Standard equipment-change test songs

Hi all,

I find that I have a few songs I always play when I change something with my set up. Do you do that too?

Let us know which songs you use and why. I would love to have some new ones to try out.

This is my list, which is not really thought through - it is just a habit.

Paul Weller - All the Pictures on the Wall - This is a strange recording but I like it. It has a bass and a bass drum that are difficult to tell apart on some systems. So this is my "bass control" test.

Next up: Sting - Island of Souls - This is one of of the widest soundstages I have ever heard on a recording. I swear the spanish guitar at the start is directly left from me!

Next up: Extreme - Cupid's Dead - Lovely recording with lots of attack and speed. Guitar work has got the wow factor every time for me.

Next up: Blof (Dutch Band) - Binnenstebuiten - floor toms across the soundstange which should not interfere with the rich bass guitar - it then gets more complex as more instruments and voices join - it needs to be nicely separated.

Next up: Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye - Can I hear the plectrums on the strings on both guitars and and does the top end stay in control in the middle section?

Next: Skunk Anansie - Lately - some systems I tried just got all messed up in the chorus - too muddled and a blur and Skin's harmonies can get lost in the "bridge section".

Finally: Rush - Alien Shore - only one problem with this one: It kicks ass on most systems. The quick bass string bends and hammer-ons are total quality.

Hi Chris,

That's a very interesting question and I'm sure you will get many different suggestions.

As far as I am concerned, I build IPL transmission line speakers as a hobby and whenever a potential buyer comes for an audition I obviously encourage them to bring their own material to listen to but I like to play a few tracks of my own chosing to show what what the speakers are capable of.

I usually start with NINA SIMONE "Feeling Good". At the beginning of the track all that can be heard is her voice which is right in the middle and is so believable that you feel that if she were still alive you could shake her hand. After about 40 seconds the accompaniment kicks in to open out the soundstage. People who do not often listen to Hi-Fi find it difficult to believe that there is no sound coming from the centre speaker.......If time allows I go on to play "Sinnerman" which has a nice cymbal solo after about 4 minutes which sizzles and spits at you. The rest of the track shows how musical and rhythmical the speakers are.

To demonstrate how good the soundstage is, I play any track by LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZZO. I feel that I can indentify where nearly every voice is coming from and every small intake of breath can be heard.

As far as bass performance is concerned, a potential customer wanted to listen to "Sail" by AWOLNATION. This was new to me but it has plenty of deep punchy bass which puts the bass drivers through their paces so I tend to use that quite a lot for demo purposes.

I think most people would agree that most speakers will play "easy" music well. As far as I am concerned the true measure of a speaker is how well they play "difficult" music. Try NILS LOFGREN'S "Bass and Drum" intro. Personally I don't think that it is music at all but any speaker that can play that track without any issues gets my vote!

Richard.

Here's some of mine, albums not songs:

Dead Can Dance - Toward The Within (Live) - all of it, just a stunning production, huge instrumentation, and I like using female vocals to test for sibilance.

Massive Attack - Mezzanine - another stunningly produced album with a lot of bass to contend with

Lamb - Lamb - more of the same, tests the 'speed' of a system, as well as the finesse and space (lots of 'hanging in space harmonics' on this one) that a system can reproduce

Death - The Sound of Perseverance - kiss goodbye to a 'plinky plonky' system on this one! Tests the ability of a system to hold things together during an onslaught.

Thanks for the replies. Interesting. Am now investigating as I am not familiar with some of that material, although I know some Massive Attack - indeed, some ball-bouncing stuff there.

I have heard the IPL kits give a great bang for your buck, not that I'm looking for a change quite yet.

Chris

Convergence - Malia and Boris Blank

Telegraph Road Dire Straits