ARTIST |
ALBUM |
SONG / CUT / PIECE
TITLE |
MEDIA TYPE
ie: CD / LP / TAPE etc. |
RECORDING
COMPANY / LABLE |
RECORDING TYPE
ie: AAD, ADD, DDD etc.
|
NOTES |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Al DiMeola, John
McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia |
Al DiMeola, John
McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia
"Friday Night in
San Francisco" |
Al DiMeola, John
McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia
"Mediterranean
Sundance / Rio Ancho" |
'LP / Vinyl'
is we feel, 'all around' the better, by far over CD. We do have
two different copies on CD, but they're not as 'open' sounding
as our LP copy. |
|
|
I've used this
for years. Amazing 'steel string' guitar sounds, mic'ing
technique and recording. Makes speakers open up and loose any 'boxyness'
they might have, if they're up to it. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Calvin Hampton |
Calvin Hampton "Digital Pipes,
The Splendor of the Organ" |
Calvin Hampton
Mendelssohn's
"The Wedding March" from "A midsummer Nights Dream" |
CD |
|
DDD |
|
|
Clown |
Clown
"?pimp?" |
Clown
"WHY DO I
HATE" |
CD |
"DigiProductions
Records", Produced by Chris Willard and Clown |
DDD |
Huge recording
starts of with a digital sample of a 'klaxon' horn and only gets
bigger from there. (very angry youth music). Be careful with
your woofers on this one. Just about took out the 15's on my
Altec Valencias. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cowboy Junkies |
Cowboy Junkies "The Trinity
Sessions" |
Most cuts are
great, but of course Cowboy Junkies
"Sweet Jane" is a standard |
CD |
|
DDD |
This has been a
'demo Industry Standard' since it was initially released and
STILL IS. Open, 'Airy' and 'live' sound. VERY WELL engineered
and recorded. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dire Straits |
Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" |
Dire Straits "So Far
Away" |
CD |
|
DDD |
This has been a
'demo Industry Standard' since it was initially released. Very
crisp and 'snappy' recording. Well engineered and recorded. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Donald Fagen |
Donald Fagen "The Nightfly" |
Donald Fagen
"I.G.Y." |
CD |
|
|
Another 'demo
Industry Standard' since it was initially released. Very crisp
and 'snappy' recording. Well engineered and recorded. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alison Kraus |
|
Alison Kraus "Baby, Now
That I've Found You" |
CD |
|
|
Very open and
'breathy' recording. Great acoustic instruments and of course
there's 'Alisons' voice! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michael Jackson |
Michael Jackson "Bad" |
Michael Jackson "Bad" |
CD |
|
DDD |
I've used this
since it was initially released. Amazing recording. Very
demanding. Will damage speakers if you're not careful. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nickelback |
Nickelback "Silver Side Up" |
Nickelback
"Never Again" |
CD |
|
|
Starts off
'Big' and stays 'Big'. Demanding and punches hard. Great all
around test for R&R. (on a side note, maybe there are so
many Nickleback 'haters' because the speakers they're listening
to suck!...Hey, I think I just figured it out) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nickel Creek |
Nickel Creek "Why Should the
Fire Die?" |
Nickel Creek "When in
Rome" |
CD |
|
|
|
|
John Patitucci |
"JOHN PATITUCCI" |
multiple cuts |
CD |
GRP Records, Inc.
by Grusin / Rosen Productions |
DDD |
Great 'modern
jazz' speaker demo (as modern as 1988 anyway) featuring John
Pattitucci on bass, with Chick Corea on piano and keys, Michael
Brecker on saxophone, Peter Erskine on drums, Dave Weckl on
drums / percussion, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums / percussion, John
Beasley on synthesizers / keyboards, David Witham on piano /
synthesizers / keyboards, and Rick Riso on vocals.
Great all around CD with 'speaker testing emphasis' on the
following
John Patitucci
cuts; "Growing", "Our Family", "Zaragoza",
& "Killeen". |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sheffield Lab |
"Sheffield Drive"
|
multiple cuts |
CD |
Sheffield Lab
Inc. / Live Studio Recordings |
likely mostly DDD |
Great all
around 'modern jazz' selections for speaker testing / demo:
Cut #1; from Pat Coil's, Just Ahead Album, "Escape
Clause" from 'Recoil Music and BMI'. (Solid recording
with amazing punch. Hard hitting percussion.)
