While most audiophile TH-cam channels exist primarily for self-promotion, you use this channel to truly inform and educate. You, Harley, are a breath of fresh air. Thank you.
I found your lecture about albums very intriguing. I spent the past year cleaning out my entire record collection and was very impressed with the results. That led me to install a new cartridge in my record player, after which I decided to purchase a new turntable. I kept the Ortofon Bronze and placed it on my new Project 2Xperience I became more and more impressed with what I heard now since purchasing my first album in 1974 I have now replaced the Ortofon Bronze with the Ortofon Black. As a real music freak, I have been watching, listening and thinking about what I could improve without incurring any costs. Now I have been able to insert my needle into what I consider to be the best possible SRA. The result is that a few months ago I started playing my entire collection again and I have a completely new listening experience. One of my gems is Joe Jackson's Night and Day. It goes too far for me to give details here as so much happens on this album. It is an excellently produced album and the mastering should not be overstated either. Bside this album there are ofcourse many other beautifull ones In my humble opinion, this album fits extremely wel in your story Kind regards and many thanks for sharing your knowledge
An elegant and erudite presentation as always. Such videos also introduce me to wonderful music that I have not heard before and that is great. My favorite track used to be 'You look good to me' from the album 'We get requests' by the Oscar Peterson Trio. The first 30-60 seconds have about 10 triangle hits and a bowed double bass that is splendid. Then the rest follows. A decade ago I realised I could not hear more than 4 triangle hits - degenerative hearing loss had set in. That is when I gave up such tests and began to truly enjoy the music - knowing well that my time for being delighted by music was dwindling faster than expected. It was a blessing in disguise indeed. 😊😊😊
I have a request for a future video. I would be grateful if you would choose to do so. TH-cam audio is lossy and gets a bad rap. Yet there are some live concerts with outstanding sonics (at least to my deteriorating hearing). One such uploaded yesterday is the 80 minute divine bliss of an 80 year young Maria Joao Pires playing a selection of Mozart and Debussy at the Gilmore Piano Festival completely from memory. Outstanding performance and sonics and video. Why does this sound so good? Beats me.
V interesting… but why do you care where a sound is positioned? I get that the voices and instruments need to be precise and well balanced but whether they are a bit left or right seems irrelevant.
i’m still pretty new to this, but here are a few from my list: * alabaster deplume: sound of the foundling (soundstage depth; instrument separation; texture) * steel pulse: roller skates (imaging; soundstage) * o-zone percussion group: jazz variants (attack & decay; bass) * fink: trouble’s what you’re in (detail; texture) * tv on the radio: you could be love (vocal distortion - highs) * the clash: straight to hell (prat - does my body involuntarily start moving) looking forward to checking out all the other suggestions!
I found your lecture about albums very intriguing. I spent the past year cleaning out my entire record collection and was very impressed with the results. That led me to install a new cartridge in my record player, after which I decided to purchase a new turntable. I became more and more impressed with what I heard now and since purchasing my first album in 1974 I have replaced the Ortofon Bronze with the Ortofon Black. As a real music freak, I have been watching, listening and thinking about what I could improve without incurring any costs. Now I have been able to insert my needle into what I consider to be the best possible SRA. The result is that a few months ago I started playing my entire collection again and I have a completely new listening experience. One of my gems is Joe Jackson's Night and Day. It goes too far for me to give details here as so much happens on this album. It is an excellently produced album and the mastering can not be overstated either. In my humble opinion, this album fits your story perfectly
Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge and experience with some great content recommendations. Sadly with 40 years of working in noisy engineering environments, my ears are not what they used to be, but that said I have a very revealing system and usually if the vocals give me goosebumps and the recording is of good quality then there is not much to worry about generally speaking. We are all individuals with different tastes and preferences with what sounds good, as long as we enjoy what we are able to hear is the important thing. Bravo.
I can tell you really enjoy your bass in these test tracks. Me too. Never heard of 'Linda Paloma' by Jackson Browne until now. All I can say is WOW! I wish I'd heard it sooner. Sounds sublime on my Klipsch pro media 2.1's. Thanks Harley!
I'm testing my system out using the playlist and have to agree with you. BTW, Harry Belafonte singing voice is the definition of smooth and just a joy to listen to
A metal head but an excellent test track for me is Shakespeare's sister, ' stay' from the soft voices to the deep bass to the dynamic start then the soaring voice at the end. A short track but filled with so much.
This was very educational. I listened to each track with my high end IEMs. I think people can get a big chunk of what you're talking about here with high end IEMs. A relatively "cheap" way to get into this hobby. Please consider doing a part 2 to this!
Totos I will remember is always my go to, its as much a tool to listen to how much a room reflects and how good the low end sounds as its just a pleasure to listen to
Thank you Harley for your instructive explanation and the expertly chosen test tracks (fortunately not the "usual suspects"). To determine the multi-layeredness and resolution of an audio system, I think the song "Nevermind" by Leonard Cohen (from the album "Popular Problems") is useful. Leonard Cohen's characteristic voice is very much in the foreground throughout the song, above a simple bass rhythm. The voice is extremely close to the listener and fills the listening room. She sounds very natural, all nuances and inflections of Cohen's voice are audible. At 0'45" there are the first backing vocals. They form a separate, clearly separated musical layer, next to Cohen's voice. At 1'02" a third vocal element suddenly appears with a voice singing an Arabic text. For those who hear the song for the first time, this voice has a surprising effect, it almost comes from heaven and floats above the music. At 1'47" a new layer with string-like sounds begins very subtly. Finally, there is a hand drum that further supports the music from 3'41". This hand drum is also easy to follow and clearly separated from the rest. On a lower-performance system, these layers will be less audible and "Nevermind" may even sound like a fairly monotonous song.
For 40 years my go-to tracks have been the first two tracks (the first is the intro to the second) of the Little Feat live album, “Waiting for Columbus”, 1. Join the Band and 2. Fat Man in the Bathtub, for many of the same reasons you use the Jackson Browne track.
I really enjoy your videos Harley, they make me remember why I started on my hifi journey over 30 years ago. My listening suggestion would be Suzanne Vega's Wooden Horse from her Solitude Standing album. The sharp percussion, deep bass lines, guitar melodies and Suzanne's exquisite voice are incredibly intimate. On the right system It's like the whole band is sitting at the end of your bed, performing just for you.
Great selection of songs. Really aporeciate your explanation or reasoning for using each track. Loved the Jones and Belefonte tracks as I never heard them before and was moved when listening to them besides the techical aspects.
I use John Klemmer’s “Touch”. Also, Boston’s “More than a feeling” Heart’s “Magic Man” . The Door’s “Break on through to the other side” and “Light my fire”. Madonna’s “Ray of light”. The Beatles The End” and Come together”. And lastly, Yo-yo Ma’s playing Bach’s “Unaccompanied Cello”.
An analysis has shown that a total of 13.325 billion videos have been uploaded to TH-cam since 2006... Out of 14 billion videos, this is the only channel I breathe in, and I just discovered it... As a Tracy Chapman fan, "Mountain O'Things" is one of the songs I get lost in at least once a day. Many greetings from Turkey, Istanbul, maestro.
Thank you so much for this selection. Hindemith and Bruch… what a revelation!❤
9 วันที่ผ่านมา +1
Thank you for sharing your list and explaining why you chose these tracks. I'm far from being audiophile myself, but with accepting the limits of living in a flat, I like to turn my system loud from time to time, when there's no one around. :) A pair of an old B&W DM603 S3s are more than enough to shake the room, and I really like how they sound. One of my favorite songs to listen to on my, or any system I "test", is "And It's Supposed To Be Love" by Ayo, from her "Joyful" album. It starts with a bright acoustic guitar and deep bass, so when it's loud enough you can feel the bass, not only hear it with your ears. A mandolin and a soft cymbal that comes in next are easy to overlook in a small smart speaker, or poor sound system. With Ayo's warm vocal, some bongos and (Hammond?) organ that joins later, the whole spectrum is covered, and that's why it's one of my favorite tracks I use for a "test drive". It's hard to describe what exactly I'm looking for when listening to this song, but when it sounds right, it's a joy to just close the eyes and dive into it.
@sobrevida157 There are some excellent Bruch recordings available on Hyperion Records U.K., and if you sign up on their website there are free monthly lossless sampler album downloads.
Hotel California on the Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over album. I listen for the hands on the bongos at the start, then the twang of the solo acoustic guitar, then how “Don Henley” does the solo voice sound, and finally how rich is the harmony when all the members of the band sing the chorus.
Great selection of test tracks to take for a spin. Three wildly alternative test picks - trials for timing, bass response, colour, and detail: Moloko, Absent Minded Friends (everything); Jamiroquai, Where Do We Go From Here (bass, drums, percussion, + trumpet organ bridge); lastly, De La Soul, I. C. Y'all (for that deep fruity bass that few systems ever replicate).
I will for sure listen to those tracks, tank you! Some on my list: I was born to love you / Ray Lamontagne for the realism of the bass drum, acoustic guitar and his voice mid range sweetness. All of this placed very precisely in the soundstage. Then Berimbas / Renaud Garcia-Fons (live recording) for the richness of the shaker, attack and fullness of the bass and classical guitar. And Slouching towards Bethlehem / Joni Mitchell for the great dynamic, very low orchestral percussion, dense mix with lots of subtle textures and her voice emerging just slightly in front of this big orchestra. You need a very good system to discern all what’s happening in that mix’s very quiet beginning and stay composed on very loud passages with almost no compression.
Thank you Harley! I’ll add your tracks to the audition playlist I use. If I can only play one, the first track in my assessment list is “Now Playing” on the Bob Florence Limited Edition’s “Serendipity 18” album. I find it a good test of dynamic range, depth and placement of instruments in the soundstage, and the fidelity of the sound of the individual instruments. I look forward to your videos and appreciate the effort you put into each and every one of them.
