How I assess a HiFi system: My top 10 test tracks

[@livemusic6527]

While most audiophile KZbin channels exist primarily for self-promotion, you use this channel to truly inform and educate. You, Harley, are a breath of fresh air. Thank you.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you very much indeed. Very kind.

[@SuperPierre972]

I really love their content too ! I get a lot out of it. Dont forget though that it is a speakers brand.

[@dannyfannyfoodle]

Hear here! Well said

[@PearlAcoustics]

@ 🙏

[@hamidrezahabibi8111]

Our man Harley🫡💎🙏🏼👂🎵♾️🌎

[@rcpdox11]

An elegant and erudite presentation as always. Such videos also introduce me to wonderful music that I have not heard before and that is great. My favorite track used to be 'You look good to me' from the album 'We get requests' by the Oscar Peterson Trio. The first 30-60 seconds have about 10 triangle hits and a bowed double bass that is splendid. Then the rest follows. A decade ago I realised I could not hear more than 4 triangle hits - degenerative hearing loss had set in. That is when I gave up such tests and began to truly enjoy the music - knowing well that my time for being delighted by music was dwindling faster than expected. It was a blessing in disguise indeed. 😊😊😊

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for sharing. I totally get where you are coming from.

[@rcpdox11]

I have a request for a future video. I would be grateful if you would choose to do so. KZbin audio is lossy and gets a bad rap. Yet there are some live concerts with outstanding sonics (at least to my deteriorating hearing). One such uploaded yesterday is the 80 minute divine bliss of an 80 year young Maria Joao Pires playing a selection of Mozart and Debussy at the Gilmore Piano Festival completely from memory. Outstanding performance and sonics and video. Why does this sound so good? Beats me.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@ I am a big fan of Maria Joao Pires! I will check out the concert you mention. 🙏

[@alandonoghue5415]

This is fantastic! Finally someone showing me what I should be hearing from my system. Really appreciate the video! 🙏

[@PearlAcoustics]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks

[@joebloggs763]

The year of the cat. Al Stewart. The sax at the end just floats in mid air🎉

[@AndrewWoodmansey]

Thanks Harley for your thoughtful and perceptive contributions to the audiophile community. My three 'test' tracks focus on whether a system can make an emotional connection between the music and the listener. 1) Arvo Pärt's 'These Words' from his Tractus album is hauntingly beautiful contemporary classical music featuring a limited but highly original combination of instruments from plucked violins to cellos to vibes to triangles and powerful kettle drums. It will test the dynamic range of any system. 2) "Hold On' by The Gas House Gang is barbershop quartet at its best. Its male vocal focus will challenge the mid-range capabilities of your speakers and make you wonder at the harmonic acrobatics of just four human voices. 3) 'Home Is' by Jacob Collier and Voces8 is a short choral piece that has a wonderful soundstage, excellent recording quality (where you can hear the singers breathing in as well as out) and a powerful entry of baritone choristers with kettle drum at about 3 minutes. Spine-tingling.

[@jimmy7287]

I always begin with Stan Ridgway's 'Mosquitos', track 2, ''Lonely Town''. If it sounds ALMOST like it's a touch too bright on the shaker, and ALMOST a tad too boomy with the upright bass, but then you decide it the track still lives on the edge of acceptability, then you've got a great start. The harmonica comes in on the right, allowing you to be sure your speakers are on the correct side. When the vocal comes in @ 0:41, Stan should be clearly defineable in the middle; you should be able to close your eyes, and absolutely ''see'' him standing in the middle, singing out of the corner of his mouth. If Stan's not absolutely 'the guy in the middle', your speakers are likely too far apart. 'Mosquitos' (1987?) is a tremendous album, start to finish, sonically, performance-wise, and really great songs!!! You really should pick it up!

[@DAKILLAGORILLA]

I enjoy the way you express yourself in your descriptions. Fun watch

[@josepha.freivaldsr.9636]

Another delightful lesson. I enjoy listening to you as much as listening to music. Thank you for both the presentation and the education.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you kindly!

[@flatD1]

Here is my list of favorite songs to compare audio systems: Stone Soure - Wicked Game Adele - Make you feel my Love The Catch - 25 Years Taken by Trees - Sweet Cild o‘mine Tanita Tikaram - Twist in my Sobriety Zuccero - Diamante New Order - Blue Monday Ludovico Einaudi - Passaggio Quite different songs but very good to test all capabilities of a set of speakers and the amplifier.

[@phfen]

Another remarkable talk by Harley. And you even provide the links. How absolutely nice this is ! Will try these suggestions. Thank you !

[@russelljackman1413]

Your last sentence of the outro, says it all: "Enjoy the music!" Thank you very much, sir!

[@PearlAcoustics]

You're welcome

[@rejean2744]

Right now, when I want to hear soundstage on my own system, I listen to Loggins & Messina "Angry Eyes" . Width, depth and separation, on that one.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

That's a great one

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍🙏

[@Justwantahover]

Hardly any replies to people's suggestions 😢 @ least you have two! Now three! 😂

[@snakeobias]

Nice, Jackson Browne at number 1. My mum would love this channel!

[@adamant3844]

I can tell you really enjoy your bass in these test tracks. Me too. Never heard of 'Linda Paloma' by Jackson Browne until now. All I can say is WOW! I wish I'd heard it sooner. Sounds sublime on my Klipsch pro media 2.1's. Thanks Harley!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for listening

[@zippo-john]

Great video, I have a few tracks - normally an assortment of Fleetwood Mac (Never going back again, silver spings etc) - more the vocals and instruments to test if my system is too bright (also have this on DVD-Audio which is amazing). Some other tracks that I like are Led Zepplin Black Dog for a chaotic song to see if I can diseminate the sounds and then my absoulte favourite is a song I have listened to for over 20 years on a host of systems (which makes it so familar) and thats DireStraits Sultans of Swing.