Cute #; James Newton Howards' 'James Newton Howard and Friends'
Album, "Slippin' Away II" from David Paich (Hudmar Music
Publ. Co / ASCAP)
Cut #13 from "The Sheffield Drum and Track Record", Jim Keltners',
"Drum Record Improve (excerpt)" (amazing drum kit
recording or in other words "HOLY S#!T")
|
Steve Barta |
"Rossport" |
multiple cuts |
CD |
Recorded Live at
'Pikes Peak Center', Colorado Springs, Co. or at 'Colorado
Sound', Denver Co. |
likely mostly DDD |
Great Solo Piano
recordings |
TLC |
TLC "Fan Mail" |
TLC
"Scrub" |
CD |
|
|
While this entire
album is recorded very well, we use it to determine 'bass
response' initially. There is a 'sub bass' note recorded twice
at that is very difficult for most speakers to reproduce
at all, let alone well. Interestingly a speakers ability to
reproduce it does not seem to be dependant on price range,
quality, woofer size, brand or model. A speaker can either do it
or it can't to a varying degree. It's the first 'music' test we
conduct. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trapt |
"TRAPT" |
Trapt
"HeadStrong" |
CD |
|
|
Starts off
'Big' and stays 'Big'. Demanding and punches hard. Great all
around test for R&R. VERY PUNCHY! BE CAREFUL! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Tutti!" |
"Tutti! - Orchestral Sampler" |
multiple cuts |
CD |
Reference Recordings 'RR' |
HDCD |
This is a disc we
picked up at an 'Ultra High-End' audio show, where the average
speaker costs around $40,000 and amps can cost up to $125,000
per channel. Many of the cuts are great for speaker demo /
testing.
Here are some of the following that stand out to us;
Cut #3; Ron Nelsons', "Rocky Point Holiday", performed by the
'Jerry Junkin/Dallas Wind Symphony,
Cut#6; from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's, 'Piano Concerto No. 21' -
"Adante' Performed by Eugene Istomin on Piano, with
Gerard Scharz and the Seattle Symphony,
Cut #8; from Anton Bruckner's, 'Symphony No. 9's', "Scherzo",
Skrowaczewski with the Minnesota Orchestra,
Cut #10; Malcolm Arnold's "The Padstow Lifeboat" performed by
the 'Jerry Junkin/Dallas Wind Symphony (very 'Phat' Bass Drum
with a 'Natural and 'up-front' Brass section'),
Cut #12; from Richard Strauss's, 'The Times of the Day", "Der
Morgen" performed by Timothy Seelig and the Turtle Creek Chorale
with the Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra (very 'natural notes' and
sound),
Cut #'s 15-16, from Mussorgsky-Ravel's 'Pictures at an
Exhibition, "Baba Yaga; Great Gate at Kiev", performed by Eiji
Que and the Minnesota Orchestra (natural recording and with the
right speakers, very 'in your face!') |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Van Halen |
Van Halen 1984 |
"Drop
Dead Legs" however many cuts on this album are great for
speaker demos, but BE CAREFUL! This recording is 'solid' with a
lot of dynamic range. |
CD |
|
|
Starts off
'Big' and stays 'Big'. Demanding and punches hard. Great all
around test for R&R. Some sections have been known to take out
drivers / crossover caps! |
Van Halen |
Van Halen 1984 |
"Hot for
Teacher" however many cuts on this album are great for
speaker demos, but I've actually 'blown up crossover caps' with
"Hot for Teacher" so BE CAREFUL! |
CD |
|
|
Starts off
'Big' and stays 'Big'. Demanding and punches hard. Great all
around test for R&R. Some sections have been known to take out
drivers / crossover caps! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jennifer Warnes |
Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue
Raincoat - The Songs of Leonard Cohen" |
Jennifer Warnes
"Famous
Blue Raincoat" is a marvelous demo recording. The
opening Sax and Upright Bass is spot on. The rest of the album
is incredible as well. |
CD, 20th
Anniversary 24k Gold Edition from Impex Records |
|
|
Very open and
'breathy' recording. Great acoustic instruments and of course
there's 'Jenifers' voice! Still and has been since introduced,
an 'industry standard' for speaker / hi-fi testing. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|