Hi, here some tracks I rely on...but mainly for testing "personal audio". The Housemartins - Build (remastered; from “Soup”, 2007): bass extension in the first 20 seconds and cymbals timbre all through the track. Basia - Matteo (from “Butterflies”, 2018): bass extension in the first 10 seconds, bass line and and vocals reproduction thereafter. Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (from “Rumours”, 1975): bass quantity/attack/decay, vocals timbre/definition/intimacy, cymbals/transients, depth of soundstage. The Smiths - Frankly, Mr. Shankly (from “The Queen Is Dead”, 2017 Remaster): bass attack and decay, transients, degree of vocals recession. Guitar at 0:37 is a reliable “shoutiness” meter. The Ed Palermo Big Band - Laurie Frink (from “A Lousy Day In Harlem”, 2019): brightness, transients, treble, resolution in complex instrumentations. Good indicator of top-end roll off. Astrud Gilberto - Corcovado (from “Verve Jazz Masters 9”, 1994): transients, separation, soundstage, treble quality, and the ability to cry because of such beauty. Cowboy Junkies - I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (from “The Trinity Sessions”, 2017 Remaster): three-dimensionality of soundstage, vocals, transients in this binaural recording. Frank Sinatra - Nice ‘N’ Easy (2020 Mix) (from “Nice ‘N’ Easy”, 2020 Mix): width of soundstage, vocals reproduction in an older but excellent recording. Roxy Music - Avalon (from “Avalon”, Dolby Headphone version): soundstage, spatial cues, fullness/richness of vocals, detail resolution. Hildegard Knef - Herr Kalecke an der Ecke (from “17 Millimeter”, 1999): (bass) temperature, vocal intimacy and definition, timbre. Great temperature indicator. Heinz Rudolf Kunze & Herman van Veen - In aller Herren Länder (from “Ich bin”, 2012): separation of the two voices. The King’s Singers - After The Gold Rush (from “Music From Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service”, 2019): reproduction of multiple male voices. Steven Isserlis, Dénes Várjon - Chopin Cello Sonata in G minor, Op 65 - 4: Finale: Allegro (from “Chopin: Cello Sonata; Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata”, 2017): timbre, note weight, bass realism, transients, separation, layering. Cello is a good indicator of timbre and natural dynamics. Beethoven - Septet In E Flat, Op. 20 - 5. Scherzo (from” Septet In E Flat, Sextet In E Flat” By The Gaudier Ensemble”, 1991): imaging, timbre, reproduction of brass instruments. Louis Spohr - Nonet in F, Op.31 - 1. Allegro (from “Spohr: Octet and Nonet” by the Gaudier Ensemble, 1991): timbre of orchestral instruments, layering and instrument separation, (micro) detail, treble extension, instrument placement and soundstage. Anne Sophie Mutter, John Williams - Luke And Leia & Yoda’s Theme (from “Across The Stars”, 2019): treble and treble resolution, timbre. Joe Bonamassa - Boogie With Stu (from “British Blues Explosion Live”, 2018): drum attack/impact, soundstage, separation. and a few more...
@@PearlAcoustics I listened to your whole list, Harley. The problem: for example, Dianne Reeves is so superbly recorded that it even more than impressed me using even budget earphones. Tom Jones and Tracy Chapman are similarly impressive. When I purchased my first CD player in the late 1980s, we auditioned it with Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" album. In the 1990s, many Hifi stores played Diana Krall's album "Love Scenes". ANY equipment sounds great with all of the above. The real challenge came with the Hindemith and Immerseel. Wow, too, but it really challenged the driver speed of my final Audio VR3000 in ears. Apart from all that, thank you for the great music advice. I already had the Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, and even Cycles by Basta! on my list...from your earlier videos.
Thanks Harley for your thoughtful and perceptive contributions to the audiophile community. My three 'test' tracks focus on whether a system can make an emotional connection between the music and the listener. 1) Arvo Pärt's 'These Words' from his Tractus album is hauntingly beautiful contemporary classical music featuring a limited but highly original combination of instruments from plucked violins to cellos to vibes to triangles and powerful kettle drums. It will test the dynamic range of any system. 2) "Hold On' by The Gas House Gang is barbershop quartet at its best. Its male vocal focus will challenge the mid-range capabilities of your speakers and make you wonder at the harmonic acrobatics of just four human voices. 3) 'Home Is' by Jacob Collier and Voces8 is a short choral piece that has a wonderful soundstage, excellent recording quality (where you can hear the singers breathing in as well as out) and a powerful entry of baritone choristers with kettle drum at about 3 minutes. Spine-tingling.
I'm far from being an expert or have great ears but I like to listen to The Moon on the album Verse by Patricia Barber. It's well recorded and you can hear the placement of the diffrent instrument, the space between them and the voice seems to have lots of space around. PS: The whole album is superb and well worth a good listening.
I loved hearing your approach to listening. Hearing how the system presents recordings is key. I like my system and you have given me a new way to check how it is presenting the recordings I present it with. I am using KEF Reference 103s and they are revealing in a way that I can hear what the system is doing upstream. I now know that preamplifier quality is key to catching those subtleties. Harmonics and layering of sounds are often lost by preamplifiers. Thanks! Try the Labèque Sisters’ Playing Gershwin’s piano duets. The two pianos interplay with each other and define the acoustic space. On lesser systems the internal contrasts are lost and it sounds like a wall of piano sound rather than two musicians performing in concert with each other and the acoustic they are in.
I'm such a fan of your speaker builds and ethos. I had a pair of TDL studio 0.5 speakers. I ripped out the driver and tweeter then replaced them with a single full range Jordan driver which fit perfectly. Huge improvement! Not that I've ever heard them, I'm sure your designs sound sublime. Regards.
A very fine video, sensitive, sage and sane. Thank you. My goto track for a quick assessment of the noise floor of a system is the FrauContraBass cover of Fast Car. Full of subtle details in voice, bass and the recording room acoustic which a good system should reveal, more or less obviously depending on how good. If it’s nominally a good rack of kit with quality speakers in a halfway decent room and those details are missing then likely noise issues in power supply etc need to be considered. Do give the track a go and thanks again.
Great video, I have a few tracks - normally an assortment of Fleetwood Mac (Never going back again, silver spings etc) - more the vocals and instruments to test if my system is too bright (also have this on DVD-Audio which is amazing). Some other tracks that I like are Led Zepplin Black Dog for a chaotic song to see if I can diseminate the sounds and then my absoulte favourite is a song I have listened to for over 20 years on a host of systems (which makes it so familar) and thats DireStraits Sultans of Swing.
I like the song "Money" by Pink Floyd. From the album, "Dark side of the Moon. Starts off with the incredible stereo sound of a cash register and money going from speaker to speaker, then you get a great Bass pattern with Roger Waters (I think) voice in the imaginary center track followed by a great sax solo, and so on. Just a great test track for me.
Glad I found this channel! I don’t really test my system per se, but I have enjoyed “technically” listening to Van Morrison’s “Moondance”. Each of the various instruments gets its own solo in either the left or right channel. But I like to focus on the opposite channel to see what the complementary instruments are doing.
Prince’s One Nite Alone - Live album. For Piano and vocal texture listen to the piano section of the show (songs 6-16). A good system and Prince is in the room with you. You can hear every breath, foot stomp, finger click, hand clap…For bass and vocals Sam Cooke’s Lost and Lookin’ Thank you for the video. Beautifully curated selection of songs that guarantees a thorough road test of any Hifi.
Bedankt Harley om jouw ervaringen en passie met ons te delen. Thaks Harley for sharing your experiences and you passion with us. I will, for sure, listen to your suggested tracks from time to time on different systems to experience how they can be used to evaluate their qualities. A track that I often end with is a soundtrack song but performed by a classical orchestra. The song starts quietly and because it triggers you to quickly raise the volume, it becomes a challenge to keep your system on the same volume because of the big dynamic scale. The placement or imaging is also remarkable. I hope you can enjoy: “Dead’s man chest” from The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra And Choir - Music From The Pirates Of The Caribbean Trilogy
I use one record to demonstrate my system to others and to see what changes to the sound when replacing certain equipment. The Record i use was recorded in 1960 by Audio Fidelity Records, USA "Percussive Vaudeville - the BIG theatrical sound - Doctored for super stereo".. This recording is like no other. I don't know how they achieved this in 1960, but i have never heard any other record in the last 60 years to match the fidelity dynamic range, sound stage width and depth of this LP.
Thanks for sharing these. I've always enjoyed the 1st track of Lindsay Buckingham's Out of the Cradle album. It has an instrumental intro that used to be a separate track, which they've now combined into "Don't Look Down" ... but the up front guitar intro is about a minute in length, and is for me an incredible bit of single-instrument detail that really showcases the upper mids and treble. Also enjoy Bach's Fugue in G Minor on Organ, but there is a performance by Alessandro De Lucci - BWV 578, 'Little Fugue' on piano where you can hear him breathing in a few places, as well as some other background noise that somehow contributes to the realism without be overly distracting. Finally, on Paul Simon's Graceland album, the intro and first 2:30 or so of Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes is a go-to track for me to showcase a range of different detail, range, instrument separation and soundstage. Lots of back and forth between the R and L channels with some different things going on, particularly at the 2:15 mark.
Thank you. My favorite Track for more than 30 years is Charly Antolini - Knock out. For the Voice I use a RCA Best of Harry Belafonte and for Bass and more classical Instruments Igorrr - Spiritualty and Distortion.
I stopped and listened to ‘Linda Paloma’, which I have not heard before. It’s a perfect test song, and challenging. Funny choosing Diane Reeves and Paul Simon, who I worked with as well as Tom Jones. This is awesome.😊
Very interesting, thank you. Always like listening to other peoples 'testers'. Got a few that I like to use: Nickel Creek: Out of the Woods [Great classical guitar] Infected Mushroom: Avratz [Big sound stage and crisp percussion of various flavours] Fleetwood Mac : Seven Wonders [The 'tick' of the stick on the high-hat cymbals within the first few seconds of play.] Thanks for reintroducing me to Tracey Chaman too. Haven't listened to her for a while. 🙂
Day of the Dead: Black Muddy River (Bruce Hornsby) … the whole song is a gem, but the first ~30 seconds are a great test of a system’s ability to render harmonic distortion 🤩
Thank you once again for another insightful and engaging video. Your channel consistently stands out as both educational and refreshingly pragmatic, which is a welcome contrast to much of the Hi-Fi content on TH-cam. I’d love to hear your thoughts on headphones in a future video. My current setup and listening environment are far from ideal, as I don’t have the luxury of a dedicated listening room, even though I’ve managed to put together a multiroom setup at home. As a result, I rely heavily on headphones for most of my listening. Over time, I’ve curated a collection to suit different scenarios: closed-back headphones for when others are at home, open-back headphones for those rare, peaceful moments, noise-canceling headphones for travel, and IEMs for when I’m out in the city and want to avoid drawing too much attention-especially with my Bose headphones. It would be fantastic to hear your perspective on headphones for various use cases and occasions. Thanks also for sharing the track list-I’m looking forward to giving it a listen!
Thanks for your comment. Did you see my headphones vs loudspeakers video? It may not have the level of detail you need but it might help a bit. Our brains sometimes need re-programming. For listening to music through loudspeakers, I find two channel best.
Hi Harley. Love your informational videos!! Sans promotional messages. I have 3 ‘go to’ tracks. Cassandra Wilson - ‘Redbone’ of her ‘Blue light ’til Dawn’ album (for instrument placement) Agnes Obel - ‘Myopia’ for instrument separation and tonal range The Who - ‘The Real Me’ from Quadrophenia for Bass/Dynamics
Great video! I always enjoy hearing what other people use to assess systems, and what they listen for in each track when assessing. My current go-to track is Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos, from A Piano, The Collection.
