I was changing a few things around on my hi fi yesterday and to test it was all working properly I needed a CD to play
I chose Young Americans, title track and I realised I usually pick something from the 70s and invariably it’s this or Golden Years or something off The Kick Inside
What’s your go-to hi fi test song?
Off the top of my head, my got to test tracks are….
– Just A Little Lovin / Shelby Lynne – vocals, clarity and ‘openness’
– Telegraph Road / Dire Straits – the Japan SACD version. Overall ‘atmospheric’ feel
– anything off Hounds Of Love / Kate Bush – just because as one of my all time favourites I know it so well and use to gauge differences
– Won’t Get Fooled Again – again a well known track, but you need one to crank up the volume…..
Golden Years, definitely – used it as a test piece approx. 35 years ago, when I bought my current turntable (I was a valve obsessive at the time and you could almost walk into the spaces around the musicians in front of you); along with Weather Report’s Night Passage title track….you can hear little bits of percussion moving across the field and fading into reverb behind while the band remain up front…
Weather Report’s Heavy Weather for me. “Birdland” will let you know if all is in order, though I’m sure Night Passage is a really good choice too.
I never thought Weather Report’s albums were sonically special. Having just taken my system apart – well, unplugged and moved because the nearby chimney was being swept – I’ll give them a try. But CBS vinyl pressings of that era always struck me as thin and of poor quality.
Personally, my test discs (aside from an actual Shure test disc) include:
“El Rayo X” by David Lindley (vinyl)
“Remasters” by Led Zeppelin (CD)
“Sol do Meio Dia” by Egberto Gismonti (vinyl)
“You give good love” by Whitney Houston (vinyl) (!)
“I see you” by The XX (CD)
“Tunnel of Love” by Bruce Springsteen (CD and vinyl)
“Mezzanine” by Massive Attack (CD)
Station to Station, but the first 2 mins of Stay.
Lexicon of Love.
Blue Lines.
Black Roots: I Believe – well-recorded modern roots reggae (bass, vocal clarity)
The Dawn Chorus: Heartbeat in 5/4 – indie with shouty choir chorus (can you separate the voices?)
Boo Hewerdine: Paper Planes – live acoustic folk (I recorded, mixed and mastered this so I know how it should sound)
Talk Talk: anything from Colour of Spring onwards.
Having previously worked in the hi-fi industry, for the sake of the sanity of the shop staff, please try to avoid these when doing demos:
Pink Floyd: DSOTM
Chris Rea: Road to Hell
Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms
Radiohead: OK Computer
F Mac: Rumours
I drop in for a cuppa to my local hi-fi shop a couple of times each month. On at least one of these, I expect to hear ‘Money’ or ‘Time’ coming from the dem room.
Similar issues in guitar shops – many many signs stating “NO STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN”…
I just so happened to have performed some tests on audio/visual equipment this very morning. I came across a home theatre DVD player that’s been locked away in a cupboard for some time, but still wired up to its speakers, and needed to know if it still worked.
The only CD I had to hand was a compilation of Thelonious Monk’s Blue Note sides, but at least with it being in mono it let me determine which speakers weren’t working.
Babylon Sisters by Steely Dan for me. How those wind-chime things sound when they come in is a clincher.
Also, the remastered version of So What from Miles’ Kind of Blue. The first entry of the splash cymbals is a good test of a hifi setup.
I remember getting a new CD player ca 2001, first thing I played was the reissue of All Things Must Pass, I love the opener (I’d Have You Anytime), and thought it sounded just wonderful. This is before I found the Steve Hoffman forum and discovered that actually that version sounded terrible …
Up on the catwalk – track 1 on sparkle in the rain. an album i know from every one of my devices over the years, from vinyl, to tape, to cd, to mp3 – so I know when mel gaynor counts the band and the kitchen sink in, if it sounds good it’s right
Only Ones…Anothet Girl…Another Planet.
You should be able to pick out the hammond organ under the guitar in the intro.
Elton’s Crocadile Rock….on the repeated last verse you should be able to hear a second vocal tracking Elton’s….dunno if he added it himself or its a band member.
Joe Satriani…..Flying in a Blue Dream title track.
You should hear the acoustic rhythm track all the way through even when Joe really shreads.
And of course William Orbits Barbers Adagio..the Ferry Corsten mix.
Played loud yer speakers should not die.
AGAP is a good call
Innocent Man, Billy Joel. No better test of the bottom end
“Aja”, “Kind of blue” and “Ragged Glory”
That’s certainly a good spread.
Another Simple Minds one for me. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84.)
I picked my stuff using Go Down Easy, John Martyn’s Solid Air nugget and dense bits of Joe Jackson’s Blaze of Glory. Spines needed to be tingled.
Good Vibrations as a sort of sanctification of the system. Also remember using Rocky Mountain Way in the past and maybe Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Say What.
Last stereo things I bought (new CD player and set of speakers) was test driven with The Who – Quadrophenia (just to see how the speakers reacted when the bass on The Real Me kicked in).
The quiet/loud lo-fi of Wreckless Eric’s Whole Wide World also got a run out
Moving around south London in a series of rented flats in the mid to late 90’s every time we moved, I’d set up the stereo and make sure ‘Dummy’ by Portishead was my first play. Haven’t played it in years, but it is cracking as Spotify is currently helping me remember!
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Mustt Mustt (Massive Attack Remix) is a good one to try. I read once that some famous DJ used it to try out systems and I have also heard Teardrop used for this purpose.
The Ninth Wave on Hounds of Love by Kate Bush has recently been remastered and sounds great. Great variety of different styles, quiet and loud passages on this – check out Hello Earth if you want one track to try, lots of whispered voices and a huge chorus. The drums on the 12″ mix of Running Up That Hill (Deal with God) at about 3 minutes in are also a good test as is Godwhacker by Steely Dan.
Forever Changes by Love
Won’t get fooled again by The Who
Love in Vain – Stones
Solid Air – John Martyn
Thunder Road – Broooce
Mississippi – Dylan
Telegraph Road – Dire Straits
( All on vinyl )
Incidentally listening to the 5.1 Electric Ladyland as I type this…… Marvellous !!
Speaking of The Stones. Beggars Banquet was beautifully recorded.
Steve Khan’s Descarga Khanalonius is a real test of the various ranges. Starts off with Anthony Jackson’s contrabass and some wicked Manolo Badrena percussing. Then Dennis Chambers’ ride cymbal should cut through clear. Khan’s guitar should ring out and then Michael Brecker’s sax works its magic.
https://youtu.be/-3PeQlFGg1Y