Best Demo Songs to Test Your HiFi Stereo System!

[@bootneylee9802]

Excellent list. Many are already in my regular playlists. I would also add: 1. Eric Clapton Live 'Old Love' (incredible live concert presence) 2. Christopher Cross 'Sailing' (chimes and percussion) 3. John Mellencamp 'Authority Song' (great punchy rock) 4. Norah Jones 'Nearness of You' (piano bliss) I could go on and on of course, but these are some of my test tracks when considering new speakers. 👍 Love the video!

[@AudioAdvice]

Thanks so much, and yes, those are some very good ones!

[@wmgovan]

What others would you add to this list @bootnee? Thanks in advance. Warren

[@josecintron85]

Was about to start tinkering with my system after 'I almost cut my hair' I am hearing the vocals dead center (maybe slightly right, but not much). The I played Nina Simone's Sinnerman and everything is perfectly separated piano to the left, high hat and bass to the right.

[@bobk3840]

I think they must have a different mix. I hear the same thing you heard on my system.

[@AudioAdvice]

Ah, we should have mentioned that is must be the Demos version of David Crosby only. It can be a little harder to find. If you have Qobuz, check it out here: open.qobuz.com/track/21421126

[@AudioAdvice]

@bobk3840 check out the demo verison here: open.qobuz.com/track/21421126 Our apologies, we should have been more specific.

[@josecintron85]

@@AudioAdvice Thanks for the pointer to the right song. Will give it a listen when I wake up.

[@josecintron85]

@@AudioAdvice This highlights that it is important to really know the songs that you use to test your system.

[@Coneman3]

Living Stereo recordings are amazing, especially as they are so old

[@AudioAdvice]

They sure are! Thanks for watching

[@tharrigan5661]

Thank you for the excellent video and demo recommendations. The explanations for each demo were very helpful.

[@AudioAdvice]

We appreciate it, thanks for watching!

[@randy5890]

Didn't we hear Crosby's fingers going over the "strings" and not the frets? Great video! Thanks!

[@AudioAdvice]

Glad you enjoyed checking it out! Thanks for watching

[@sandrofranciscosiega2643]

Theme from Shaft - Isac Hayes

[@AudioAdvice]

Great one! thanks for sharing!

[@sidesup8286]

Absolutely man, absolutely. His acting might have been the worst ever, but the theme from Shaft is so classic, and it so had that 1970s sound. If someone never heard that song and was played it, they'd say "That's 1970s isn't it?....Yes it is.

[@sidesup8286]

Here are the lyrics now....!!! Who's the black dick that's drivin' all the chicks wild? (Shaft) Damn Right. You better believe it. Who is the man who would risk his neck for his Brother Man? (Shaft) Can you dig it? Who's the Cat that won't cope out, when there's danger all about? (Shaft) Right On He's a Complicated man and no one understands him but his woman. (John Shaft)

[@sidesup8286]

I forgot a stanza; this belongs between the 3rd and 4th stanza They say this Shaft is a bad mother. Shut your mouth. We're talkin' bout Shaft Then right on.

[@sidesup8286]

One last correction. I got the first verse wrong; believe it or not. I double checked it; here it is now. Who's the black dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks? (Shaft) You're damn right I think it's unanimous now. Shaft is the # song to evaluate stereo equipment .

[@BobBrock2112]

This is my list of go to albums/songs: Cannonball Adderley - 'Somethin' Else' - "Somethin' Else" Electric Light Orchestra - 'Eldorado: A Symphony by.....' - "Eldorado Overture" -> "Can't Get it Out of My Head" Rush - 'Hemispheres' - "Cygnus X-1: Book II" Nirvana - 'Nevermind' - "In Bloom" Local H - 'As Good As Dead' - "Lovey Dovey" Scott Lucas and the Married Men - 'George Lassos the Moon' - "What Fools Allow" Not applicable to everyone, but as a live music taper ("audience" audio/multi-cam video), if I'm dialing in my own gear or if I'd be considering purchasing new gear, if possible I'd also choose what I consider to be one or two of my better recent audio recordings. It gives me a point of reference/comparison for post-production.