[@Justwantahover]

Baila Nova "Insensatez" Lounge Sessons. The BEST recording I ever heard! 😮😮😮😮😮

[@captiveimage]

Very interesting, thank you. Always like listening to other peoples 'testers'. Got a few that I like to use: Nickel Creek: Out of the Woods [Great classical guitar] Infected Mushroom: Avratz [Big sound stage and crisp percussion of various flavours] Fleetwood Mac : Seven Wonders [The 'tick' of the stick on the high-hat cymbals within the first few seconds of play.] Thanks for reintroducing me to Tracey Chaman too. Haven't listened to her for a while. 🙂

[@PearlAcoustics]

🙏

[@Brio-ko8lf]

My 2 cents is The first 2 tracks on Steely Dan’s Gaucho album!!! The Robert Ludwig mastered pressing!! So much going on Goes right into your soul!!!

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍

[@guystpierrecomposer]

I will for sure listen to those tracks, tank you! Some on my list: I was born to love you / Ray Lamontagne for the realism of the bass drum, acoustic guitar and his voice mid range sweetness. All of this placed very precisely in the soundstage. Then Berimbas / Renaud Garcia-Fons (live recording) for the richness of the shaker, attack and fullness of the bass and classical guitar. And Slouching towards Bethlehem / Joni Mitchell for the great dynamic, very low orchestral percussion, dense mix with lots of subtle textures and her voice emerging just slightly in front of this big orchestra. You need a very good system to discern all what’s happening in that mix’s very quiet beginning and stay composed on very loud passages with almost no compression.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Great list! 🙏

[@PA30000]

Fun to listen to each track before each description:)

[@mosfet500]

Great, thanks Harley. One of my favorite tracks is Natalie Cole singing "Unforgettable" (album of the same name) with her father dubbed in. The richness of his voice, and hers, and where they show up on the soundstage, for me voices tell so much of the story. Another one is Christie McVie singing "Songbird". Also I'm very sensitive to violins in orchestral works where intermodulation distortion can be so telling. I also want to thank you for your Max Bruch Symphony 1 piece. I never listened to him much before that but recently heard his Scottish Fantasies played by Rachel Barton Pine and it blew me away. I had to stop what I was doing and just sit down and listen to it completely - simply wonderful!

[@philipgranger6918]

I like the song "Money" by Pink Floyd. From the album, "Dark side of the Moon. Starts off with the incredible stereo sound of a cash register and money going from speaker to speaker, then you get a great Bass pattern with Roger Waters (I think) voice in the imaginary center track followed by a great sax solo, and so on. Just a great test track for me.

[@SMAZVidoes]

Great words of wisdom. I will give these tracks a listen on my system. I am sure I will enjoy them. Thanks.

[@pjono77]

My go to track is Band On The Run by Paul McCartney and Wings. I know this track so so well. Great video again Harley.

[@steverees1936]

Great track 😁

[@gsbass1037]

Thanks for asking. My test tracks are Dominic Miller - London Paris Cardiff and Bob James Live - Niles A Head. First track I listen for the clarity and snap of the strings. The second track I listened for the realistic sound of the piano and kick drum. The track for vocal is Mary Wells - You Beat Me To The Punch. The lead vocal and background singers are separated, clear and crisp.

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍👌

[@cunawarit]

Thank you once again for another insightful and engaging video. Your channel consistently stands out as both educational and refreshingly pragmatic, which is a welcome contrast to much of the Hi-Fi content on KZbin. I’d love to hear your thoughts on headphones in a future video. My current setup and listening environment are far from ideal, as I don’t have the luxury of a dedicated listening room, even though I’ve managed to put together a multiroom setup at home. As a result, I rely heavily on headphones for most of my listening. Over time, I’ve curated a collection to suit different scenarios: closed-back headphones for when others are at home, open-back headphones for those rare, peaceful moments, noise-canceling headphones for travel, and IEMs for when I’m out in the city and want to avoid drawing too much attention-especially with my Bose headphones. It would be fantastic to hear your perspective on headphones for various use cases and occasions. Thanks also for sharing the track list-I’m looking forward to giving it a listen!

[@carlwood4240]

A very useful, wonderfully delivered piece as usual :) amused to hear one of yours is also one of mine, Tracy C, another of mine is also Paul Simon, but I prefer Armistice Day. I love the different guitars and playing styles along with his voice and all the nuances going on behind it all.

[@christopherward5065]

I loved hearing your approach to listening. Hearing how the system presents recordings is key. I like my system and you have given me a new way to check how it is presenting the recordings I present it with. I am using KEF Reference 103s and they are revealing in a way that I can hear what the system is doing upstream. I now know that preamplifier quality is key to catching those subtleties. Harmonics and layering of sounds are often lost by preamplifiers. Thanks! Try the Labèque Sisters’ Playing Gershwin’s piano duets. The two pianos interplay with each other and define the acoustic space. On lesser systems the internal contrasts are lost and it sounds like a wall of piano sound rather than two musicians performing in concert with each other and the acoustic they are in.

[@Maxim_Startsev]

Many thanks for this list. I will try to find all these tracks and listen to them under your comments.

[@TPQ1235]

Thank you Harley! I’ll add your tracks to the audition playlist I use. If I can only play one, the first track in my assessment list is “Now Playing” on the Bob Florence Limited Edition’s “Serendipity 18” album. I find it a good test of dynamic range, depth and placement of instruments in the soundstage, and the fidelity of the sound of the individual instruments. I look forward to your videos and appreciate the effort you put into each and every one of them.

