List some excellent recorded tracks which makes your system sound good

[Samuel Robinson Massey]

Hi Friends,

There are certain tracks that have been recorded exceptionally well & stand out from the other recordings. Credit goes to the sound studio & engineers who have used their skills & efforts to make them sound great. The higher, mid & the lower frequencies sound great & complement each other rather than overpowering the other frequencies. These tracks sound great at mid & low volumes too. The below tracks make my little Dali Oberon 1's with a sub sound really good & like a floor stander.
If other FM's can mention some more well-recorded tracks, then that would also help others to test their system along with enjoying the tracks.
Thanks.

Colour to the moon - Allan Taylor

No Sanctuary here - Chris Jones

Long after you are gone

Rahul Sharma - instrumental (Can also be enjoyed in 5.1 especially DTS Neural X)
Mystical soundscapes - Mountains ( Especially the first track)

Mystical soundscapes - Water( Especially the first track)

You may also try these tracks. It's a wonderful collection!
Here’s a playlist for you… Songs To Test Headphones With by Spotify

Songs To Test Headphones With

Songs To Test Headphones With · Playlist · 200 songs · 1.2M likes

open.spotify.com

 

[Vivek Batra]

Let me make a final attempt to explaining my point. When we start doing this, we also start optimising and accessorising in ways that brings out the audiophile artefacts of such test tracks better. Like we introduce an isolator here and a power cable there. While this starts bringing out better the parts that wow us, slowly the system also starts losing the soul of the music - which even an ordinary radio brings out well. And we start finding the non-audiophile but musically superior tracks sound worse (un-engaging) than what they did earlier. As a result we end up listening less and less to the music we loved till now.

Anyway, that’s been my (hard-earned) experience, and that of some others that I’ve interacted with. I can’t claim it to be universally true. It’s for each to go through their own experience and decide what works/doesn’t for them.

Anyway, there’s no shortage of tracks that can make (any) system sound better. I can suggest looking up Chesky records for those interested in this approach to testing a system. They also have CDs explaining what to look for in the reproduction. FWIW.

No one here needs to defend anything. Its just one's own point of view and expectations. This conversation has gone to some different direction.

For me, now I don't care how my system sounds. But still I am very much pleased when I hear something exceptionally good. I am dead sure, I am not going to change a single bit in my entire system, not even a single cable. Its just trying out what sounds well with all other conditions be the same.


Regards
Vivek

 

[fLUX]

My comment was specific to ‘low level listenability’ that the OP mentioned.

Sorry I believe i missed the low level listenability point by the OP, but while poor recordings at lower volumes might not be as harsh as higher volumes it would still retain the presentation aspect.

 

[Nitin K]

My comment was specific to ‘low level listenability’ that the OP mentioned.

Even to listen to the nuances at low volume, the recording has to be good along with the gear's capability of producing that accurately. I would agree with Vivek & Flux, that after hearing the well-recorded tracks on your system, it would give you the satisfaction that money is well spent & a good gear would expose the deficiences. In fact if I were to hunt for a new system, I would take these reference tracks to test them rather than taking the usual ones.
Regarding the upgrade bug, I would opine that a well-recorded track won't be responsible for it. It would in fact help me in choosing the right gear & saving me money. Rather a poorly integrated system or a mindset to lookout for new models with new features are generally responsible for it.
Well recorded tracks can be considered as healthy fuel for your system. My gear is relatively simplistic compared to many here. I wouldn't put my money on expensive cables or isolators with respect to my gear, since I am happy for now with what it does. At least for a while, there won't be an upgrade for me till something conks off or maybe after a few years.

 

[abhi80]

keith Don't go by NLFS Lofgren & Duende by bozzio leven

 

[spirovious]

I am surprised till now no one mentioned "Dil Se Re" or any other ARR song!

Lagaan is always praised among A.R.R. songs. Used to hear that earlier whenever I go to AV shop for demo.

 

[RRR]

Anyway, there’s no shortage of tracks that can make (any) system sound better. I can suggest looking up Chesky records for those interested in this approach to testing a system. They also have CDs explaining what to look for in the reproduction. FWIW.

Yes Chesky records do make good recordings.