A very useful, wonderfully delivered piece as usual :) amused to hear one of yours is also one of mine, Tracy C, another of mine is also Paul Simon, but I prefer Armistice Day. I love the different guitars and playing styles along with his voice and all the nuances going on behind it all.
Funkytown by Lips, Inc. It has great highs, lows, vocals, everything. A salesman played it when I was looking for a pair of speakers back in 1980 and the song convinced me to purchase the Genesis Phase II which I still use today.
Thanks for the video. I am new to this hobby, and have settled on a following setup for now: Streamer/Dac - Wiim Ultra Integrated Amp - Musical Fidelity M3Si Speakers - Buchardt P300 I will listen to all the mentioned tracks via Deezer in max quality and hope my system does not disappoint.)))
Thank you for the very informative video. I really enjoyed hearing your reasons for your tracks and I've added several of them to my own list. I also have several tracks that I used for evaluating as and FOH tech in my past life. Now, for residential sound systems, one track that I tend to go to as it offers several boxes to check or leave unchecked, is (Daniel Lanois - I Love You, from the album shine). If the system is capable, the bass in this will also weed out rattles or problematic rooms, such as light fixtures. The vocals are heavily treated so this is not to evaluate how natural a system sounds, but the soundscape amazing, guitar sounds and various instruments are abundant. @ 1:50, Emmylou Harris' vocal should be left, but not all left, some effect is pulling it towards center. All around great eval track.
"Aint No Sunshine" cover by meira! It's great detail while having less silibance for how good the detail is. The bashed snare is amazing! And great cello sound towards the end.
Thanks for the video, cool selection of tracks! My test tracks for headphones are: Daft Punk - Lose Yourself To Dance Muse - Recess Moderat - No. 22 Radiohead - Reckoner Rage Against The Machine - Take The Power Back Sigur Ros - Svefn-g-englar Portishead - Roads Eagles - Hotel California (live on MTV)
Really apriciate your sharing testtracks with comments. It helps us followers develop listening skills and add good music to the collection. I have manymany test tracks, but here are few of my most used: 1. Diana Krall, A case of you, on 'Live in Paris'. In the beginning you hear and sense the room and the people in it caughing and moving around. Then listen to the tones of the grand piano and its mechanic noises. And then listen to the very close take on Dianas slightly harsh voice. Everything shall be pinponted in the soundstage and super detailed without being sharp or tirering. 2. Oscars Motettkör, O Helga Natt, on 'Cantate Domino'. Everything on this album from 1976 is fantastic, but O Helga Natt combines solo, choir and organ in an overwhelming experience. It shall sound open, real and be very moving. The christmas version of 'Jazz at the Pawnshop'. 3. Boz Scaggs, Thanks to you, on 'Dig'. This can sound dry and the bass be undefined and muddy. If the system is capable there will be a discrete airyness opening the sound and the bass will play very deep and dry. You should feel the air moving in the room. 4. Allan Taylor, The beat Hotel, on 'Hotels and Dreamers'. Wide and deep soundstage with a lot of clarity. Can easily sound 'glassy' but is very satisfying if treble is well mannered. 5. Townes Van Zandt, If I Needed you, on 'Live at the old Quarter, Houson, Texas. You shall be in the room with him and feel the pain. 6. Mike Sheridan, Stilhed, on 'I syv sind'. This electronic piece shall envelop you and take you to a 3-dimensional world of sounds popping out from the black space. Try to listen in total darkness:-) 7. Infected Mushroom, I'm the supervisor, on 'I'm the supervisor'. This agressive Dance-music is not what I usually listend to, but this piece is really well produced and have a lot going on. Shall be played very loud. If your system is up to it the bass will punch you hard in the stomach and crazy detailled action will blow your brain out and leave you grinning and deaf. Otherwise it can be harsh and awfull. Short about my system: I stream from Qobus wireless to Auralic Aries G2 streamer which connects through proprietary 'Lightning Link' to Auralic Vega G2 Dac/preamp which via balanced Anticables drive a pair of active ATC SCM50. Power from Anzus cables and strip. Room 35m2 well dampened with carpets and lots of shelves with books. Now I'll dive into all the music proposed by all you lovely hifi-nerds - have fun.
I'm not a huge fan of Simply Red (my wife is) but "Sad Old Red" from their first album is my go-to track. It's a brilliant recording and really tests a system.
Very nice video with a lot to learn, again! I don’t change equipment so often but when I do, I use records that I like and know well. Few of them are «audiophile», some are nevertheless dynamic recordings and pressings. Some tracks I used when I changed cartridge five weeks or so ago: Dawes - Things Happen Matthew Sweet - I’ll Be Waiting Wilco - Impossible Germany Real Estate - Water Underground Fleet Foxes - Third of May/Odaigahara Gillian Welch - The Way It Goes Spiritualized - I Think I’m In Love The High Llamas - The Sun Beats Down
I download most of the track you use, except the BBC recording and the Tracy Chapman, as I have been listening to it since it was published. My system faired quite well except on the clarity challenge I couldn’t hear the separation of the tree voices or the individual parts of the orchestra. However reverb, sustain and bass handling were good. My system, including the speakers are all hand built by myself, so I’m very pleased. Another fantastic track similar in principle to the Dianne Reeves track is Sade I Never Thought l'd See the Day Stronger Than Pride (1988) another beautifully clear track with wonderful acoustic.
Been going through some of these between my usual main speakers, which are Thiel CS 2.3 and my bedroom system that features a pair of Polk L100s. The guitar on the Tracy Chapman track really highlights how much better the Thiel speakers are. Almost nonexistent on the Polk (which are very highly regarded speakers). I definitely wouldn’t have picked up on that without your help selecting the right test track. Thanks.
You’re welcome! Loudspeaker design is always a balance between being too bright and detailed and not bright enough. Studio monitors tend to be in the very detailed side, so it’s quite possible (for engineers with young ears to have heard it very clearly in the studio) but at home in some domestic situations it becomes hard to detect.
Dave Brubeck- Blue Rondo a la Turk. I always focus on the sound coming out of the double bass. How deep from inside the body does it sound. Led Zeppelin-Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. Jimmy Page playing the acoustic parts. Can I see in my mind his fingers on the guitar strings.
Great, thanks Harley. One of my favorite tracks is Natalie Cole singing "Unforgettable" (album of the same name) with her father dubbed in. The richness of his voice, and hers, and where they show up on the soundstage, for me voices tell so much of the story. Another one is Christie McVie singing "Songbird". Also I'm very sensitive to violins in orchestral works where intermodulation distortion can be so telling. I also want to thank you for your Max Bruch Symphony 1 piece. I never listened to him much before that but recently heard his Scottish Fantasies played by Rachel Barton Pine and it blew me away. I had to stop what I was doing and just sit down and listen to it completely - simply wonderful!
Whenever possible, I start with "You and Your Friend" by The Dire Straits. First, I listen to whether the bass guitar sounds balanced or if certain notes are noticeably louder or softer. Then, I focus on the height and position of Mark Knopfler's voice-does it sound as though he’s standing (about 1.5 meters high)? Next, I evaluate the tone of the steel guitar on the left and the sound of Mark’s guitar. How smooth does it sound? On some systems, there are one or two brief moments where it can come across as slightly aggressive. Finally, I check how far the sound of his guitar extends beyond the right speaker. These are the kinds of details I pay attention to.
Great choice. The Dire Straits recordings are in general very well done, and there are several songs very usuable to check your equipment (Ride Across the River, Money For Nothing, ...)
I also love Tracy Chapman Mountain O Things, Baby Can I Hold You is also another great track on the same album. India Arie Acoustic Soul album is great for dynamic bass, punch, attack, and texture.
My #1 track for almost 40 years has been Paul Simon's "Graceland". It's a great test for sibilance when he goes "the Mississippi delta was shining like a national guitar", the bass needs to be dry but not thin, and if I don't get goosebumps when he gets to "she said losing love is like a window in your heart", I know the gear just isn't for me. Also, using this track every time means I can actually compare gear that I can't compare in place because I still remember how this sounded on an Infinity IRS in the 80s or on a Linn LP12 in the 90s. Your Willie Nelson song is a great one too. Personally I've used Ry Cooder's "Third Base, Dodger Stadium" a lot in recent years.
The iconic drumbeat by Phil Collins that he then went on to use himself but this is the song called Intruder by Peter Gabriel on the album 3 or Melt. Again this has many drum sounds and then the synths come in before you get to Peter Gabriel's very understated vocal.
From a classical orchestral view I would use Beethoven's Sixth "Pastoral" opening movement for the change from quiet to loud in the opening passage and the swirling of the sound that convey that we are in the countryside. Once upon a time I played violin and sang in a choir and my favourite choral work would be Verdi's Requiem.
Thank you. Fantastic to hear how a pro assesses systems. I have most familiarity with classical music so the tone of instruments and voices are vital to me. As you said, do they sounds like a actually instrument you hear in person, or a recording of an instrument. For that reason I often start with fragments of tracks with one dominant sound e.g. soprano voice and choir in Verdi's Requiem (Requiem aternam) sung by Gheorhiu, male voice La dolcissime effigie (Domingo) the harp at the start of Minkus La Bayadere 'Entrance of the Shades', the Violin at the start of Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (Perlman), Piano would be the 2nd movement of Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No 1 (Roge), not forgetting the organ but with little imagination I go with a piece I've heard a hundred times live Widor's Toccata Mvt 5. Then I will look for the separation and placement in a soundstage using e.g. the last 3-4 mins of Saturn from Holst's Planets (BPO Karajan)...the harp, the bells, flutes, all should have their place and you should feel the warmth of the basses at the end. Then it's time to turn it up a notch and see how a system can sound with more going on e.g. does the brass sound like real instruments of a kazoo when things get loud in Mars (also the Planets, but this time Dutoit/Montreal). the strings against the bass drum at the Finale of The Firebird (Dudamel/LAPO).
My favourite test track is School by Supertramp. It contains a wide soundstage, has quiet parts, and dynamic parts, and has a large number of different instruments and voices. Many sound systems fail to play this song with all the parts distinguishable and separated without distortion. Give it a try. Also, make sure not to use a compressed version for testing a sound system. Many people don’t realize that when they play music off of TH-cam and streaming services there is a lot of compression and unintended distortion involved.
Thanks for asking. My test tracks are Dominic Miller - London Paris Cardiff and Bob James Live - Niles A Head. First track I listen for the clarity and snap of the strings. The second track I listened for the realistic sound of the piano and kick drum. The track for vocal is Mary Wells - You Beat Me To The Punch. The lead vocal and background singers are separated, clear and crisp.