[@frankfanacht1838]

Dear Harley, thanks for this interesting Video. A few Tracks you mentioned i knew quite well, Like Tracy Chapman and Paul Simon. The Others I will try the next days. First Song I hear, when I try new speakers is from Ulla Meinecke, die Tänzerin. Very minimalistic, only a highhat, electric Organ and Ullas voice. All very dynamic. And a really good recording! A direct Metal mastering. Try the original LP: Ulla Meinecke wenn schon nicht für immer dann wenigstens für ewig. Side B has a good Cover of "fifty ways" , named 50 Tips!! A really good Album, you should try. Greetings from Frank in Stuttgart.

[@dap777754]

Always surprised that no mention is made of Lindsey Buckingham's "Out of the Cradle" (1992 or so). This CD was presented to me by my local stereo store as "perfectly recorded." Not only is it perfectly recorded, but the songs are also terrific. The entire CD is exceptionally good. There is one song that captures a rainstorm - and the sound you get will tell you volumes about your system. I have yet to hear a better recording effort some 30+ years later.

[@morespinach9832]

It’s a lovely album. All my Sorrows can be added to any testing list.

[@Filtersloth]

Thanks for the pick. I just checked it out.

[@sylvaindupuis5595]

I'm far from being an expert or have great ears but I like to listen to The Moon on the album Verse by Patricia Barber. It's well recorded and you can hear the placement of the diffrent instrument, the space between them and the voice seems to have lots of space around. PS: The whole album is superb and well worth a good listening.

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍🙏

[@robertj1701]

Agree with you on Barber’s performance. Good choice. Lori Lieberman - Truly…

[@jamesj590]

Thank you so much, I am thoroughly enjoying this album.

[@steverees1936]

I love listening to other people's choice of test tracks, as it helps me expand my musical taste. 😁 My choices are vast but I will give just ten; Bubbles , Yoshi Horikowa Telegraph road, Dire Straits Little Fugue in G minor, Jacques Loussier Colour to the moon, Allan Taylor Swinging Five, Claus Weiss Icarus, Ralphie B Skyless, Andy Gillian and Jeff Loomis Dub Experience, St Germain Between the devil & the deep blue sea live, Dianna Krall Phantom of the opera, Iron Maiden Telegraph road was always my first choice when buying a turntable as it always sounds awesome on vinyl. Bubbles is simply sensational and very different to anything else really. As for the others there are the usual things I listen out for such as vocals, guitar strings being plucked etc.😊

[@michelbruijn8495]

Go to testtrack for me is 'Day or Night' by Little Feat . Richie Haywards' drumming fading in and out at the end of the song sounds as if he is in my room. Little Feat made some of the best sounding records of the 70's. Leadsinger Lowell George made a solo-album in '79 'Thanks I'll eat it here'. Produced it himself and sounds amazing. All the songs are great and very good testtracks for hi-fi. Surprised I didn't see a mention in the comments about Rickie Lee Jones' debut album from '79. Amazing sound.

[@altwolfe14]

i’m still pretty new to this, but here are a few from my list: * alabaster deplume: sound of the foundling (soundstage depth; instrument separation; texture) * steel pulse: roller skates (imaging; soundstage) * o-zone percussion group: jazz variants (attack & decay; bass) * fink: trouble’s what you’re in (detail; texture) * tv on the radio: you could be love (vocal distortion - highs) * the clash: straight to hell (prat - does my body involuntarily start moving) looking forward to checking out all the other suggestions!

[@foodgeektv]

Thumbs up on the steel pulse

[@bdhaliwal24]

I'm testing my system out using the playlist and have to agree with you. BTW, Harry Belafonte singing voice is the definition of smooth and just a joy to listen to

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

Bellafonte at Carnegie hall is the best recorded vocal of all time imo

[@ALEX-wl9jd]

Thank you. My favorite Track for more than 30 years is Charly Antolini - Knock out. For the Voice I use a RCA Best of Harry Belafonte and for Bass and more classical Instruments Igorrr - Spiritualty and Distortion.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for sharing

[@JohnGallagher-qb4zf]

Great video! I always enjoy hearing what other people use to assess systems, and what they listen for in each track when assessing. My current go-to track is Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos, from A Piano, The Collection.

[@PearlAcoustics]

🙏👍

[@johnlightfoot9967]

Having listened to the video and also the tracks has convinced me that I am not an Audiophile but a music lover. I can listen to 2 of your recommended and enjoy them, I never listen to tracks just to enjoy a 10 second clip of an allegedly good piece. If I go to a Hifi shop to assess a piece of equipment I use Sam Cardon & Kurt Bestor Innovators Album.

[@JurgenKraus-calgary]

