One I used to really like is ELP - Lucky Man. Near the end there is a synthesizer passage that just rocks. I had ESS Monitor Towers back in the day that were flat down to 35 Hz and at volume this passage rocked my internal organs, put a 5 foot crack in a picture window and literally moved a solid Oak coffee table across the carpet. I have no idea just how low this went but was wonderful to feel it all. I have no idea these days if tunes on RU-vid can actually go this low in a digital format.
good choice another ELP track i play as a test is From The Beginning that Acoustic Guitar at the start is so so crisp and the overall sound stage is amazing
My dad’s favourite song of all time ELP - Lucky man and always insists that gets The Edgar Winter Group - (They only come out at night )- Frankenstein I play them both plus I love Supertramp - Crime of the century (Album) School & Bloody well right They both have a lot of great dynamics in My dad introduced me to proper good music when I was about 11 😂 29 years later you can’t beat the old stuff
When I was a DJ from the late 70's to the early 2000's I always tested the bass with the original pressing of the 12" version of " I'm in love " by Evelyn Champagne King from 1981 . The bass was so clean and hard hitting it was on a different level to any other track, ( including re-issues ,the album version and CD copies which were all inferior ) I had literally thousands of other records and CD's to choose from over the years but nothing could touch it ! ... Ah good days !
Everyone knows what the Beatles sound like; when demonstrating a set of speakers as a salesman, that can be used to your advantage. On a quality set of speakers, the three part harmony on THIS BOY sounds fantastic! After hearing the Beatles like you have never heard them before, I can sell you a set of speakers, or an amp, like nobody's business! Another great demo CD is JAPANESE MELODIES by Yo Yo Ma . ( When selling a car system, I always used Midnight Oil! )
Crazy isn't it. I did like the Beatles but rated Doors Who Stones Jefferson Airplane Kinks etc etc above them. Now after getting back into vinyl and hearing various digital hi Res remasters of all bands of the era . My favourite is to listen to the Beatles on vinyl. George Martin was a genius
Fleetwood Mac, the Chain remastered for bass and Riders on the Storm remastered ( amazing thunderstorm, shakes my house). Walking in memphis, Marc Cohen great piano and vocals for midrange
Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors" album is overall a timeless masterpiece, no matter which track you choose ... currently ranked 7th on the list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in the "Rolling Stone" music magazine
Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" will test the imaging of your speakers really well. The keyboard high note at the beginning of the song should come in from far stage right quite high and bore into your brain like a drill bit if your speakers are properly positioned. Stage right which would be from your left speaker.
Funny, as you began talking about how some tracks aren't good demos because they're recorded so well (that they sound good anywhere), my mind immediately jumped to Steely Dan Aja/Gaucho -- I'm a bit of an audio novice that's just started thinking about assembling a thoughtfully set-up audio system, and I've noticed that even on my current caveman stack, those recordings still sound pretty pristine!
Awesome video, a song that expresses everything you say into one is Muddy Warers : My home is in the delta from his Folk Singer album. Foot tapping, hair standing, jaw dropping, eye watering magic of a track
In the 70s when I had no money and loved my hi fi the magazine's raved about Joan Armatrading. I've realised since that was an album like the Steely Dan track's you've mentioned. It's just a beautifully recorded album and really just enhanced your system. Since them with the big Kef's I've inherited I've managed to put together a seriously cheap vintage system that I'm hard pushed to find a big fault with and instead of reaching for the Steely Dan's and Joan Armatradings I'm enjoying al sorts. A good test of your hi fi as you've highlited before is leave everything flat. I'm convinced more and more that sometimes recordings are so crappy I can't imagin they would even sound spectacular on a £6000 system.
I worked for Philips as an engineer for many years, repairing and modifying Philips, and associated companies hi fi pruducts, I eventually came to the conclusion that 'opinions vary on everything', during early CD trials experts were gathered, and 48% of those experts concluded, the sound improved with 50% of the information turned off. I've heard wonderful systems described as rubbish, and rubbish systems described as wonderful, I gave up years ago listing to the opinions of others.
ps - that reminds me, when i was a kid of about 8 in my very early audiophile career, we had an old wind up 78 player which i used to play my older siblings modern records on - boy i got a hiding for that
Fantastic commentary. I usually put on a lot of "normal" music just to hear the mix, no matter how bad the recording sounds. I also listen in show-off mode to big beautiful recordings. It's the mix of recordings that keep it interesting. A Very fine video you did here. 5 stars to you.