[@AudioAdvice]

Some great music there, thanks for sharing

[@andrewlim7751]

Nirvana recordings not quite up to mark.

[@BobBrock2112]

​@@andrewlim7751 Understood, it's certainly not the most complex or dynamic recording, nor does it meet most characteristics mentioned in the video. I still think it's still a solid and clean mix, which I know is a very subjective statement. Since a large portion of what I listen to is from that era, and I've had 'Nevermind' (as well as my Local H choice) in regular rotation for close to 30 years across several systems, it's a good reference point for me. For what it's worth, (when possible) my choice for 'Nevermind' is an earlier CD pressing - as the streaming versions and the 4LP "deluxe" version that I own are remastered and suffer from heavier dynamic compression, and the preferred (earlier or MoFi) vinyl pressings are not easy to come by at a reasonable price.

[@jstpsgthru]

I love the Qobuz playlists by Bowers and Wilkins for tuning, etc.

[@AudioAdvice]

That one is great too!

[@MrDaveaccord]

Most of the Steely Dan records are pretty fantastic. And Donald Fagen's solo records are top notch. A recent CD I bought by Jeff Lorber called The Drop mastered by Bernie Grundman is just spectacular.

[@AudioAdvice]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Carnivore99]

Funny how you keep talking about the driver's seat yet fail to recommend Driver's Seat by Sniff 'n' the Tears as a test track. It has been my go-to test track since the '80s. The drum sound, at least on vinyl, is fantastic.

[@AudioAdvice]

We will have to check that one out, thanks for sharing

[@AkbarKhan-du9pe]

I love playing the 1994 MTV live version of Hotel California

[@AudioAdvice]

Great pick! Thanks for sharing!

[@sidesup8286]

The Doobie Brothers lp The Captain & Me has not only more detail, but more interesting detail than any rock lp I can think of. Listen to it through headphones with good res to see what I mean. I think recordings that sound magical on headphones are also great recordings for evaluating speakers. Whether you realize it or not, you are upgrading mostly to hear your favorite recordings. You are not spending big money to hear recordings you play once every 18 months. Bring your favorites. If demonstrating for others the track on Dark Side Of The Moon where all the antique clocks in a real antique clock store start all going off at once is the first thing I thought of. Sheffield Labs direct to disc lps would be hard to beat. Thelma Houston Lab 2, there's another one called Let It Go by Cair Marlo which is also great musically. Probably all the Sheffields are great sonically. A cd called The Truth Is Spoken Here by Marcus Roberts combines great music and sonics. The best pressings of Crosby Stills & Nash (their first album) can sound heavenly. The greatest mixture of voice melody in rock history IMO. I live when they all harmonize together. All 3 have great voices, Stephen Still in particular has such a great unique voice. This is a better recording that people give it credit for. I've heard this sound perfectly smooth and faultless. I have the rare Nautilus.

[@AudioAdvice]

Thanks for sharing!

[@brunoprimas1483]

Just about anything Yello.

[@michaelsurber]

Oh Yeah

[@AudioAdvice]

Oh Yeah!! Thanks for sharing!

[@brunoprimas1483]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpjdiXx-oZWWjbMsi=cBHaNa8pxAt1f-V0

[@bbfoto7248]

@brunoprimas1483 If you like Yello!, check out the album "Convergence" by Malia & Boris Blank (from Yello!). The track "Celestial Echo" from this album will reveal if the spectral balance of your system is on point (or not). In particular, listen for the precise imaging and placement of the bass notes in the intro. Each note should have a precise placement in the soundstage. And there is a sense of great depth and space. Malia's vocals should sound full-bodied but natural/lifelike, with a sense of space around them. "Magnetic Lies" and "Fever" are also standout tracks, but every song on the album is excellent in its own way.