Hi, here some tracks I rely on...but mainly for testing "personal audio". The Housemartins - Build (remastered; from “Soup”, 2007): bass extension in the first 20 seconds and cymbals timbre all through the track. Basia - Matteo (from “Butterflies”, 2018): bass extension in the first 10 seconds, bass line and and vocals reproduction thereafter. Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (from “Rumours”, 1975): bass quantity/attack/decay, vocals timbre/definition/intimacy, cymbals/transients, depth of soundstage. The Smiths - Frankly, Mr. Shankly (from “The Queen Is Dead”, 2017 Remaster): bass attack and decay, transients, degree of vocals recession. Guitar at 0:37 is a reliable “shoutiness” meter. The Ed Palermo Big Band - Laurie Frink (from “A Lousy Day In Harlem”, 2019): brightness, transients, treble, resolution in complex instrumentations. Good indicator of top-end roll off. Astrud Gilberto - Corcovado (from “Verve Jazz Masters 9”, 1994): transients, separation, soundstage, treble quality, and the ability to cry because of such beauty. Cowboy Junkies - I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (from “The Trinity Sessions”, 2017 Remaster): three-dimensionality of soundstage, vocals, transients in this binaural recording. Frank Sinatra - Nice ‘N’ Easy (2020 Mix) (from “Nice ‘N’ Easy”, 2020 Mix): width of soundstage, vocals reproduction in an older but excellent recording. Roxy Music - Avalon (from “Avalon”, Dolby Headphone version): soundstage, spatial cues, fullness/richness of vocals, detail resolution. Hildegard Knef - Herr Kalecke an der Ecke (from “17 Millimeter”, 1999): (bass) temperature, vocal intimacy and definition, timbre. Great temperature indicator. Heinz Rudolf Kunze & Herman van Veen - In aller Herren Länder (from “Ich bin”, 2012): separation of the two voices. The King’s Singers - After The Gold Rush (from “Music From Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service”, 2019): reproduction of multiple male voices. Steven Isserlis, Dénes Várjon - Chopin Cello Sonata in G minor, Op 65 - 4: Finale: Allegro (from “Chopin: Cello Sonata; Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata”, 2017): timbre, note weight, bass realism, transients, separation, layering. Cello is a good indicator of timbre and natural dynamics. Beethoven - Septet In E Flat, Op. 20 - 5. Scherzo (from” Septet In E Flat, Sextet In E Flat” By The Gaudier Ensemble”, 1991): imaging, timbre, reproduction of brass instruments. Louis Spohr - Nonet in F, Op.31 - 1. Allegro (from “Spohr: Octet and Nonet” by the Gaudier Ensemble, 1991): timbre of orchestral instruments, layering and instrument separation, (micro) detail, treble extension, instrument placement and soundstage. Anne Sophie Mutter, John Williams - Luke And Leia & Yoda’s Theme (from “Across The Stars”, 2019): treble and treble resolution, timbre. Joe Bonamassa - Boogie With Stu (from “British Blues Explosion Live”, 2018): drum attack/impact, soundstage, separation. and a few more...

[@PearlAcoustics]

Some very nice selections there. 🙏

[@JurgenKraus-calgary]

@@PearlAcoustics I listened to your whole list, Harley. The problem: for example, Dianne Reeves is so superbly recorded that it even more than impressed me using even budget earphones. Tom Jones and Tracy Chapman are similarly impressive. When I purchased my first CD player in the late 1980s, we auditioned it with Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" album. In the 1990s, many Hifi stores played Diana Krall's album "Love Scenes". ANY equipment sounds great with all of the above. The real challenge came with the Hindemith and Immerseel. Wow, too, but it really challenged the driver speed of my final Audio VR3000 in ears. Apart from all that, thank you for the great music advice. I already had the Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, and even Cycles by Basta! on my list...from your earlier videos.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@ you’re welcome 👍🙏

[@mbizozo6271]

Bob Marley’s & The Wailers - War / No More Trouble (Live at the Rainbow Theatre, 06/04/77) is my go to.

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍

[@gebo1103]

Hi Harley, another great Video and highly appreciated! Here are my favorites: 1-Nina Simone - Sinnerman (great voice, piano, very deep and wide soundstage) 2-Henry Mancini - The Pink Panther Theme (soundstage, instrument separation, lots of tiny details from left channel) 3-Camille Saint Saens - Dance Macabre (Telarc Records, CD „A Spectecular Sound Experience“ - Hell yea, that’s what is is) 4-Dave Brubeck - Take Five (The old classics - The Sax and the drum solo, just

[@rytismucinskas727]

Great list 👌👍Thank you.Had a great pleasure listening in Ajays plays Sibelius with pearl 170.Was very impressed.What a masterpiece speakers and amplifier it is🤝.Well done Pearl Acoustics.Thank you

[@PearlAcoustics]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your kind words

[@Trebor2024]

4:02 it would be good if links to a Qobuz playlist could be given for better quality sound 😃

[@dddtriple]

Sara Bareilles "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (Live from Atlanta). You are literally sitting on stage with Sara and her electric piano, plus the live audience and hall reverbs.

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍🙏

[@hamidrezahabibi8111]

Here are the top 🔝 10 albums I go for when testing an audiophile system: 1) Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature 2) Sir Malcolm Arnold Symphonies No.5 & No.6 Sir Richard Hickox & LSO 3) Mignone and Albéniz piano 🎹 concertos Clélia Iruzun 4) Kapustin piano concertos No.2& No.6 Frank Dupree SWR BIG BAND 5) Jon Batiste WE ARE 6) Jon Batiste World Music Radio 7) Philip Glass’s movie soundtrack KUNDUN 8) African Head Chsrge A Trip To Bolgatanga 9) Adrian Sherwood’s NTAH 10) Ahmad Jamal Rossiter Road

[@fotoagapress2947]

Stan Getz / João Gilberto - Getz / Gilberto #2 CD - live at Carnegie Hall.

[@violin-schwerin]

a great list well explained, thank you!

[@gregmoore1661]

Thanks for sharing these. I've always enjoyed the 1st track of Lindsay Buckingham's Out of the Cradle album. It has an instrumental intro that used to be a separate track, which they've now combined into "Don't Look Down" ... but the up front guitar intro is about a minute in length, and is for me an incredible bit of single-instrument detail that really showcases the upper mids and treble. Also enjoy Bach's Fugue in G Minor on Organ, but there is a performance by Alessandro De Lucci - BWV 578, 'Little Fugue' on piano where you can hear him breathing in a few places, as well as some other background noise that somehow contributes to the realism without be overly distracting. Finally, on Paul Simon's Graceland album, the intro and first 2:30 or so of Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes is a go-to track for me to showcase a range of different detail, range, instrument separation and soundstage. Lots of back and forth between the R and L channels with some different things going on, particularly at the 2:15 mark.

[@csantaella1]

Indeed Michel Camilo’s Caribe, from his 1994 album One More Once. I took this CD with me into The Waldorf Astoria Stereophile Exhibition in NYC. We played it at least half dozen TOP exhibitors sets, with their top notch Highest-Fi Systems…and….EVERYONE was paralyzed by this piece. Let me have your feedback if you have the chance of listen to it.