Just a quick hi 5 Mr K. Since we've been un-locked down been busy with life, work etc..Massive thanks to you Mr K and your videos that prevented me and I'm sure lots of others both here and on the other side of the pond - from going totally bonkers!!! 🥰
cheers mate i enjoyed going through that tonight listening to the tracks as i went through. Tracks they all sounded really good on my modest little system, except the one that you said was a snare test could not find that track. cheers james
Another great episode. I also appreciate the down-to-earth approach very much. Unfortunately, there are other channels out there. My favourite test tracks: Almost perfect in one song is Melody Gardot's "March for Mingus" from the Live in Europe record. This has an adorable female voice, great upright bass, and a very complex horn section. The song is starting slow and low and gets really busy towards the end. Otherwise, Nick Cave's "Into my arms" great for male voice and usually a mixture of classical music, jazz and rock.
Ryan Adams…’Come Pick Me Up’ Norah Jones…’Come Away With Me’…(Whole album). Radio Head…’Amnesiac’ and ‘Kid A’… and ‘Moon Shaped Pool’ Daniel Lanois…’L’Acadie’
Oh, man! You're the best... thank you so much for all this input. Been a vintage hi-fi fan for years but still love to learn more. You are giving me just that.
Slovo: Whisper. (Beautiful female vocal and minimalist musicianship). Chris Botti: Easter parade. (Chris' trumpet has cracked up many a dome tweeter on this track at volume). Victor Wooten: Classical Thump. (Probably the best bass player on the planet playing classical music using slap n pull style at extremely high speed!) Eva 808: Psycho Sushi. (Used to test the absolute bass depth of large / floor speakers and subwoofers. The infrasonic harmonics are lethal!). Lonnie Liston Smith: Expansions. (The definition of 70s Funk at it's absolute finest). Dave Matthews Band: # 41. (Tight, in-the-pocket groove spearheaded by Carter Beauford's intricate yet powerful drumming). Terrific content, Kelvin. Cheers fella 👍
Thanks,thats great songs.A good song you may try for following the instruments is Open Secrets by the band Rush.Great song by the way.Another is YYZ an instrumental great for testing the bass😀
Human speech and sounds that you can relate to from real experience such as live performance and applause. Anything recorded and processed in a studio you have no benchmark - it may sound impressive, but accurate - who knows.
I like to use Allison Krause's version of Cluck Old Hen to test for bass. It's an instrumental and like most Allison Krause recordings it's very well made. The bass in that particular song goes lower than most speakers can play, lower even than most subwoofers. Once you've heard that bass once you'll always known when it's missing in that recording.
I use music that is uncluttered with too many tracks, and sounds like it was recorded in a large room with hard surfaces...a cement floor. A stone church is ideal. Soft surfaces absorb frequencies...so you have a narrower spectrum of sound to test. Roy Orbison or even The Ventures! The Doors song 'The End' is good for testing explosive percussion.
Cheers for this video Kelvin gives me a great point of reference to go with your great ramblings of reviews and what to look for in a song on my system to see how my own list of songs compares If you like bass, then 'The Man next door' by Massive Attack, will burst your spleen, on my Rogers LS8a's this track shakes the man next door but my Image Studio Monitors the bass does doesn't reach down into your gut, its from a really well recorded album
Erato record company; two test discs made in 1975.. All kind of tracks, even tracks with NOTHING, then you could hear the freight trains rumbling along in your headphone. Left and right, frequencies etc. Adjusting the weight/magnet. Those wear the days.
Cliche I know, but I use dsotm for testing all my gear, mainly because I know it so well and have heard it on every piece of music reproduction equipment I've ever owned since the 70's. I have it on every format released except 8track.