Thank you! I sometimes use The Smiles first Album, Micheal Kiwanuka’s 19’ release, tracks from Catarina Barbiere, David Gilmour’s latest and, Black Sabbath’s first.
One go to track for me is Nobody from Ry Cooder's Jazz album. You have the semi spoken lyrics but the best test is the backing vocals. In particular listen out for the big deep bass voice near the end starting at 4:54.
I listen to Seal, Don’t Cry. Everything about that song goes right through me. My speaker system is pretty simple: Orb audio 8” sub and satellites. Not a perfect synthesis, the midrange is a bit lacking at times, but the dual 4” satellites are great for vocals. And they have a very high WAF.
I always begin with Stan Ridgway's 'Mosquitos', track 2, ''Lonely Town''. If it sounds ALMOST like it's a touch too bright on the shaker, and ALMOST a tad too boomy with the upright bass, but then you decide it the track still lives on the edge of acceptability, then you've got a great start. The harmonica comes in on the right, allowing you to be sure your speakers are on the correct side. When the vocal comes in @ 0:41, Stan should be clearly defineable in the middle; you should be able to close your eyes, and absolutely ''see'' him standing in the middle, singing out of the corner of his mouth. If Stan's not absolutely 'the guy in the middle', your speakers are likely too far apart. 'Mosquitos' (1987?) is a tremendous album, start to finish, sonically, performance-wise, and really great songs!!! You really should pick it up!
I used to limit my test tracks but now I go wider. For instance, I added "Me and Julio" and "The boxer" to 50 ways. "The boxer" has some unusual instruments... the steel guitar, the bass harmonica and the acoustic bass drum and the chair being thrown down the lift in the chorus. All of these can sound very different on different systems (not all of them good). Me and Julio is great for PRaT with the guitars on each side and the cuica, plus the strong bass line. To check the placement of the voices, I play "Volcano" by Damien Rice and a few tracks off Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's "The letting go" album (eg "Then the letting go", "No bad news", "Big friday"), and also "Decatur" by Sufjan Stevens off his "Illinoise" album. The "Letting go" is a great album for being able to pinpoint Will Oldham and Dawn McCarthy's voices. Dawn is often close and behind but they mix it up and some systems are inconsistent and/or unstable in their placement. For details, I have Ray LaMontagne's track "Be here now", which is the ultimate test of imaging because some lines from one of his movies going on in the chorus that you should be able to pinpoint, even if you cannot make out the words. I've had a system where those words were hanging in a specific space in the soundstage, which is the best I've achieved. You should also be able to hear every picked guitar note, without having to turn up the volume. For quality of the voice, I like The Mountain Goats because John Darnielle's voice can sound stringent on some systems. I play "Song for Dennis Brown", "Love love love" and "Pale green things" from the "Sunset Tree" album. For bass, I go with Damien Rice's "The Blower's daughter", Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's "Love comes to me" for subtle low bass that can go missing and for power I go with Billie Eilish's "Ilo Milo" and "Bad guy".
Friday night in San Francisco… “Mediterranean Sundance”. Al DiMeola picking on metal strings and Paco de Lucía using his fingernails to play fusion flamenco. I listen for the differences and sound of the bodies of the guitars and the sound of the strings and the precision interplay which gets quite complex over the nine or 10 minutes of this piece. Brian Bromberg “Wood”. This is an ultimate late 1600’s AA Bass” played by a master who does not get enough recognition. listen to the sound of this instrument Which will come across as totally astounding with harmonic richness. Even down to the bottom end. Antonio Sanchez “3 x 3”, an incredible drum recording which you can hear every little detail of every piece of his kit along with the rest of his group. Any recording on the MapleShade label for its simplicity of recording and purity of voices and instruments with all the harmonics present. The new MoFi release on vinyl of Santana, Caravanserai for every little detail that you can imagine in this uniquely incredible recording. Eagles, “Long Road Out of Eden”, “No More Walks in the Woods” for image specificity of this acappella piece by the four main 0:150:15 members in the group. Jane Monheit “Come Dream With Me“, “A Case of You” for the absolute mastery of the female voice. I love this song more than the composer Joni Mitchell. And finally the 1936 wire recording remaster of Pablo Casals playing the Bach cello suites. The instrument and his reading of these pieces is beyond compare and every detail coming out of this cello is beyond belief.
Having listened to the video and also the tracks has convinced me that I am not an Audiophile but a music lover. I can listen to 2 of your recommended and enjoy them, I never listen to tracks just to enjoy a 10 second clip of an allegedly good piece. If I go to a Hifi shop to assess a piece of equipment I use Sam Cardon & Kurt Bestor Innovators Album.
Thanks Harley, a very interesting and helpful episode. A track I often use in demos is Small Hours from the album One World by John Martyn. It was recorded outside by a lake, and I use the track to see if a system can transport me to the location and create a sense of the place. Does it convey the sense of open space, the subtle sounds of the birds on the lake and even a post train passing in the distance.
I listened to these tracks on Qobuz via some KEF LS50 metas, a Project S2 dac and Tom Evans amplification. They all sound great and very much as you described. I guess my gear gets a pass :) Great Vid, thanks for the list.
Sara Bareilles "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (Live from Atlanta). You are literally sitting on stage with Sara and her electric piano, plus the live audience and hall reverbs.
Used to like to use Supertramp’s album Rudy. It had crisp highs and rumbling lows plus other sounds of people in an urban setting. My other system checker was Copland’s, Fanfare for the Common Man. Again most everything you need. Thirdly, Nights in White Satin, the long version. But I do like your suggestions.
My first is Diane Schuur and The Count Basie Orchestra - Travelin' Light, specifically for the baritone saxophone. Second is Orpheus Chamber Orchestra playing Appalachian Spring. Third is the Pablo All-Star Jam, Montreux 1977, Samba De Orfeu, specifically Niels Pederson's precision on stand-up bass. Finally, either 1986 Concorde Blue Devils or 1989 Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps recorded at their respective world championships. Both are magnificent examples of pure brass and percussion.
Very much appreciate this video! I overlap with you on #7 in that I also use Harry Belafonte's "Live at Carnegie Hall" as one of my reference albums (you have it linked correctly, but the image during the video is of "Calypso.”) I will also look at the others to add to my test tracks. That said, one thing absent from your list is a jazz track that features drums, especially where the hi-hat/cymbals are in the forefront. I would go as far as to say that you haven't fully tested the high frequency performance of a system until you try to accurately try to reproduce the timbre of cymbals played in a jazz ensemble. Violins and piccolo come close, but are more subtle and imperfections can be more difficult to uncover. Cymbals extend into the supersonic, take no prisoners, and will expose an overly bright or dead-sounding system instantly. Beyond the cymbals, how well a system can reproduce the scale and timbre of toms as well as the snap of a snare can also tell you a lot. Certainly, if any of these drum elements do not sound unique, something is wrong.
I can tell you what I did the last time I assessed a system. Started with the opening three tracks of Sufjan Stevens' 'Illinois' album, focusing on the level of detail and soundstage. Can I make out all the different instruments in the increasingly busy arrangements? How are the dynamics in the final build before track three starts? How is the system handling the start stop nature of the third track? That is usually enough to get a general idea, because I know the music so well. Then I did Fear Factory's 'Shock' to judge attack and low end and lastly I went with 'Take Five' by The Dave Brubeck Quartet to see how that would hold up, especially the drum solo. After that I just thought I'd enjoy myself with some music I like to listen to at home, stuff that I would be most likely to put on on a daily basis at the moment, so I did Fontaines D.C. 'In The Modern World' and 'Here's the Thing', and De La Soul's 'Oodles of O's' just to see if they would draw me in like I'm used to.
Thanks for this video. I love to listen 'traveling light' , Leonard Cohen when I want to assess a system. There is female chorus, acoustic guitar, violins, great bass and Leonard's voice....
Linda Paloma is a great track for sssessment. I also use Mozart Clarinet Quintet, Bruckner Piano muusic, Mahler 3, Nigjtwish The Poet and the Pendulum (live) and some Alison Kraus. That covers a whole load of ranges, textures, sound stages, mixes, levels of detail and layers and so on. I start with the Mozart and finish with the Mahler.
While most audiophile TH-cam channels exist primarily for self-promotion, you use this channel to truly inform and educate. You, Harley, are a breath of fresh air. Thank you.
Thank you very much indeed. Very kind.
I really love their content too ! I get a lot out of it. Dont forget though that it is a speakers brand.
Hear here! Well said
@ 🙏
Our man Harley🫡💎🙏🏼👂🎵♾️🌎
I found your lecture about albums very intriguing.
I spent the past year cleaning out my entire record collection and was very impressed with the results.
That led me to install a new cartridge in my record player, after which I decided to purchase a new turntable. I kept the Ortofon Bronze and placed it on my new Project 2Xperience
I became more and more impressed with what I heard now since purchasing my first album in 1974
I have now replaced the Ortofon Bronze with the Ortofon Black.
As a real music freak, I have been watching, listening and thinking about what I could improve without incurring any costs.
Now I have been able to insert my needle into what I consider to be the best possible SRA.
The result is that a few months ago I started playing my entire collection again and I have a completely new listening experience.
One of my gems is Joe Jackson's Night and Day. It goes too far for me to give details here as so much happens on this album. It is an excellently produced album and the mastering should not be overstated either. Bside this album there are ofcourse many other beautifull ones
In my humble opinion, this album fits extremely wel in your story
Kind regards and many thanks for sharing your knowledge
This is fantastic! Finally someone showing me what I should be hearing from my system. Really appreciate the video! 🙏
Glad it was helpful! Thanks
I appreciate your personal music/selection & inclusion, which helps US Evaluate our systems May you have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
🙏🎄
An elegant and erudite presentation as always. Such videos also introduce me to wonderful music that I have not heard before and that is great. My favorite track used to be 'You look good to me' from the album 'We get requests' by the Oscar Peterson Trio. The first 30-60 seconds have about 10 triangle hits and a bowed double bass that is splendid. Then the rest follows. A decade ago I realised I could not hear more than 4 triangle hits - degenerative hearing loss had set in. That is when I gave up such tests and began to truly enjoy the music - knowing well that my time for being delighted by music was dwindling faster than expected. It was a blessing in disguise indeed. 😊😊😊
Thanks for sharing. I totally get where you are coming from.
I have a request for a future video. I would be grateful if you would choose to do so. TH-cam audio is lossy and gets a bad rap. Yet there are some live concerts with outstanding sonics (at least to my deteriorating hearing). One such uploaded yesterday is the 80 minute divine bliss of an 80 year young Maria Joao Pires playing a selection of Mozart and Debussy at the Gilmore Piano Festival completely from memory. Outstanding performance and sonics and video. Why does this sound so good? Beats me.