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍

[@Pyradox029]

A note to your editor, the album covers for Dianna Reeves and Harry Belafonte are wrong. Dianna reeves sang one for my baby for the soundtrack to good night and good luck (and is where your link goes). The Harry Belafonte live version with the story is on the Belafonte at Carnegie Hall album. With accuracy everywhere else, I thought you may be interested.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks! 🙏

[@lvf16s]

My first is Diane Schuur and The Count Basie Orchestra - Travelin' Light, specifically for the baritone saxophone. Second is Orpheus Chamber Orchestra playing Appalachian Spring. Third is the Pablo All-Star Jam, Montreux 1977, Samba De Orfeu, specifically Niels Pederson's precision on stand-up bass. Finally, either 1986 Concorde Blue Devils or 1989 Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps recorded at their respective world championships. Both are magnificent examples of pure brass and percussion.

[@stimpy1226]

Friday night in San Francisco… “Mediterranean Sundance”. Al DiMeola picking on metal strings and Paco de Lucía using his fingernails to play fusion flamenco. I listen for the differences and sound of the bodies of the guitars and the sound of the strings and the precision interplay which gets quite complex over the nine or 10 minutes of this piece. Brian Bromberg “Wood”. This is an ultimate late 1600’s AA Bass” played by a master who does not get enough recognition. listen to the sound of this instrument Which will come across as totally astounding with harmonic richness. Even down to the bottom end. Antonio Sanchez “3 x 3”, an incredible drum recording which you can hear every little detail of every piece of his kit along with the rest of his group. Any recording on the MapleShade label for its simplicity of recording and purity of voices and instruments with all the harmonics present. The new MoFi release on vinyl of Santana, Caravanserai for every little detail that you can imagine in this uniquely incredible recording. Eagles, “Long Road Out of Eden”, “No More Walks in the Woods” for image specificity of this acappella piece by the four main 0:15 0:15 members in the group. Jane Monheit “Come Dream With Me“, “A Case of You” for the absolute mastery of the female voice. I love this song more than the composer Joni Mitchell. And finally the 1936 wire recording remaster of Pablo Casals playing the Bach cello suites. The instrument and his reading of these pieces is beyond compare and every detail coming out of this cello is beyond belief.

[@Justwantahover]

"Aint No Sunshine" cover by meira! It's great detail while having less silibance for how good the detail is. The bashed snare is amazing! And great cello sound towards the end.

[@markorchard2272]

Hi Harley. Love your informational videos!! Sans promotional messages. I have 3 ‘go to’ tracks. Cassandra Wilson - ‘Redbone’ of her ‘Blue light ’til Dawn’ album (for instrument placement) Agnes Obel - ‘Myopia’ for instrument separation and tonal range The Who - ‘The Real Me’ from Quadrophenia for Bass/Dynamics

[@nottheredflagwriter]

Master of the house from the original London cast of Les Miserables. A good system lets you clearly hear a goose in the right channel in verse 5...

[@PearlAcoustics]

😀

[@gcheath]

Some of my go to tracks to test hifi: Bjork - Hyper Ballad. A great test of low end. Not a fan of subs for music, and this track really shows how good a speaker needs to be. The Neville Bros - With God On Our Side. A wonderful Daniel Lanois production. I have it on CD and it's superb, through the right kit. Dire Straits - Where Do You Think You're Going. Close miked drums that are just awesome on vinyl. Had this on CD for years and liked the song but never it had any real depth on that version, bought it on heavyweight vinyl, and it's a beautiful thing. This coming from someone who's never been a huge vinyl fan. I only have a modest HiFi, Rega Planar 6/Nd7, Naim Uniti Nova, Audiolab CT6000 CD transport, PMC Twenty5 24i speakers. Before anyone throws their toys out of the pram "IT'S ALL SUBJECTIVE, JUST ENJOY THE MUSIC"

[@curtiscroulet8715]

The *next* movement in the Hindemith sonata, marked "Ruhig bewegt," is a good test for deep bass, beginning around the 5 min mark near the end.

[@jpdj2715]