Yes I’m a big fan of that happened to particularly like the sound of the change go in the till as a test o mean . So many tweeters make that sound too bright or not real or solid enough The Celestion HF 1300 Twitter does that fantastically
@@stereoreviewx Indeed they do, I used to have a pair of B&W dm3's that had those tweeters, loved them, dont even remember why I got rid of them. I dont buy much stereo gear anymore unless something dies, I have an assortment of gear I swap around from time to time but for the most part these days Ide rather just enjoy the music. I realized at some point I was spending way to much time and money chasing some elusive perfection than just listening to music. Recently been thinking of just selling a lot of it because I have a bunch of vintage stuff I haven't even hooked up in many years, should probably let someone else enjoy it. But then again I've thought this before and when I dig it out and pick it up I change my mind without even listening to it again, some of it just because it took me so long to find nice examples of. Sadly when I die my son will probably just give it to the thriftstore lol. Kind of makes me smile though when I picture the elation of some guy finding my old gear in a thriftshop though haha.
Yes! Whenever I evaluate a new piece in my system there are several test tracks I used for different purposes. Sometimes it can be just ONE hit of a drum, or a couple of seconds of the bass. One track I listen to only the finger squeak of a person playing an acoustic guitar. On lesser equipment the first squeak sounds like a click and is smeared and distorted. In fact it sounds like a scratch on a LP record (but it is a CD I use). On better equipment it sounds like what it is, a finger changing chords. So, sometimes it only takes one note or just a few seconds of a recording. Other times it takes the whole song, especially if that song has a LOT of nice, natural information that changes throughout the song, and if micro and macro dynamics are what you are listening for. Another thing: One must evaluate whether certain songs you like have more or less of an emotional impact on you while listening to certain equipment. Some stereos can convey that emotion better than others. Some pieces can totally wash out any emotional impact if they are bad enough. And yes, I have a few examples of very "edgy" vocals to see if they sound harsh with certain pieces. But I would never rule out Babylon Sisters! Yes, it sounds great. But on some systems there is such a lifelike holographic effect that lesser systems cannot relay.
Yes I pretty much agree with all your saying if I am in doubt Alice until the end of autumn leaves by Eva Cassidy that really should do something to you
Added a few to my playlist again. I like to put on the cacophony of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" From Willy Nelson's and Friends Outlaws and Angels Album with Jerry Lee Lewis, Kid Rock, Keith Richards, Merle Haggard. Great energy and a lot going on with all those artist performing at the same time. And Perfidia by Xavier Cugat.
My best test tracks are recordings of pure acoustic instruments and vocals with a minimum of postproduction. There are tons out there in the field of jazz, classic, avantgarde and very less in pop, rock and similar. One Example: Dell, Lillinger, Westergaard „Grammar II“
Very nice! I suggest Simply Red - Picture Book (2008 remastered), Voice, Bass, Timbales, Groove, and Dire Straits - Once upon the time in the west (live at Hammersmith Odeon) for live experience, Cheers from Switzerland
Focus - Moving Waves song "Focus II" (Besides instrumental) is one that tests my system, it has that huge bass and very good dynamics, my house walls shakes.....LOL
@@Ronnymikkonen2686 I wouldn't even think of upgrading system for one perfect album. But different speakers always reveal some new nuances. I use three speaker pairs constantly, two pairs are small/midsize studio nearfield monitors.
@@pekkatervala8476 I listen to several speakers. I have 20 pairs of speakers. Some oldies, some inexpensive, and some that cost shitload of money. I have made my speakers in my main ljudanläggning.
I had Dire Straits Sultans of swing as a test song. The problem was that it sounds really good even with a simple transistor radio. And then I had some reggae songs to play, like Red red Wine and Kingston town. That was little better because of the bass tunes. If the bass moves your house that's better. Then you have good sound equipment when you put your head against the speaker and it feels like somebody Hits you with a brick in the head. Good tunes!
Agree with selects ... if you have Spotify/Music and good hi-res audio periphery, just try band Banket and song Tlakova niz. Is in slovak language, but I think one of the best sounding record with mens vocal for hifi testing.