@ I am a big fan of Maria Joao Pires! I will check out the concert you mention. 🙏
Cool story bro 🙄
V interesting… but why do you care where a sound is positioned? I get that the voices and instruments need to be precise and well balanced but whether they are a bit left or right seems irrelevant.
Another remarkable talk by Harley. And you even provide the links. How absolutely nice this is ! Will try these suggestions. Thank you !
Our pleasure!
Your last sentence of the outro, says it all: "Enjoy the music!"
Thank you very much, sir!
You're welcome
i’m still pretty new to this, but here are a few from my list:
* alabaster deplume: sound of the foundling (soundstage depth; instrument separation; texture)
* steel pulse: roller skates (imaging; soundstage)
* o-zone percussion group: jazz variants (attack & decay; bass)
* fink: trouble’s what you’re in (detail; texture)
* tv on the radio: you could be love (vocal distortion - highs)
* the clash: straight to hell (prat - does my body involuntarily start moving)
looking forward to checking out all the other suggestions!
Thumbs up on the steel pulse
👍
I enjoy the way you express yourself in your descriptions. Fun watch
I appreciate that!
The year of the cat. Al Stewart. The sax at the end just floats in mid air🎉
👍
I love to hear the rasp in the reed during that passage.
Also "Midas Shadow" from the same album - the organ from the mid-song solo should manifest itself in the room!
I found your lecture about albums very intriguing.
I spent the past year cleaning out my entire record collection and was very impressed with the results.
That led me to install a new cartridge in my record player, after which I decided to purchase a new turntable.
I became more and more impressed with what I heard now and since purchasing my first album in 1974 I have replaced the Ortofon Bronze with the Ortofon Black.
As a real music freak, I have been watching, listening and thinking about what I could improve without incurring any costs.
Now I have been able to insert my needle into what I consider to be the best possible SRA.
The result is that a few months ago I started playing my entire collection again and I have a completely new listening experience.
One of my gems is Joe Jackson's Night and Day. It goes too far for me to give details here as so much happens on this album. It is an excellently produced album and the mastering can not be overstated either.
In my humble opinion, this album fits your story perfectly
Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge and experience with some great content recommendations. Sadly with 40 years of working in noisy engineering environments, my ears are not what they used to be, but that said I have a very revealing system and usually if the vocals give me goosebumps and the recording is of good quality then there is not much to worry about generally speaking. We are all individuals with different tastes and preferences with what sounds good, as long as we enjoy what we are able to hear is the important thing. Bravo.
You’re welcome
I can tell you really enjoy your bass in these test tracks. Me too. Never heard of 'Linda Paloma' by Jackson Browne until now. All I can say is WOW! I wish I'd heard it sooner. Sounds sublime on my Klipsch pro media 2.1's. Thanks Harley!
Thanks for listening
I'm testing my system out using the playlist and have to agree with you. BTW, Harry Belafonte singing voice is the definition of smooth and just a joy to listen to
Bellafonte at Carnegie hall is the best recorded vocal of all time imo
🙏
A metal head but an excellent test track for me is Shakespeare's sister, ' stay' from the soft voices to the deep bass to the dynamic start then the soaring voice at the end. A short track but filled with so much.
This was very educational. I listened to each track with my high end IEMs. I think people can get a big chunk of what you're talking about here with high end IEMs. A relatively "cheap" way to get into this hobby. Please consider doing a part 2 to this!
🙏👍
Great words of wisdom. I will give these tracks a listen on my system. I am sure I will enjoy them. Thanks.
Please do! Thanks 🙏
Totos I will remember is always my go to, its as much a tool to listen to how much a room reflects and how good the low end sounds as its just a pleasure to listen to
Ahh yes. Good one
Right now, when I want to hear soundstage on my own system, I listen to Loggins & Messina "Angry Eyes" . Width, depth and separation, on that one.
That's a great one
👍🙏
Hardly any replies to people's suggestions 😢 @ least you have two! Now three! 😂
Good suggestion. Just heard it tonight. Great soundstage
Great song!
Thank you Harley for your instructive explanation and the expertly chosen test tracks (fortunately not the "usual suspects").
To determine the multi-layeredness and resolution of an audio system, I think the song "Nevermind" by Leonard Cohen (from the album "Popular Problems") is useful. Leonard Cohen's characteristic voice is very much in the foreground throughout the song, above a simple bass rhythm. The voice is extremely close to the listener and fills the listening room. She sounds very natural, all nuances and inflections of Cohen's voice are audible. At 0'45" there are the first backing vocals. They form a separate, clearly separated musical layer, next to Cohen's voice. At 1'02" a third vocal element suddenly appears with a voice singing an Arabic text. For those who hear the song for the first time, this voice has a surprising effect, it almost comes from heaven and floats above the music. At 1'47" a new layer with string-like sounds begins very subtly. Finally, there is a hand drum that further supports the music from 3'41". This hand drum is also easy to follow and clearly separated from the rest. On a lower-performance system, these layers will be less audible and "Nevermind" may even sound like a fairly monotonous song.
You’re welcome. Thanks for the tip. I will definitely give it a listen. Can’t wait!
For 40 years my go-to tracks have been the first two tracks (the first is the intro to the second) of the Little Feat live album, “Waiting for Columbus”, 1. Join the Band and 2. Fat Man in the Bathtub, for many of the same reasons you use the Jackson Browne track.
I really enjoy your videos Harley, they make me remember why I started on my hifi journey over 30 years ago. My listening suggestion would be Suzanne Vega's Wooden Horse from her Solitude Standing album. The sharp percussion, deep bass lines, guitar melodies and Suzanne's exquisite voice are incredibly intimate. On the right system It's like the whole band is sitting at the end of your bed, performing just for you.
Thanks for sharing! I will check it out!
Nice, Jackson Browne at number 1. My mum would love this channel!
😀
Great selection of songs. Really aporeciate your explanation or reasoning for using each track. Loved the Jones and Belefonte tracks as I never heard them before and was moved when listening to them besides the techical aspects.
They’re really great
🙏
I use John Klemmer’s “Touch”. Also, Boston’s “More than a feeling” Heart’s “Magic Man” . The Door’s “Break on through to the other side” and “Light my fire”. Madonna’s “Ray of light”. The Beatles The End” and Come together”. And lastly, Yo-yo Ma’s playing Bach’s “Unaccompanied Cello”.
An analysis has shown that a total of 13.325 billion videos have been uploaded to TH-cam since 2006... Out of 14 billion videos, this is the only channel I breathe in, and I just discovered it... As a Tracy Chapman fan, "Mountain O'Things" is one of the songs I get lost in at least once a day. Many greetings from Turkey, Istanbul, maestro.
Thank you very much for sharing your kind appreciation! Best wishes from Belgium
Thank you so much for this selection. Hindemith and Bruch… what a revelation!❤
Thank you for sharing your list and explaining why you chose these tracks.
I'm far from being audiophile myself, but with accepting the limits of living in a flat, I like to turn my system loud from time to time, when there's no one around. :)
A pair of an old B&W DM603 S3s are more than enough to shake the room, and I really like how they sound.
One of my favorite songs to listen to on my, or any system I "test", is "And It's Supposed To Be Love" by Ayo, from her "Joyful" album.
It starts with a bright acoustic guitar and deep bass, so when it's loud enough you can feel the bass, not only hear it with your ears.
A mandolin and a soft cymbal that comes in next are easy to overlook in a small smart speaker, or poor sound system.
With Ayo's warm vocal, some bongos and (Hammond?) organ that joins later, the whole spectrum is covered, and that's why it's one of my favorite tracks I use for a "test drive".
It's hard to describe what exactly I'm looking for when listening to this song, but when it sounds right, it's a joy to just close the eyes and dive into it.
Thank you for sharing. That’s extremely well put. You’ve got me intrigued (I will listen to the track from Ayo this morning! 🙏
@@PearlAcoustics I hope you'll like it, and find it as interesting as I do. :)
Enjoy.
Thank you for introducing me to the Bruch.. just beautiful!
You’re very welcome. Enjoy!
@sobrevida157
There are some excellent Bruch recordings available on Hyperion Records U.K., and if you sign up on their website there are free monthly lossless sampler album downloads.
Hotel California on the Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over album. I listen for the hands on the bongos at the start, then the twang of the solo acoustic guitar, then how “Don Henley” does the solo voice sound, and finally how rich is the harmony when all the members of the band sing the chorus.
👍
When you said "Linda Paloma" I smiled. Great track.
😀
Great selection of test tracks to take for a spin. Three wildly alternative test picks - trials for timing, bass response, colour, and detail: Moloko, Absent Minded Friends (everything); Jamiroquai, Where Do We Go From Here (bass, drums, percussion, + trumpet organ bridge); lastly, De La Soul, I. C. Y'all (for that deep fruity bass that few systems ever replicate).
👍
I will for sure listen to those tracks, tank you! Some on my list: I was born to love you / Ray Lamontagne for the realism of the bass drum, acoustic guitar and his voice mid range sweetness. All of this placed very precisely in the soundstage. Then Berimbas / Renaud Garcia-Fons (live recording) for the richness of the shaker, attack and fullness of the bass and classical guitar. And Slouching towards Bethlehem / Joni Mitchell for the great dynamic, very low orchestral percussion, dense mix with lots of subtle textures and her voice emerging just slightly in front of this big orchestra. You need a very good system to discern all what’s happening in that mix’s very quiet beginning and stay composed on very loud passages with almost no compression.
Great list! 🙏
Thank you Harley! I’ll add your tracks to the audition playlist I use. If I can only play one, the first track in my assessment list is “Now Playing” on the Bob Florence Limited Edition’s “Serendipity 18” album. I find it a good test of dynamic range, depth and placement of instruments in the soundstage, and the fidelity of the sound of the individual instruments.
I look forward to your videos and appreciate the effort you put into each and every one of them.
🙏 you’re very kind
Hi, here some tracks I rely on...but mainly for testing "personal audio".
The Housemartins - Build (remastered; from “Soup”, 2007): bass extension in the first 20 seconds and cymbals timbre all through the track.
Basia - Matteo (from “Butterflies”, 2018): bass extension in the first 10 seconds, bass line and and vocals reproduction thereafter.
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (from “Rumours”, 1975): bass quantity/attack/decay, vocals timbre/definition/intimacy, cymbals/transients, depth of soundstage.
The Smiths - Frankly, Mr. Shankly (from “The Queen Is Dead”, 2017 Remaster): bass attack and decay, transients, degree of vocals recession. Guitar at 0:37 is a reliable “shoutiness” meter.
The Ed Palermo Big Band - Laurie Frink (from “A Lousy Day In Harlem”, 2019): brightness, transients, treble, resolution in complex instrumentations. Good indicator of top-end roll off.