The problem with music used to assess hi-fi or high-end is that it tends to distract from "music". Another problem is that most demonstration music is euphonic in a sense and closes the deal in that way. Music from the analogue-only era suffers from limited dynamic range in the recording medium and either electronic adaptation was applied in the recording, or the musicians adapted to the limitation, or both. The biggest problem is in multi-track (multiple microphones and electronic "instruments") recordings. These remove proper "phase alignment" from the recording and the mastering becomes a matter of applying volume differences as a way to mimic soundstage. This is nicely illustrated in RCA's "Living Stereo" recordings that use two or three microphones and completely natural soundstage. The "balance" in what we hear was a matter of director and orchestra adapting to the recording situation. They would actually rehearse for this. A trombone may do 140 dB at 1m distance when played ffff. In the concert hall at row 11 or 13, this doesn't hurt your ears as much but an acoustic recording is helixed [1] up by that. We end up with a recording that is convincing because it can be played back giving a very convincing soundstage. One Mr. HP in TAS could write that he could distinguish the second from first violins in the soundstage. IIRC, "Living Stereo" was a 50s/60s thing. At some point, using 2" multitrack tape-recorders, maybe with 24 channels or even 48, a new situation came up where a symphony orchestra got microphones all over the place, near instruments. Relative to a listener in the audience, the time travel of sound now is lost, by recording at the source. And this is why, say, a later-70s Mahler recording on the Philips record label has its soundstage sounding completely messed up. Great music, bad audio. Artistically, the multi-microphone recording enables to record the most expensive top acts without specialised rehearsals under a rehearsal director and sound engineer training the orchestra for a week or so. And the famous conductor listening to test recordings and edits, and, and. Most conductors would not have the patience to do this. An exception would have been (e.g.) Klemperer. And so we get to the point that audiophile perfection may loose in the artistic-musical department. In a system assessment, I once listened to a recording of a jazz combo. Very nice music that got the legs moving. At some point it struck me that the sound stage had nothing to the right of the right speaker. I called for the assistant to come to the room and check things out. He swapped cables left-right, changed a pre-amp and nothing helped. The soundstage was "cut off". The assistant did not know what to say as the problem was clear. With the CD box in his hand, he took the booklet out and browsed the pages. Then came the "eureka" moment: look, they recorded acoustically in a small studio and the piano is at the right, against a studio wall with sound deadening. That's what we hear being reproduced. That was a seriously high-end system in the very large listening room. On another occasion they played an acoustic (live) recording from Carnegie Hall (2,000 seats) with audience. That system was better described as 7 than 6 figure. The illusion of the size of Carnegie Hall's space was so realistic that only much later it dawned on me that a miracle happened when the illusion was raised in a 5m * 3.5m * 15m ([2] W*H*D) living room. When we assess a playback system with "electronically" recorded/mixed music, then we make one thing important that is often called micro-dynamics. Because soundstage was built using subtle volume adjustments. This all leaves another extremely important thing out: "wave shape" and the ability of a system to reproduce a non-sinusoidal wave in exactly the same way. This (also) points to phase, but in the first place to "bandwidth". A naive audio engineer (with excellent educational credentials) explained to me that a square/block wave could easily be constructed from a pulse train of lowish frequency half sine wave bits. (This harks back to Fourier analysis.) The problem with that pulse train of, say, 5 half sines as a way to create a half of a 440Hz block wave, is that you need infinite bandwidth to create these half sine pulses with different frequencies without distortion. The central A of a modern piano is tuned to 440Hz. That's "nothing challenging" to the human ear and brain, or to electronics. But the reason you hear that it's a piano is because the wave shape is not a sine. Our ear is a single membrane microphone on the outside but it doesn't feed into one pair of "wires" but into a tuned grid of sensors that do wave shape analysis, filtering, and arrival time comparisons. The hearing part of the brain is much faster than the seeing brain and while most synapses [3] relay impulses through a chemical reaction, there are (relatively) a few "electrical" synapses that have much less latency - working in this system. This is how we distinguish the 440Hz tone from a piano from that of a violin, cello, flute, recorder, etc. and how we also can hear where they are (L-R) in space. Front-back is more difficult and we look behind us when we hear something behind us because we see it's not in front of us. Blind people have learnt to hear spatial clues and some of them can explain a room to you, where windows are, or openings to another space. So, most important, however, is that our hearing brain needs training (AKA learning) in order to learn to recognise sound sources. It takes years until we are able to recognise voices without seeing the source and without uncertainty. Humans need some 10,000 learning moments to master an atomic task. For complex things that may require 10,000 hours. I saw and heard a concert pianist test-play grand pianos. On two occasions. I didn't hear a significant difference. There were 5 to choose from. The first occasion led to a choice "that matched the repertoire". A year later, the concert hall had replaced one of the instruments, and with #2 the pianist remarked that "this one was not here last year" and then at #4 "I played this one last year". After Albert E passed, his brain was kept "for science". It had a bulge that is normally never seen in the human brain anatomy. Because brains of exceptional people generally don;t end up in a jar with formaldehyde. Well, Albert played the cello and when he ran into a challenging thought about a problem that he created and that needed an answer, he would then withdraw from the study and play some cello. Usually he had solved the problem while playing music. The growth of a squiggle on his brain anatomically was associated with the motions needed to play the cello. So learning in humans can happen in the way we are wired, not visible in the anatomy (as if it happens in software) and also in growing physical processing power. The problem with people having opinions of what can be perceived is that they generally have zero qualifications from an objective point of view. If they had replaced multiple iterations of gear-acquisition syndrome (AKA GAS) by going to concerts an listening to acoustic instruments and real soundstage, then they could have trained their brain and could have made better decisions. The learning and 10,000 times is easily understood if you remember how much time you needed until you could play a ball back in a game or "place" it precisely to score a point, or make a brilliant assist. We derive clues from the angle between our eyes, and changes therein with the speed of these changes. And so we asses how fast a ball flies towards us and extrapolate where to get hold of it. If you were (functionally) blind on one eye, you would have to learn, however to see the world "photographically" (we aren't born with that vision) and derive ball speed and direction from perspective changes. It's all "learning" and a guy that's into Fluke meters and sine waves may not be the best candidate to design our audio. "How to make your own high end speaker cable" and the better video showed how the capacitance of the cable changes with frequency. So sad that this introduces a frequency dependent phase change. But, we can deal with such distortions through learning, while we don't learn how this alters our understanding of how things should really sound. In acoustic live situations. A friend of early retirement age had subjected himself to a hearing test offered to him because of his age. He was at the level of a 24 year old, statistically. His explanation: I never listened to loud music and never went to concerts playing very loud. When 20, decades ago, I got subjected to a hearing test and exceptionally for a guy of 1.86m (6' 1") my hearing range went above 20 kHz. All hi-fi sounded very bad to me. Too bright, and distorted. I bought into the higher end of what I still call hi-fi and while very good, it became acceptable to me after 11PM (23:00) when households around me had switched off TVs and went to bed. And there was less through the AC pollution and less through the air interference that caused a very busy distorted basis in music. Listening with headphones, I could hear the sound engineer in the late night program open the pot-meter to the microphone of the presenter near the end of a music track. A great FM tuner and huge Yagi antenna facilitated that. But that doesn't define musicality. It's about physics and perception - so it's all relative. And in the spacetime of ageing, things get lost. The advantage is that kit that I could not listen to in the past, now sounds a lot better to my matured brain. [1] a helix is a screw [2] 16' 4.85" * 11' 5.79" * 49' 2.55"

[@renedoucet6245]

Great list! I use the popular Holly Cole - I can see clearly now to evaluate the bass. I like Heroes by Moby and Mindy Jones too.