 

[rsjaurr]

Anyone a fan of Pakistan Coke studio? I love to hear quite a few songs from various seasons. Whoever comes to see my system I make him hear one of these songs.
IMO the quality of the recording is excellent. All the songs have midrange as a dominant part of the audio spectrum which I love the most.

 

[Bloom@83]

My comment was specific to ‘low level listenability’ that the OP mentioned.

So in low listening level , a highly transparent and resolving setup will make a relatively poorly recorded track sound better than a less resolving setup - is this what you are saying ?

 

[Vivek Batra]

Hope you have listened to Aaj Jane Ki Zid Na Karo by Farida Khanam. If not then you must.

 

[Nitin K]

Anyone a fan of Pakistan Coke studio? I love to hear quite a few songs from various seasons. Whoever comes to see my system I make him hear one of these songs.
IMO the quality of the recording is excellent. All the songs have midrange as a dominant part of the audio spectrum which I love the most.

I have heard a few times. Some of the singers are really good & talented, especially some of them who sing Sufi. Though I have no knowledge of that genre but it sounds good.

 

[Deleted member 15865]

So in low listening level , a highly transparent and resolving setup will make a relatively poorly recorded track sound better than a less resolving setup - is this what you are saying ?

I am saying that the incremental improvement in low level listening a more resolving setup brings is independent/irrespective of the recording quality of the track. For understanding sake let’s say that if it can bring down the listenable volume of a well recorded track from 65 to 60 dB, it will also bring down the same for a poorly recorded track from 75 to 70 dB.

Also, I don’t understand why people say that a transparent system makes poorly recorded songs sound worse. Transparent system is just that - transparent. It will make the song sound exactly as it is supposed to. If the original song is musical, it will sound so, with whatever sound quality the recording possesses. My Etymotic earphones are considered one of the most neutral and resolving ones. And I find even old Hindi songs (not so well recorded) as musical and enjoyable as I’ve always found them. Of course I don’t expect to hear bells and whistles that aren’t there in the recording. Never did I feel that the increased transparency of the IEMs is making any of my favourite songs less listenable/enjoyable.

 

[ssf]

You may also try these tracks. It's a wonderful collection!
Here’s a playlist for you… Songs To Test Headphones With by Spotify

Songs To Test Headphones With

Songs To Test Headphones With · Playlist · 200 songs · 1.2M likes

open.spotify.com

The collection of music in there is quite nice too.

 

[bornfi]

 

[Mahi]

Very nice sounding CD, especially iliyaraja song

 

[Mahi]

Very nice sounding & recording quality, for my ears,

 

[Nitin K]

Thats precisely why sound engineer X or producer Y is preferred or sought after by a few artists.
Eg. David Foster, Quincy Jones, Elliot Scheiner to name a few.

Apparently, the Allan Taylor & Chris Jones album listed above in the thread were recorded by Stockfisch records
Germany, known for its spectacular mastering. It was started by 2 guitar playing song writers.
https://www.stockfisch-records.de/pages_non/sf12_allcd_e.html

I had heard these 2 songs at two different time intervals but their recording quality was what stood out & correlated both of them. Spectacular job by Stockfisch.

 

[RRR]

Apparently, the Allan Taylor & Chris Jones album listed above in the thread were recorded by Stockfisch records
Germany, known for its spectacular mastering. It was started by 2 guitar playing song writers.
https://www.stockfisch-records.de/pages_non/sf12_allcd_e.html

I had heard these 2 songs at two different time intervals but their recording quality was what stood out & correlated both of them. Spectacular job by Stockfisch.

A lot of high end speaker distributors use Stockfisch to demo and even launch their speakers at international shows.
The Indian dealer for Focal also uses Stockfisch.
These recordings enable you to hear what the speaker is capable of....
so that you can now jump from a 2L budget to 4L budget and make his day

 

[Nitin K]

A lot of high end speaker distributors use Stockfisch to demo and even launch their speakers at international shows.
The Indian dealer for Focal also uses Stockfisch.
These recordings enable you to hear what the speaker is capable of....so that you can now jump from a 2L budget to 4L budget...

I sure won't jump that much on my budget. But it sure makes my modest gear sound more expensive than what it is worth.

 

[Mahi]

Very sounding & very nice lyrics,