Astrud Gilberto - Corcovado (from “Verve Jazz Masters 9”, 1994): transients, separation, soundstage, treble quality, and the ability to cry because of such beauty.
Cowboy Junkies - I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (from “The Trinity Sessions”, 2017 Remaster): three-dimensionality of soundstage, vocals, transients in this binaural recording.
Frank Sinatra - Nice ‘N’ Easy (2020 Mix) (from “Nice ‘N’ Easy”, 2020 Mix): width of soundstage, vocals reproduction in an older but excellent recording.
Roxy Music - Avalon (from “Avalon”, Dolby Headphone version): soundstage, spatial cues, fullness/richness of vocals, detail resolution.
Hildegard Knef - Herr Kalecke an der Ecke (from “17 Millimeter”, 1999): (bass) temperature, vocal intimacy and definition, timbre. Great temperature indicator.
Heinz Rudolf Kunze & Herman van Veen - In aller Herren Länder (from “Ich bin”, 2012): separation of the two voices.
The King’s Singers - After The Gold Rush (from “Music From Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service”, 2019): reproduction of multiple male voices.
Steven Isserlis, Dénes Várjon - Chopin Cello Sonata in G minor, Op 65 - 4: Finale: Allegro (from “Chopin: Cello Sonata; Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata”, 2017): timbre, note weight, bass realism, transients, separation, layering. Cello is a good indicator of timbre and natural dynamics.
Beethoven - Septet In E Flat, Op. 20 - 5. Scherzo (from” Septet In E Flat, Sextet In E Flat” By The Gaudier Ensemble”, 1991): imaging, timbre, reproduction of brass instruments.
Louis Spohr - Nonet in F, Op.31 - 1. Allegro (from “Spohr: Octet and Nonet” by the Gaudier Ensemble, 1991): timbre of orchestral instruments, layering and instrument separation, (micro) detail, treble extension, instrument placement and soundstage.
Anne Sophie Mutter, John Williams - Luke And Leia & Yoda’s Theme (from “Across The Stars”, 2019): treble and treble resolution, timbre.
Joe Bonamassa - Boogie With Stu (from “British Blues Explosion Live”, 2018): drum attack/impact, soundstage, separation.
and a few more...
Some very nice selections there. 🙏
@@PearlAcoustics I listened to your whole list, Harley.
The problem: for example, Dianne Reeves is so superbly recorded that it even more than impressed me using even budget earphones. Tom Jones and Tracy Chapman are similarly impressive.
When I purchased my first CD player in the late 1980s, we auditioned it with Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" album. In the 1990s, many Hifi stores played Diana Krall's album "Love Scenes". ANY equipment sounds great with all of the above.
The real challenge came with the Hindemith and Immerseel. Wow, too, but it really challenged the driver speed of my final Audio VR3000 in ears.
Apart from all that, thank you for the great music advice. I already had the Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, and even Cycles by Basta! on my list...from your earlier videos.
@ you’re welcome 👍🙏
Thanks Harley for your thoughtful and perceptive contributions to the audiophile community. My three 'test' tracks focus on whether a system can make an emotional connection between the music and the listener. 1) Arvo Pärt's 'These Words' from his Tractus album is hauntingly beautiful contemporary classical music featuring a limited but highly original combination of instruments from plucked violins to cellos to vibes to triangles and powerful kettle drums. It will test the dynamic range of any system. 2) "Hold On' by The Gas House Gang is barbershop quartet at its best. Its male vocal focus will challenge the mid-range capabilities of your speakers and make you wonder at the harmonic acrobatics of just four human voices. 3) 'Home Is' by Jacob Collier and Voces8 is a short choral piece that has a wonderful soundstage, excellent recording quality (where you can hear the singers breathing in as well as out) and a powerful entry of baritone choristers with kettle drum at about 3 minutes. Spine-tingling.
👌🙏
Nobody asked you, though
I'm far from being an expert or have great ears but I like to listen to The Moon on the album Verse by Patricia Barber. It's well recorded and you can hear the placement of the diffrent instrument, the space between them and the voice seems to have lots of space around. PS: The whole album is superb and well worth a good listening.
👍🙏
Agree with you on Barber’s performance. Good choice. Lori Lieberman - Truly…
Thank you so much, I am thoroughly enjoying this album.
I loved hearing your approach to listening. Hearing how the system presents recordings is key. I like my system and you have given me a new way to check how it is presenting the recordings I present it with. I am using KEF Reference 103s and they are revealing in a way that I can hear what the system is doing upstream. I now know that preamplifier quality is key to catching those subtleties. Harmonics and layering of sounds are often lost by preamplifiers. Thanks! Try the Labèque Sisters’ Playing Gershwin’s piano duets. The two pianos interplay with each other and define the acoustic space. On lesser systems the internal contrasts are lost and it sounds like a wall of piano sound rather than two musicians performing in concert with each other and the acoustic they are in.
🙏
I'm such a fan of your speaker builds and ethos. I had a pair of TDL studio 0.5 speakers. I ripped out the driver and tweeter then replaced them with a single full range Jordan driver which fit perfectly. Huge improvement! Not that I've ever heard them, I'm sure your designs sound sublime. Regards.
👍🙏
A very fine video, sensitive, sage and sane. Thank you. My goto track for a quick assessment of the noise floor of a system is the FrauContraBass cover of Fast Car. Full of subtle details in voice, bass and the recording room acoustic which a good system should reveal, more or less obviously depending on how good. If it’s nominally a good rack of kit with quality speakers in a halfway decent room and those details are missing then likely noise issues in power supply etc need to be considered. Do give the track a go and thanks again.
👍🙏👌
Great video, I have a few tracks - normally an assortment of Fleetwood Mac (Never going back again, silver spings etc) - more the vocals and instruments to test if my system is too bright (also have this on DVD-Audio which is amazing). Some other tracks that I like are Led Zepplin Black Dog for a chaotic song to see if I can diseminate the sounds and then my absoulte favourite is a song I have listened to for over 20 years on a host of systems (which makes it so familar) and thats DireStraits Sultans of Swing.
🙏
I like the song "Money" by Pink Floyd. From the album, "Dark side of the Moon. Starts off with the incredible stereo sound of a cash register and money going from speaker to speaker, then you get a great Bass pattern with Roger Waters (I think) voice in the imaginary center track followed by a great sax solo, and so on. Just a great test track for me.
Hindemith until now was unknown to me. Truly amazing.
Glad I found this channel! I don’t really test my system per se, but I have enjoyed “technically” listening to Van Morrison’s “Moondance”. Each of the various instruments gets its own solo in either the left or right channel. But I like to focus on the opposite channel to see what the complementary instruments are doing.
Welcome aboard!
Another delightful lesson. I enjoy listening to you as much as listening to music. Thank you for both the presentation and the education.
Thank you kindly!
Prince’s One Nite Alone - Live album. For Piano and vocal texture listen to the piano section of the show (songs 6-16). A good system and Prince is in the room with you. You can hear every breath, foot stomp, finger click, hand clap…For bass and vocals Sam Cooke’s Lost and Lookin’
Thank you for the video. Beautifully curated selection of songs that guarantees a thorough road test of any Hifi.
Bedankt Harley om jouw ervaringen en passie met ons te delen.
Thaks Harley for sharing your experiences and you passion with us.
I will, for sure, listen to your suggested tracks from time to time on different systems to experience how they can be used to evaluate their qualities.
A track that I often end with is a soundtrack song but performed by a classical orchestra.
The song starts quietly and because it triggers you to quickly raise the volume, it becomes a challenge to keep your system on the same volume because of the big dynamic scale.
The placement or imaging is also remarkable.
I hope you can enjoy:
“Dead’s man chest” from
The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra And Choir - Music From The Pirates Of The Caribbean Trilogy
👍🙏
I use one record to demonstrate my system to others and to see what changes to the sound when replacing certain equipment.
The Record i use was recorded in 1960 by Audio Fidelity Records, USA "Percussive Vaudeville - the BIG theatrical sound - Doctored for super stereo".. This recording is like no other. I don't know how they achieved this in 1960, but i have never heard any other record in the last 60 years to match the fidelity dynamic range, sound stage width and depth of this LP.
Thanks for sharing these. I've always enjoyed the 1st track of Lindsay Buckingham's Out of the Cradle album. It has an instrumental intro that used to be a separate track, which they've now combined into "Don't Look Down" ... but the up front guitar intro is about a minute in length, and is for me an incredible bit of single-instrument detail that really showcases the upper mids and treble. Also enjoy Bach's Fugue in G Minor on Organ, but there is a performance by Alessandro De Lucci - BWV 578, 'Little Fugue' on piano where you can hear him breathing in a few places, as well as some other background noise that somehow contributes to the realism without be overly distracting. Finally, on Paul Simon's Graceland album, the intro and first 2:30 or so of Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes is a go-to track for me to showcase a range of different detail, range, instrument separation and soundstage. Lots of back and forth between the R and L channels with some different things going on, particularly at the 2:15 mark.
👍🙏
Thank you. My favorite Track for more than 30 years is Charly Antolini - Knock out. For the Voice I use a RCA Best of Harry Belafonte and for Bass and more classical Instruments Igorrr - Spiritualty and Distortion.
Thanks for sharing
I stopped and listened to ‘Linda Paloma’, which I have not heard before. It’s a perfect test song, and challenging. Funny choosing Diane Reeves and Paul Simon, who I worked with as well as Tom Jones. This is awesome.😊
Thanks for your comment! Very curious to learn more!
Very interesting, thank you. Always like listening to other peoples 'testers'. Got a few that I like to use: Nickel Creek: Out of the Woods [Great classical guitar] Infected Mushroom: Avratz [Big sound stage and crisp percussion of various flavours] Fleetwood Mac : Seven Wonders [The 'tick' of the stick on the high-hat cymbals within the first few seconds of play.] Thanks for reintroducing me to Tracey Chaman too. Haven't listened to her for a while. 🙂
🙏
Day of the Dead: Black Muddy River (Bruce Hornsby) … the whole song is a gem, but the first ~30 seconds are a great test of a system’s ability to render harmonic distortion 🤩
😀🙏
Thank you once again for another insightful and engaging video. Your channel consistently stands out as both educational and refreshingly pragmatic, which is a welcome contrast to much of the Hi-Fi content on TH-cam.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on headphones in a future video. My current setup and listening environment are far from ideal, as I don’t have the luxury of a dedicated listening room, even though I’ve managed to put together a multiroom setup at home. As a result, I rely heavily on headphones for most of my listening. Over time, I’ve curated a collection to suit different scenarios: closed-back headphones for when others are at home, open-back headphones for those rare, peaceful moments, noise-canceling headphones for travel, and IEMs for when I’m out in the city and want to avoid drawing too much attention-especially with my Bose headphones.