Thanks for sharing. I agree there some songs that will sound good on just about anything. One of my test track it astral weeks by Van Morrison. The stand up bass very quick all over the place and isn’t easy to pick apart on average system. Not to mention all the other instrumentation in that track all dances around each other so beautifuly on a good system. But it’s not your typical 70s great sounding recording. Van Morrison’s moon dance and vans choir is great for that stuff. Gypsy queen is another great track
I like you straight forward approach. I'd be interested to hear if you have used/heard a B&O 4002 turntable, I use mine and love it. I like B&O stuff from the 70/80's good sound and looks and so usable.
Just discovered your channel since via the old youtube algo. Nice to hear candid talk about a topic that garners more snake oil and bullshit than any other. Anyhow, I'm not a classical snob, like I mainly listen to pop and electronic but if you really want to test a system, it has to be an orchestal piece for dynamics, sound stage, transient response, bass and anything else other than vocals really. There are many recordings of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring but the one that does it for me is Salonen with the LA Philharmonic. The bass drum in the 'Sacrificial Dance' is the deepest acoustic bass drum you'll ever hear. The brass and percussion in that track will show you what kind of system you have.
@@stereoreviewx There's actually a couple of different versions by him. This is the one I meant www.discogs.com/Esa-Pekka-Salonen-Los-Angeles-Philharmonic-Orchestra-Le-Sacre-Du-Printemps/release/4457897
You mentioned the Eagles and their great vocals, the song to play for vocals by them is Seven bridges road live. Awesome track to test any speaker with vocals. 😁
when i was in hifi albums we always listened to were dire straits "brothers in arms", fleetwood mac "rumours", steve vai "passion warfare" jeff beck "guitar shop" as well as IT Bites, Joe Satriani and Living Colour and others back when laserdisc was a thing for a fleeting glimpse... qed power amps, B&w 805s were the business and hafler, quad and bill beard valves were cooll. and wharfedale diamonds were taking off as well as tannoy's in all sorts of ways. hifi was so good and fun and magical back then. wow i even remember the beauty of an ariston cd1 unit was super sexi!
Money For Nothing, I will always love you, and Feel The Bass. That should suit! The horns in Dave Bruebecks Alice In Wonderland will see about those speakers quickly.
Just listened to all tracks mentioned . There were one or 2 thinner sounding parts of the Beth Orton track. However didn't really sound harsh on my system so presume speakers are ok. Another track apart from Babylon Sisters that would sound good on all systems would be Rotterdam by The Beautiful South
I always test my speakers and amps with Pink Floyd's 'Time'.....well actually the whole DSOTM album really. I can't even remember why, although I do recall it might to do with the clocks chiming or something. I was told to do this when I was a teenager and I have carried on the tradition into my 50s.
Yes and I have always listen to the change going into the till on money It’s a great test for tweeters what you want is for it to sound really solid not just bright and sparkly but realistic I guess
I find dire straits walk of life is a great test track for timing, and massive attack ft Tracy thorn protection is a good track for dynamics and bass and Louis Armstrong wonderful world is excellent for vocals
Kelvin admittedly no vocals but please listen to the Lalo Schifrin Bullit soundtrack. It's unbelievable for hilighting separation. I know you love bass and drums so also great for that. Give it a go you will love it. I'm cheating really as another audiophile channel I subscribe to used it as a test. BTW I was playing it through a good Rotel cd player.
Just a small footnote. I was looking for Ian Dury's "Clever Trevor" track on Tidal but could not find it. It turns out it's on the album "New Boots and Panties!!. The spelling is odd as it's titled "Clevor Trever". 😉
Interesting I didn’t really know that it’s a pretty good album that some brilliant tracks I often wonder what people from America or other countries would think of this album it’s very London centric
I’m surprised you mentioned *“The Eagles” and “Fleetwood Mac”* because I seen on a forum somewhere where Brits mentioned they didn’t really listen to American Rock N Roll bands and more specifically from that era. Maybe they were Millennials? I was like he’s got some great taste in music, then I remembered you said don’t use music that you really like 🤣. I would’ve figured anything Led Zeppelin because of the broad instrumentals he uses specifically that mandolin. I would think “Stairway to Hevean” would be a great song because of how it progresses.
