Ok so I’ve found the Cambridge Audio playlist of music, selected by their engineers for putting speakers through their paces. Is there a Naim equivalent or would anyone like to suggest some tracks which really test the abilities of a system to faithfully reproduce what the artist intended.
OR something that would at least give it a damned good workout.
REW software and measuring microphone are an excellent, simple, quick and relatively inexpensive way of testing speakers and room (positioning of speaker and listening spot), and assist adjustment to give as near neutral response as possible. (Or any desired departure fro. Neutral that may be desired - e.g. It may be considered best to have a gently upward sloping response across the spectrum from treble end to bass end)
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I was trying to get away from the audiophile approach and get to what for me is the whole point of good equipment, how it actually sounds when a wide range of musical styles is put through it.
Look at it this way, a block of 24 carat gold is the purest form of gold But it doesnt look great, does it?
Likewise we can analyse playback to the nth degree but DOES IT SOUND GOOD?
Welcome to the forum.
What are you trying to achieve? I think that may help.
Are you wanting run your system in? Or try to find out limitations of your system.
I think many on here have there favourite tracks for comparing and that should be a good place for you to start as they will be tracks you know well.
However you actually asked
And for that, assuming what is in the recording is as the artist intended, it needs the system to reproduce that as unchanged as possible.
There is of course an argument for then using DSP to modify the sound to give something that suits your preference, whether or not what the artist intended…
If you want to do using music, then pick a range of your favourite music covering all the styles YOU like - what other people use may be quite irrelevant. (I need it to sound good with classical, both light chamber and full orchestral, solo piano, opera, heavy rock and prog rock, among others, for which a full range near flat response is optimal (actually in a room, slightly rising response from top to bottom).i would therefore choose at least album of each of these to assess.
Oh, and having some things made of 24k gold, I find lower grades rather inferior in appearance (though of necessity for some things as 24k is very soft).
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Antal Dorati’s old Mercury recording of Tchaikovsky’s ‘1812 Overture’ has long been famous as a test piece for any music system. It’s still available, as a Mercury CD these days.
This thread may be useful:
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So…post the Cambridge list?
If you are unable to drive the room with inflated bass then thats a major plus. The room interface being the hardest thing to get right in any system.
Hi. Thanks for the input. I was really only wanting to know if there is a playlist equivalent to that on Spotify by the Cambridge Audio speaker technicians, which, by the way, I think is excellent. Just search on Spotify for Cambridge Audio Speaker test tracks and you’ll find it.
That’s not a bad list as lists go - with each category well noted.
One last track by Kronos Quartet called Spectre from the album Short Stories.
If your speakers are still in one piece and your house free from structural damage after playing this track then the speakers are fine.
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Thanks.
I’ll give it a try later when I have the house to myself.
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Works best in the dark.
Not presently auditioning speakers at this moment.
But, I do like a well presented slow song.
You can test the usuals with any EDM samples- but those slow songs - with spaces between spaces and notes distinct amongst other notes can be a give away if a speaker is fit for purpose.
Any Leonard Cohen track. Of course.
Nothing like s friend. Richard Hawley.
My one and only thrill. Melody Gardot
My take is don’t bother with all that.
Use your hifi to listen to music, not the other way round.
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That’s like using music to listen to hifi.
At least without music you can still have hifi.
Although without hifi you can’t have music…
Doh.
Yes, but you can listen to the music better if well set up, as opposed to poorly set up - which very much includes speaker and listening positions, and speaker type, etc etc……
Thats not what the OP is asking for is it.
Well, I believe it is a statement of fact, regardless of the OP’s request, and, I also believe, a tad more meaningful than your comment to which I responded (though of course that is just my view)……
Play the music you know and love, and make sure you love it more.
In my view an audition of new kit should not be a technical analysis, but an emotional response.
Bad recordings should still connect with you on a great system.
Bruce
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