[@VonKitz]

Steely Dan - Home at Last

[@johnschofield6675]

Harman "how to listen" is very helpful

[@nautje]

I can tell you what I did the last time I assessed a system. Started with the opening three tracks of Sufjan Stevens' 'Illinois' album, focusing on the level of detail and soundstage. Can I make out all the different instruments in the increasingly busy arrangements? How are the dynamics in the final build before track three starts? How is the system handling the start stop nature of the third track? That is usually enough to get a general idea, because I know the music so well. Then I did Fear Factory's 'Shock' to judge attack and low end and lastly I went with 'Take Five' by The Dave Brubeck Quartet to see how that would hold up, especially the drum solo. After that I just thought I'd enjoy myself with some music I like to listen to at home, stuff that I would be most likely to put on on a daily basis at the moment, so I did Fontaines D.C. 'In The Modern World' and 'Here's the Thing', and De La Soul's 'Oodles of O's' just to see if they would draw me in like I'm used to.

[@TheRealWonker]

Air - Dead bodies A good teat for everything from hifi to portable

[@PearlAcoustics]

🙏

[@foldspacenavigator6011]

Thank you! I sometimes use The Smiles first Album, Micheal Kiwanuka’s 19’ release, tracks from Catarina Barbiere, David Gilmour’s latest and, Black Sabbath’s first.

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍

[@orisher11]

One of your best video. Thank you

[@PearlAcoustics]

Wow, thanks! 🙏

[@Moonplant432]

Wow, what a wonderful list, and no Pink Floyd. 😂

[@mickeytheviewmoo]

Respighi is really good for examining your sound. Roman Festivals and the finale movement is something else. Layers of different instruments going for hell for leather. Soundstage and separation of instruments is what I look for. Maazel's classic Decca recording should produce fireworks. If it doesn't, there is something wrong

[@PearlAcoustics]

That’s very interesting. Thanks for the tip.

[@mickeytheviewmoo]

@@PearlAcoustics It's not really useful unless you like the music. That's why it's always best going with something you know and enjoy. Most systems will handle chamber and instrumental pieces pretty well. Busy orchestral or choral works take your system's capability to a different level.

[@Charles12509]

Try Steely Dan, Do It Again…a great cruiser song in the car…

[@davegrigsby7807]

‘Little By Little’ by Robert Plant. ‘Year of the Cat’ by Al Stewart.

[@roundearth5572]

As much as I enjoy listening to the subtle and delicate ”top” recordings the real quick method to asses a system is to put on some ”strange” some would call them failed/bad recording with some loud rockbands one exampel Stargazer by Rainbow. I take some busy bonehard stuff, Enter Sandman - Metallica. But an acoustic guitar is always necessary. Chris Jones, Long after you are Gone - gives great guitar and serious bass. Thanks

[@ptbfrch]

Villagers 'Courage' live at RAK Roxy Music 'Avalon' (original UK) Doug MacLeod 'Rosa Lee' Radiohead 'Nude' Beck 'Sea Change' MoFi I listen for a lot of things with these tracks, mostly layering, spatial queues, imaging, soundstage, rhythmic drive, liveliness, and involvement. It's not scientific at all, but these tracks must sound right to my ears.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for sharing this.

[@quma001]

Whenever possible, I start with "You and Your Friend" by The Dire Straits. First, I listen to whether the bass guitar sounds balanced or if certain notes are noticeably louder or softer. Then, I focus on the height and position of Mark Knopfler's voice-does it sound as though he’s standing (about 1.5 meters high)? Next, I evaluate the tone of the steel guitar on the left and the sound of Mark’s guitar. How smooth does it sound? On some systems, there are one or two brief moments where it can come across as slightly aggressive. Finally, I check how far the sound of his guitar extends beyond the right speaker. These are the kinds of details I pay attention to.

[@PearlAcoustics]

That’s very interesting. Thanks for sharing

[@gebo1103]

Great choice. The Dire Straits recordings are in general very well done, and there are several songs very usuable to check your equipment (Ride Across the River, Money For Nothing, ...)

[@hollowmoon7766]

Powerslave-Iron Maiden. The titletrack on their 5th studioalbum from the third of September 1984 works perfectly for me because it has a little bit of everything on it. Thank You.

[@steverees1936]

And Rhyme of the ancient mariner. Good to see another who likes old school Maiden. 😁👌

[@matytinman]

My first track is always Hotel California Eagles - Hotel California (1976), Vinyl, Asylum, Original US DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR15 -1.23 dB -18.96 dB 6:30 A1 Hotel California DR13 -1.53 dB -18.50 dB 5:05 A2 New Kid In Town DR15 -0.01 dB -17.36 dB 4:46 A3 Life In The Fast Lane DR13 -2.38 dB -20.72 dB 4:57 A4 Wasted Time DR11 -6.44 dB -22.97 dB 1:24 B1 Wasted Time (Reprise) DR14 -1.16 dB -17.66 dB 4:10 B2 Victim Of Love DR16 -1.85 dB -21.91 dB 3:58 B3 Pretty Maids All In A Row DR14 -0.47 dB -17.22 dB 5:11 B4 Try And Love Again DR13 -1.12 dB -18.71 dB 7:22 B5 The Last Resort -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of tracks: 9 Official DR value: DR14 This is how I detect whether I have managed to improve the sound or not by optimizing the equipment (either hard or soft). In a few seconds I realize how many times I have done it.