It would be fantastic to hear your perspective on headphones for various use cases and occasions. Thanks also for sharing the track list-I’m looking forward to giving it a listen!
Thanks for your comment. Did you see my headphones vs loudspeakers video? It may not have the level of detail you need but it might help a bit. Our brains sometimes need re-programming. For listening to music through loudspeakers, I find two channel best.
@PearlAcoustics I did see that video 😃 thanks for the response.
Hi Harley. Love your informational videos!! Sans promotional messages.
I have 3 ‘go to’ tracks.
Cassandra Wilson - ‘Redbone’ of her ‘Blue light ’til Dawn’ album (for instrument placement)
Agnes Obel - ‘Myopia’ for instrument separation and tonal range
The Who - ‘The Real Me’ from Quadrophenia for Bass/Dynamics
👍🙏
Great video! I always enjoy hearing what other people use to assess systems, and what they listen for in each track when assessing. My current go-to track is Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos, from A Piano, The Collection.
🙏👍
Great track, there's a lot of depth in that piano
A very useful, wonderfully delivered piece as usual :) amused to hear one of yours is also one of mine, Tracy C, another of mine is also Paul Simon, but I prefer Armistice Day. I love the different guitars and playing styles along with his voice and all the nuances going on behind it all.
Many thanks!
👍
Many thanks for this list. I will try to find all these tracks and listen to them under your comments.
Enjoy!
Funkytown by Lips, Inc. It has great highs, lows, vocals, everything. A salesman played it when I was looking for a pair of speakers back in 1980 and the song convinced me to purchase the Genesis Phase II which I still use today.
Thanks for the video. I am new to this hobby, and have settled on a following setup for now:
Streamer/Dac - Wiim Ultra
Integrated Amp - Musical Fidelity M3Si
Speakers - Buchardt P300
I will listen to all the mentioned tracks via Deezer in max quality and hope my system does not disappoint.)))
Good luck! I am sure it will be fine. Enjoy.
@ thanks for the response. Just for future, where do you think is the bottleneck of my system, I mean a future path for improvement?
Thank you for the very informative video. I really enjoyed hearing your reasons for your tracks and I've added several of them to my own list. I also have several tracks that I used for evaluating as and FOH tech in my past life. Now, for residential sound systems, one track that I tend to go to as it offers several boxes to check or leave unchecked, is (Daniel Lanois - I Love You, from the album shine). If the system is capable, the bass in this will also weed out rattles or problematic rooms, such as light fixtures. The vocals are heavily treated so this is not to evaluate how natural a system sounds, but the soundscape amazing, guitar sounds and various instruments are abundant. @ 1:50, Emmylou Harris' vocal should be left, but not all left, some effect is pulling it towards center. All around great eval track.
🙏
"Aint No Sunshine" cover by meira! It's great detail while having less silibance for how good the detail is. The bashed snare is amazing! And great cello sound towards the end.
👍
Thanks for the video, cool selection of tracks!
My test tracks for headphones are:
Daft Punk - Lose Yourself To Dance
Muse - Recess
Moderat - No. 22
Radiohead - Reckoner
Rage Against The Machine - Take The Power Back
Sigur Ros - Svefn-g-englar
Portishead - Roads
Eagles - Hotel California (live on MTV)
Thanks for sharing!
Really apriciate your sharing testtracks with comments. It helps us followers develop listening skills and add good music to the collection. I have manymany test tracks, but here are few of my most used:
1. Diana Krall, A case of you, on 'Live in Paris'. In the beginning you hear and sense the room and the people in it caughing and moving around. Then listen to the tones of the grand piano and its mechanic noises. And then listen to the very close take on Dianas slightly harsh voice. Everything shall be pinponted in the soundstage and super detailed without being sharp or tirering.
2. Oscars Motettkör, O Helga Natt, on 'Cantate Domino'. Everything on this album from 1976 is fantastic, but O Helga Natt combines solo, choir and organ in an overwhelming experience. It shall sound open, real and be very moving. The christmas version of 'Jazz at the Pawnshop'.
3. Boz Scaggs, Thanks to you, on 'Dig'. This can sound dry and the bass be undefined and muddy. If the system is capable there will be a discrete airyness opening the sound and the bass will play very deep and dry. You should feel the air moving in the room.
4. Allan Taylor, The beat Hotel, on 'Hotels and Dreamers'. Wide and deep soundstage with a lot of clarity. Can easily sound 'glassy' but is very satisfying if treble is well mannered.
5. Townes Van Zandt, If I Needed you, on 'Live at the old Quarter, Houson, Texas. You shall be in the room with him and feel the pain.
6. Mike Sheridan, Stilhed, on 'I syv sind'. This electronic piece shall envelop you and take you to a 3-dimensional world of sounds popping out from the black space. Try to listen in total darkness:-)
7. Infected Mushroom, I'm the supervisor, on 'I'm the supervisor'. This agressive Dance-music is not what I usually listend to, but this piece is really well produced and have a lot going on. Shall be played very loud. If your system is up to it the bass will punch you hard in the stomach and crazy detailled action will blow your brain out and leave you grinning and deaf. Otherwise it can be harsh and awfull.
Short about my system: I stream from Qobus wireless to Auralic Aries G2 streamer which connects through proprietary 'Lightning Link' to Auralic Vega G2 Dac/preamp which via balanced Anticables drive a pair of active ATC SCM50. Power from Anzus cables and strip. Room 35m2 well dampened with carpets and lots of shelves with books.
Now I'll dive into all the music proposed by all you lovely hifi-nerds - have fun.
I'm not a huge fan of Simply Red (my wife is) but "Sad Old Red" from their first album is my go-to track. It's a brilliant recording and really tests a system.
Very nice video with a lot to learn, again!
I don’t change equipment so often but when I do, I use records that I like and know well. Few of them are «audiophile», some are nevertheless dynamic recordings and pressings.
Some tracks I used when I changed cartridge five weeks or so ago:
Dawes - Things Happen
Matthew Sweet - I’ll Be Waiting
Wilco - Impossible Germany
Real Estate - Water Underground
Fleet Foxes - Third of May/Odaigahara
Gillian Welch - The Way It Goes
Spiritualized - I Think I’m In Love
The High Llamas - The Sun Beats Down
I download most of the track you use, except the BBC recording and the Tracy Chapman, as I have been listening to it since it was published. My system faired quite well except on the clarity challenge I couldn’t hear the separation of the tree voices or the individual parts of the orchestra. However reverb, sustain and bass handling were good. My system, including the speakers are all hand built by myself, so I’m very pleased. Another fantastic track similar in principle to the Dianne Reeves track is Sade
I Never Thought l'd See the Day
Stronger Than Pride (1988) another beautifully clear track with wonderful acoustic.
👍
Been going through some of these between my usual main speakers, which are Thiel CS 2.3 and my bedroom system that features a pair of Polk L100s. The guitar on the Tracy Chapman track really highlights how much better the Thiel speakers are. Almost nonexistent on the Polk (which are very highly regarded speakers). I definitely wouldn’t have picked up on that without your help selecting the right test track. Thanks.
You’re welcome! Loudspeaker design is always a balance between being too bright and detailed and not bright enough. Studio monitors tend to be in the very detailed side, so it’s quite possible (for engineers with young ears to have heard it very clearly in the studio) but at home in some domestic situations it becomes hard to detect.
Dave Brubeck- Blue Rondo a la Turk. I always focus on the sound coming out of the double bass. How deep from inside the body does it sound.
Led Zeppelin-Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. Jimmy Page playing the acoustic parts. Can I see in my mind his fingers on the guitar strings.
Great, thanks Harley.
One of my favorite tracks is Natalie Cole singing "Unforgettable" (album of the same name) with her father dubbed in. The richness of his voice, and hers, and where they show up on the soundstage, for me voices tell so much of the story. Another one is Christie McVie singing "Songbird". Also I'm very sensitive to violins in orchestral works where intermodulation distortion can be so telling.
I also want to thank you for your Max Bruch Symphony 1 piece. I never listened to him much before that but recently heard his Scottish Fantasies played by Rachel Barton Pine and it blew me away. I had to stop what I was doing and just sit down and listen to it completely - simply wonderful!
👍🙏
Whenever possible, I start with "You and Your Friend" by The Dire Straits. First, I listen to whether the bass guitar sounds balanced or if certain notes are noticeably louder or softer. Then, I focus on the height and position of Mark Knopfler's voice-does it sound as though he’s standing (about 1.5 meters high)? Next, I evaluate the tone of the steel guitar on the left and the sound of Mark’s guitar. How smooth does it sound? On some systems, there are one or two brief moments where it can come across as slightly aggressive. Finally, I check how far the sound of his guitar extends beyond the right speaker. These are the kinds of details I pay attention to.
That’s very interesting. Thanks for sharing
Great choice. The Dire Straits recordings are in general very well done, and there are several songs very usuable to check your equipment (Ride Across the River, Money For Nothing, ...)
I also love Tracy Chapman Mountain O Things, Baby Can I Hold You is also another great track on the same album. India Arie Acoustic Soul album is great for dynamic bass, punch, attack, and texture.
🙏 for the tip
My 2 cents is
The first 2 tracks on Steely Dan’s
Gaucho album!!!
The Robert Ludwig mastered pressing!! So much going on
Goes right into your soul!!!
👍
My #1 track for almost 40 years has been Paul Simon's "Graceland".
It's a great test for sibilance when he goes "the Mississippi delta was shining like a national guitar", the bass needs to be dry but not thin, and if I don't get goosebumps when he gets to "she said losing love is like a window in your heart", I know the gear just isn't for me.
Also, using this track every time means I can actually compare gear that I can't compare in place because I still remember how this sounded on an Infinity IRS in the 80s or on a Linn LP12 in the 90s.
Your Willie Nelson song is a great one too. Personally I've used Ry Cooder's "Third Base, Dodger Stadium" a lot in recent years.
Graceland has been used by Stereophile reviewers for that long too. Also Cat Stevens and Eagles.
Fun to listen to each track before each description:)
🙏
The iconic drumbeat by Phil Collins that he then went on to use himself but this is the song called Intruder by Peter Gabriel on the album 3 or Melt. Again this has many drum sounds and then the synths come in before you get to Peter Gabriel's very understated vocal.
From a classical orchestral view I would use Beethoven's Sixth "Pastoral" opening movement for the change from quiet to loud in the opening passage and the swirling of the sound that convey that we are in the countryside. Once upon a time I played violin and sang in a choir and my favourite choral work would be Verdi's Requiem.
