by Robin Trower. it's the first song i play on any new piece of equipment, or any time i move the stereo. a great standard since 1975.

then there's "I'm the Slime", or "Fifty-Fifty", by Frank Zappa.

 

[djdrock]

Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon is a great demo CD. You have a plethora of musical instruments, male and female voices and the coins dropping on Money sound very real on a great system.

Steely Dan recordings are good too. Aja in particular is a great recording.

You just named 2 of my favorite CD's of all time. :biggrin:

 

[NsXMas]

Little known bit of info...If you can understand anything James Brown says you have a good
system. :wink: :biggrin: :biggrin:

I was at a corporate event where James Brown was hired as the entertainment. I enjoyed a few songs and then walked out of the event, giving up my 4th row seat.

That guy is wild, but I guess I don't have a good appreciation for that type of music.

I also left a Ray Charles concert after 20 minutes from the start also. That was another free event that I had good seats to. I was glad to have seen him perform live, once, before he died.

 

[bsudiro]

Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon is a great demo CD. You have a plethora of musical instruments, male and female voices and the coins dropping on Money sound very real on a great system.

Steely Dan recordings are good too. Aja in particular is a great recording.

That's one of my favorite demo CD .. especially the SACD version ... It's so great to hear the clock ticking around the room in the intro of 'Time' .. Wouldn't it be nice to have a 5.1 setup in the NSX ... :biggrin: .. if only it's possible ..

As for Steely Dan .. somehow I prefer the album Gaucho. Just my personal preference .. ..

Cheers .. Gus

 

[SNDSOUL]

Micheal Jackson, Man in the mirror has a very nice range of notes and instruments.