[@SamPosten]

Which Shaherazod track? There’s a whole album on apple music

[@AudioAdvice]

The first track on that album

[@SamPosten]

@ Ty

[@Robert-r4s4c]

There is only one vinyl record you need to test your HI-FI Stereo system. "Percussive Vaudeville" - The Big Theatrical Sound, Doctored for Super-Stereo, Audio Fidelity Records, 1960. USA. Over the last 65 years i have never heard another record to equal or surpass the sound quality of this recording. If you want to improve the soundstage of your stereo speakers, use cross-talk cancellation.

[@AudioAdvice]

Great recommendation and thank you for sharing!!

[@nikandbdog]

I thought ALL SOUNDS - vocals and instruments should come from the center in holographic form? I didn't think a proper set up should yield any sounds coming from left or right (speaker). I have a few albums where the vocals are centered yet I hear a guitar/instrument more prominently from one speaker or the other.

[@AudioAdvice]

No it all depends on how it is mixed. Almost all producers fill things left to right just like it would be in real life. Thanks for watching

[@nikandbdog]

@@AudioAdvice Thanks for the reply. Some folks really stand behind that "everything must come from the center, you should never hear anything coming from either the left or right speaker". I like having certain elements come from either the left or right.

[@CarlVanDoren61]

Auditioned Magico M2's Played Monica "So Gone" Crackle & Mids were awful Dealer turned the song off

[@AudioAdvice]

Sorry to hear. Thanks for letting us know

[@blackdawg7778]

My top 5: Rush- Xanadu Peter Gabriel- Sledgehammer Lamb chop- The Daily Growl Smashing Pumpkins- Bullett with butterfly wings Ennio Morricone- Once upon a time in the west

[@AudioAdvice]

Great picks! Thanks so much for sharing with us!

[@jimzhao6709]

How to listen to the Demo music? Could you please provide a link for us?

[@AudioAdvice]

We used Qobuz for all except for Jen Chapin's track that we didn't find on there. Be sure it's the Demos version of Almost Cut My Hair and the same Jen Chapin track if you use a different streaming service. 💿 Tracks 💿 ▻ Almost Cut My Hair (1969 Demo) - David Crosby: open.qobuz.com/track/21421126 ▻ You Haven't Done Nothin' - Jen Chapin: music.apple.com/us/album/you-havent-done-nothin/329533010?i=329533121 ▻ Landslide - Fleetwood Mac: open.qobuz.com/track/18917095 ▻ Changed My Name - Broadway Inspirational Voices: open.qobuz.com/track/99744176 ▻ Rimsky-Korsakov: Schéhérazade, Op. 35 & Stravinsky: Le chant du rossignol - Frtiz Reiner :open.qobuz.com/track/2713983

[@TheLifeGuards]

Handicap..

[@TheLifeGuards]

Geez, how do you get through in life..

[@ReasonablySane]

I used to sell hi-fi back in the 1976-1983 timeframe. My three favorite songs for selling high end systems were: 1. Gonna Fly Now - Direct to disk, Les Brown and his band of renown 2. That's the Way I Always Heard it Should Be - Carly Simon 3. Firth of Fifth - Genesis. On a good system with solid and deep bass, the grand piano in firth absolutely fills the room with a "solid" depth all the way down, and the low pedal tones literally shake the room. With the Carly Simon song it sounds like she is in the room, right in front of you. The vocal mix with the band is perfect. Withy Gonna Fly Now, it is another "the band is in the room" experience. Dynamic range and transients are incredible. Blows people away. BTW, this is also what led me to purchase a 500 WPC bi-amplified system into ESS AMT 1-B monitors. Edit: I forgot about the forth one: Sheffield labs direct to disk song, "pressure cooker". The drums are mind boggling. On a good system, well, amazing.

[@AudioAdvice]

Great picks! Thanks so much for sharing with us. We are going to test these out now!

[@user-mt7nj8gh3z]

Show a much bigger picture of each

[@AudioAdvice]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@jeanmichel2642]

And then you ruin your video from the beginning saying "you can do it with vinyl"

[@AudioAdvice]

Many enjoy vinyl more and actually can hear more from it.

[@tesmith47]

DUDE, YOU GOT NO BLACK MUSIC?.... i guess not😮

[@AudioAdvice]

?