👌
Thank you. Fantastic to hear how a pro assesses systems. I have most familiarity with classical music so the tone of instruments and voices are vital to me. As you said, do they sounds like a actually instrument you hear in person, or a recording of an instrument. For that reason I often start with fragments of tracks with one dominant sound e.g. soprano voice and choir in Verdi's Requiem (Requiem aternam) sung by Gheorhiu, male voice La dolcissime effigie (Domingo) the harp at the start of Minkus La Bayadere 'Entrance of the Shades', the Violin at the start of Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (Perlman), Piano would be the 2nd movement of Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No 1 (Roge), not forgetting the organ but with little imagination I go with a piece I've heard a hundred times live Widor's Toccata Mvt 5.
Then I will look for the separation and placement in a soundstage using e.g. the last 3-4 mins of Saturn from Holst's Planets (BPO Karajan)...the harp, the bells, flutes, all should have their place and you should feel the warmth of the basses at the end.
Then it's time to turn it up a notch and see how a system can sound with more going on e.g. does the brass sound like real instruments of a kazoo when things get loud in Mars (also the Planets, but this time Dutoit/Montreal). the strings against the bass drum at the Finale of The Firebird (Dudamel/LAPO).
👍🙏
My favourite test track is School by Supertramp. It contains a wide soundstage, has quiet parts, and dynamic parts, and has a large number of different instruments and voices. Many sound systems fail to play this song with all the parts distinguishable and separated without distortion. Give it a try. Also, make sure not to use a compressed version for testing a sound system. Many people don’t realize that when they play music off of TH-cam and streaming services there is a lot of compression and unintended distortion involved.
Thanks for asking. My test tracks are Dominic Miller - London Paris Cardiff and Bob James Live - Niles A Head. First track I listen for the clarity and snap of the strings. The second track I listened for the realistic sound of the piano and kick drum. The track for vocal is Mary Wells - You Beat Me To The Punch. The lead vocal and background singers are separated, clear and crisp.
👍👌
Dominic Miller… thank you!
Absolutely brilliant choice's
Listen to your three favorite songs because those will be the one you will by playing over and over
Thank you! I sometimes use The Smiles first Album, Micheal Kiwanuka’s 19’ release, tracks from Catarina Barbiere, David Gilmour’s latest and, Black Sabbath’s first.
👍
My go to track is Band On The Run by Paul McCartney and Wings. I know this track so so well. Great video again Harley.
Great track 😁
Cool, thanks!
4:02 it would be good if links to a Qobuz playlist could be given for better quality sound 😃
One go to track for me is Nobody from Ry Cooder's Jazz album. You have the semi spoken lyrics but the best test is the backing vocals. In particular listen out for the big deep bass voice near the end starting at 4:54.
🙏
I listen to Seal, Don’t Cry. Everything about that song goes right through me. My speaker system is pretty simple: Orb audio 8” sub and satellites. Not a perfect synthesis, the midrange is a bit lacking at times, but the dual 4” satellites are great for vocals. And they have a very high WAF.
Bob Marley’s & The Wailers - War / No More Trouble (Live at the Rainbow Theatre, 06/04/77) is my go to.
👍
I always begin with Stan Ridgway's 'Mosquitos', track 2, ''Lonely Town''. If it sounds ALMOST like it's a touch too bright on the shaker, and ALMOST a tad too boomy with the upright bass, but then you decide it the track still lives on the edge of acceptability, then you've got a great start. The harmonica comes in on the right, allowing you to be sure your speakers are on the correct side. When the vocal comes in @ 0:41, Stan should be clearly defineable in the middle; you should be able to close your eyes, and absolutely ''see'' him standing in the middle, singing out of the corner of his mouth. If Stan's not absolutely 'the guy in the middle', your speakers are likely too far apart.
'Mosquitos' (1987?) is a tremendous album, start to finish, sonically, performance-wise, and really great songs!!! You really should pick it up!
🙏
I used to limit my test tracks but now I go wider. For instance, I added "Me and Julio" and "The boxer" to 50 ways. "The boxer" has some unusual instruments... the steel guitar, the bass harmonica and the acoustic bass drum and the chair being thrown down the lift in the chorus. All of these can sound very different on different systems (not all of them good). Me and Julio is great for PRaT with the guitars on each side and the cuica, plus the strong bass line.
To check the placement of the voices, I play "Volcano" by Damien Rice and a few tracks off Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's "The letting go" album (eg "Then the letting go", "No bad news", "Big friday"), and also "Decatur" by Sufjan Stevens off his "Illinoise" album. The "Letting go" is a great album for being able to pinpoint Will Oldham and Dawn McCarthy's voices. Dawn is often close and behind but they mix it up and some systems are inconsistent and/or unstable in their placement.
For details, I have Ray LaMontagne's track "Be here now", which is the ultimate test of imaging because some lines from one of his movies going on in the chorus that you should be able to pinpoint, even if you cannot make out the words. I've had a system where those words were hanging in a specific space in the soundstage, which is the best I've achieved. You should also be able to hear every picked guitar note, without having to turn up the volume.
For quality of the voice, I like The Mountain Goats because John Darnielle's voice can sound stringent on some systems. I play "Song for Dennis Brown", "Love love love" and "Pale green things" from the "Sunset Tree" album.
For bass, I go with Damien Rice's "The Blower's daughter", Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's "Love comes to me" for subtle low bass that can go missing and for power I go with Billie Eilish's "Ilo Milo" and "Bad guy".
Friday night in San Francisco… “Mediterranean Sundance”. Al DiMeola picking on metal strings and Paco de Lucía using his fingernails to play fusion flamenco. I listen for the differences and sound of the bodies of the guitars and the sound of the strings and the precision interplay which gets quite complex over the nine or 10 minutes of this piece.
Brian Bromberg “Wood”. This is an ultimate late 1600’s AA Bass” played by a master who does not get enough recognition. listen to the sound of this instrument Which will come across as totally astounding with harmonic richness. Even down to the bottom end.
Antonio Sanchez “3 x 3”, an incredible drum recording which you can hear every little detail of every piece of his kit along with the rest of his group.
Any recording on the MapleShade label for its simplicity of recording and purity of voices and instruments with all the harmonics present.
The new MoFi release on vinyl of Santana, Caravanserai for every little detail that you can imagine in this uniquely incredible recording.
Eagles, “Long Road Out of Eden”, “No More Walks in the Woods” for image specificity of this
acappella piece by the four main 0:15 0:15 members in the group.
Jane Monheit “Come Dream With Me“, “A Case of You” for the absolute mastery of the female voice. I love this song more than the composer Joni Mitchell.
And finally the 1936 wire recording remaster of Pablo Casals playing the Bach cello suites. The instrument and his reading of these pieces is beyond compare and every detail coming out of this cello is beyond belief.
Wonderfully eclectic selection 🙏
Having listened to the video and also the tracks has convinced me that I am not an Audiophile but a music lover. I can listen to 2 of your recommended and enjoy them, I never listen to tracks just to enjoy a 10 second clip of an allegedly good piece. If I go to a Hifi shop to assess a piece of equipment I use Sam Cardon & Kurt Bestor Innovators Album.
👍
Thanks Harley, a very interesting and helpful episode. A track I often use in demos is Small Hours from the album One World by John Martyn. It was recorded outside by a lake, and I use the track to see if a system can transport me to the location and create a sense of the place. Does it convey the sense of open space, the subtle sounds of the birds on the lake and even a post train passing in the distance.
👍
I listened to these tracks on Qobuz via some KEF LS50 metas, a Project S2 dac and Tom Evans amplification. They all sound great and very much as you described. I guess my gear gets a pass :) Great Vid, thanks for the list.
👍
Sara Bareilles "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (Live from Atlanta). You are literally sitting on stage with Sara and her electric piano, plus the live audience and hall reverbs.
👍🙏
One of my favorite albums. Come round soon gives me goosebumps on a good system.
Used to like to use Supertramp’s album Rudy. It had crisp highs and rumbling lows plus other sounds of people in an urban setting. My other system checker was Copland’s, Fanfare for the Common Man. Again most everything you need. Thirdly, Nights in White Satin, the long version. But I do like your suggestions.
🙏
My first is Diane Schuur and The Count Basie Orchestra - Travelin' Light, specifically for the baritone saxophone. Second is Orpheus Chamber Orchestra playing Appalachian Spring. Third is the Pablo All-Star Jam, Montreux 1977, Samba De Orfeu, specifically Niels Pederson's precision on stand-up bass. Finally, either 1986 Concorde Blue Devils or 1989 Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps recorded at their respective world championships. Both are magnificent examples of pure brass and percussion.
👍
Very much appreciate this video! I overlap with you on #7 in that I also use Harry Belafonte's "Live at Carnegie Hall" as one of my reference albums (you have it linked correctly, but the image during the video is of "Calypso.”) I will also look at the others to add to my test tracks.
That said, one thing absent from your list is a jazz track that features drums, especially where the hi-hat/cymbals are in the forefront. I would go as far as to say that you haven't fully tested the high frequency performance of a system until you try to accurately try to reproduce the timbre of cymbals played in a jazz ensemble. Violins and piccolo come close, but are more subtle and imperfections can be more difficult to uncover. Cymbals extend into the supersonic, take no prisoners, and will expose an overly bright or dead-sounding system instantly. Beyond the cymbals, how well a system can reproduce the scale and timbre of toms as well as the snap of a snare can also tell you a lot. Certainly, if any of these drum elements do not sound unique, something is wrong.
I can tell you what I did the last time I assessed a system. Started with the opening three tracks of Sufjan Stevens' 'Illinois' album, focusing on the level of detail and soundstage. Can I make out all the different instruments in the increasingly busy arrangements? How are the dynamics in the final build before track three starts? How is the system handling the start stop nature of the third track? That is usually enough to get a general idea, because I know the music so well. Then I did Fear Factory's 'Shock' to judge attack and low end and lastly I went with 'Take Five' by The Dave Brubeck Quartet to see how that would hold up, especially the drum solo. After that I just thought I'd enjoy myself with some music I like to listen to at home, stuff that I would be most likely to put on on a daily basis at the moment, so I did Fontaines D.C. 'In The Modern World' and 'Here's the Thing', and De La Soul's 'Oodles of O's' just to see if they would draw me in like I'm used to.
👍
Thanks for this video. I love to listen 'traveling light' , Leonard Cohen when I want to assess a system. There is female chorus, acoustic guitar, violins, great bass and Leonard's voice....
Thanks for sharing!
Sugden FBA-800 here to stay? I finally got my ears on that power amp, it was connected to a pair of Graham Audio LS5/5s and I couldn’t fault it.
Linda Paloma is a great track for sssessment. I also use Mozart Clarinet Quintet, Bruckner Piano muusic, Mahler 3, Nigjtwish The Poet and the Pendulum (live) and some Alison Kraus.
That covers a whole load of ranges, textures, sound stages, mixes, levels of detail and layers and so on.
I start with the Mozart and finish with the Mahler.