Music to test with:

I just heard a really good cd for testing. It's by "Robert Hohner" and the album is called: "Far more drums". If you can, get the Hybrid Multichannel SACD version as the CD layer sounds much better than the normal CD version alone. The recording sounded better than all my HDCD's and was on the same level as XRCD.

here is a contrarian thought - instead of great sounding recording of music you love, use discs that you love but that have problems which can be excerbated by poor performing components, for example a disc with a high end that is almost too etched. if it sounds overly so (piercing) or underly so (dull) you will have easily discovered something. the problem with great recordings, is they will sound so good on so many components and you will be listening to the music and not the sound. i used to bring multiple cd's w/such problematic tracks. makes initial listening sessions much shorter.

here is a contrarian thought - instead of great sounding recording of music you love, use discs that you love but that have problems which can be excerbated by poor performing components, for example a disc with a high end that is almost too etched. if it sounds overly so (piercing) or underly so (dull) you will have easily discovered something. the problem with great recordings, is they will sound so good on so many components and you will be listening to the music and not the sound. i used to bring multiple cd's w/such problematic tracks. makes initial listening sessions much shorter.

Newbee, why be so cruel to yourself ?

I test with the same kind of music that I usually listen to. If one enjoys classical, there would be no real point to having a test that emphasizes vocals. Likewise, if one likes piano music, why would testing criteria emphasize hard-driving rock? Why would one test to ensure that his system sounds great with music that he doesn't listen to and fail to emphasize testing with the music that he does listen to?

My tests are along the lines of Newbee's in that, of the things I listen to and am very familiar with, I take the most challenging music to reproduce and listen very closely to the specific instruments. Can the TONE of the drums/cymbals and bass (electric and upright) be heard clearly? Does the piano sound "right"? Is the brass too "brassy"? Are female vocals clear? Are subtle, complex passages resolved? Etc, etc, etc.

Regards
Jim