I often try a song from Westworld - Movers and Shakers - T11, Panic Button. It has this harmonica that springs to life in the most amassing way on my Technics SB-CR55 speakers. I've been listening to that song on many, many speakers and nothing even comes close to the way the Technics do it.
More wise words. I started playing Tidal's test tracks mix (as recommended by industry ears) and they all sound too good. Babylon Sisters opens the mix. One day I'll get round to making my own mix (as you suggest), I already have a few tracks edited to leave sections to test soundstage, not all high hats are as high as some.
My testing playlist: From the beginning - Emerson Lake & Palmer Redbone - Cassandra Wilson Dat dere - Rickie LeeJones Dream of Picasso - Caroline Lavelle Signal to Noise - Peter Gabriel Growing Up - Peter Gabriel Roger Water - Amused to death (the first three tracks)
Be sure to try the great Bulgarian women's folklore vocal choirs, too, so that you can hear what good women's voices and polyphonic singing should sound like ... just two good examples of many here on RU-vid = "Bulgarian folklor- Kaval sviri" and "Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria & Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra - Zaspalo e Chelebiiche" In my opinion, the huge area of so-called "world music" receives far too little attention in the hi-fi scene, in sound tests and also in general, although you can find many musical treasures there... and some of the famous Grammy winners would voluntarily give back their prizes in a direct comparison or pass them on.
Thank you Calvin for your great work! Here is my fav eval tune. Check it out. Not pretty but ill separate the corn from the crop ya. Iron Maiden, Powerslave. Have a go!
Interesting vid. Over 40 years + I always as an 'audiophile' tested our gear according to 1. What we were interested in (MAJORITY of the time) listening to. 2. The INPUT sources. The material on which the sound to be played back ? 3. Mono, high fidelity, STEREO and most of all the FREQUENCY of them when reproduced. If your 'medium' is restricted in HOW low or high it can deliver, has been modified from its original master recording, is FIXED and bound within a set range.. ? 😗You're never going to listen to certain genres of music et so why take time out to listen re it? Well some of us might argue that it is of course a FACT that between 14 Hz and 25 KHz SOME sounds can be produced BUT that it is generally accepted the so called 'NORMAL' hearing range is 20Hz to 20KHz HOWEVER, that is a GENERALISATION. Some can hear lower BELOW 20Hz others above 20KHz... AGE is also a factor in REDUCING the higher ranges et by about 20hz. 👀A lot of commercial recordings are rated within the 'normal' hearing range. 👀SO, how that recording is replayed back through your gear one might conclude is going to be the same regardless of what gear you used to do that.. UHH .. NO! As this guy has pointed out in several of his vids, go check em out, there are some serious flaws in that perception. 👀At some stage we discover that there is a 'sweet spot' with the gear we have in our possession, that definitely stands out from maybe previous gear et set ups et. Over the years I've gone through a lot of gear AND what I have now definitely 80%+ of the time hits that 'sweet spot' re whatever I am or we are listening to. Believe me that can be anything from Eric Clapton to Jethro Tull to 90s club classics to Bert Kaemphert to Jazz and Swing band era music. 😗If you find that 'sweet spot' then stick with it.. don't fall into the trap of thinking the grass is greener the other side of the fence.. yep.. been there and my wallet is still smarting from that.. 👀
Hi Great, wondered if any Voluntary jobs reviewing equipment / Records you know of any contacts, i have been so passionate about hi fi for over 25 years
Another interesting video, my friend. Seems to me that female voices and piano notes (especially sustained) are challenging for speakers to reproduce realistically. I also like to hear bass response where the bass notes change and don't drone along in the one note variety. A favorite for my bass testing is a 60's instrumental piece titled Let There Be Drums, by Sandy Nelson. Check it out. Lastly, whatever music you "test with" speakers should not suffer from Acoustic Traffic Jam, the sound shouldn't be a mish-mosh. Each voice and instrument should be distinct and identifiable. Sharp transients and excellent stereo imaging (to the point where the sound seems almost totally detached from the speaker) are essential qualities for me.
Listen to recordings you're familiar with. Even better if you know how the singer's voice actually sounds like in real life - i.e. you've heard him or her sing in front of you without the aid of mics and public address loudspeakers.