[@Harrisongrey19]

SRV “tin pan alley” is my number one test track. Second would be dave Brubeck “time out”

[@PearlAcoustics]

Good choices! 👍

[@rolandd5397]

When you listen to Tin pa alley what do you listen to that your system improve?

[@Harrisongrey19]

@@rolandd5397 I’m sorry I don’t understand your question

[@rolandd5397]

@@Harrisongrey19 Sorry what do you look for that your system sounds good when listening to Tin Pan Alley?

[@Harrisongrey19]

@@rolandd5397 the clarity and natural sound of Stevie’s guitar playing, with his vocals being dead center. It’s a fantastic track on my system and I use it every time I switch anything in or out of the chain.

[@neilhallworth7438]

Great to hear about the tracks you choose and why, will work my way through them to pick out what you describe. Thank you. One question, why no mention of how the tracks make you feel until right at the end, rather than just the sound? Sometimes a system gives lots of information but no engagement. But the engagement should be the primary selection criteria?

[@CobraChamp]

Harley, Great list. I’m working through it though and can’t find Dianne Reeves One for my baby on the When you Know album?

[@Antibackgroundnoise]

Even though I have quite a bit of absorption (+ diffusion) within my small 13 x 11.5 living room, I was still able to pick up on the resonances coming from the corners. Given the fact that I already used a GIK absorption/diffusion panel, I was going to go ahead and purchase their corner bass traps, too. Mind you, considering I had already replaced my two interior doors with black velvet curtain drapes actually made the decision easier for me then rather going with Corner bass traps, why not try doubling up on the velvet curtain drapes first. I can remember watching a video where the g i k CEO stated that if you're going to use fabric material to absorb bass, one has to at least try to go thick! Couldn't believe it actually worked! Of course, confirmation comes when playing Brian Ferry and Todd Terje's Johnny & Mary (2023 edit) If one wishes for bass (or should I say emotion) to float around the sound stage, then this is the one. (Cool content, btw)

[@PearlAcoustics]

🙏

[@avro66]

some interesting points,i used to use that tracy chapman album for assessing any new hifi i was purchasing ,amongst others, i had the pleasure of seeing her live in my town of pocklington,east yorkshire a few years ago,fantastic artist .

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍🙏

[@9thstreetbrandt]

I use the first side of songs in the key of life. The synth, sounds, bass, does it sound out of control and brash? Does it excite me?

[@robmoores6078]

I use a live track: Dougie MacLean - Child of This Place. Lots to listen for to me. Warmth of the acoustic guitar, violins, there’s drums in there, another acoustic guitar. Lots of subtleties and nuances to listen for.

[@Tom-vt8sp]

Mine is John Mc Laughlin - Gotta Dance from Album Adentures in Radioland.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Oh, I don’t know that track. I will check it out! 🙏

[@juliojimenez9794]

Here are mine: Horse with no Name, from America Archives; Home Away from Home, Angela Johnson; Russian Hill, Jellyfish; Perseas, Edsart Udo de Haes; El Ratón, Diego El Cigala; Maki, Yoshi Horikawa; Green and Gold, Takuya Kutlroda.

[@PearlAcoustics]

🙏

[@dirkvanmaercke8469]

Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions. Assess (recording) room size and reverberation.

[@PearlAcoustics]

🙏

[@Unavintage]

"Liquid Love" from Snarky Puppy, "I stay away" from Alice in Chains and 'Polliwog" from James Farm

[@PearlAcoustics]

🙏👍

[@djwolffe_OG]

For some reason I REALLY REALLY want a pair of these speakers. Don’t know why. It doesn’t make sense because… I enjoy and prefer a 3-way speaker system, preferably studio moniitors, the most. Add 2x subs that go close to 20hz and I’m a happy camper.

[@PearlAcoustics]

😉👍

[@jakedavis2838]

Here are some tracks I use: What Would You Say - Dave Matthews Band Duende - Bozzio, Levin, Stevens Maria - Eric Reed Birdland - Manhattan Transfer Tocatta in D minor - Bachbusters

[@PearlAcoustics]

I need to check some of those out

[@Unavintage]

Both albums from Bozzio, Levin & Stevens are great..good for assess.

[@paulshanesmith]

George Michael's Spinning the Wheel and Sting's Englishman in New York are my go to audition tracks. I also use Madonna's Ray of Light album to see how a system performs with a bad quality recording.

[@richardkuipers7295]

1. Petrichor - David Orlowsky 2. Chihiro - Billie Eilish 3. Hermanos Gutierrez - El Bueno Y El Malo 4. Underwood - Ludovico Einaudi & Daniel Hope 5. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - Radiohead 6. Listening Winds - Talking Heads 7. Paper Tiger - Beck 8. Our Mother The Mountain - Townes Van Zandt. 9. Zur Guten Ambience - Tosca. 10. Maestro - Mixed - Mj Cole

[@tharinduweerasekara5360]

Really appreciate the comments🎉🎉

[@amitanaudiophile]

❤🎉 Superb ❤❤❤

[@derekevans1932]

The iconic drumbeat by Phil Collins that he then went on to use himself but this is the song called Intruder by Peter Gabriel on the album 3 or Melt. Again this has many drum sounds and then the synths come in before you get to Peter Gabriel's very understated vocal.

[@derekevans1932]

From a classical orchestral view I would use Beethoven's Sixth "Pastoral" opening movement for the change from quiet to loud in the opening passage and the swirling of the sound that convey that we are in the countryside. Once upon a time I played violin and sang in a choir and my favourite choral work would be Verdi's Requiem.

[@dirkbusche54]

My first Test-Track in digital is "If This Isnt Jazz" by Patricia Barbers Album COMPANION (XRCD, 1999, live), in analog its "My Rival" from the Steely-Dan-Album GAUCHO. By the way: My Listening Monitors are Neumann KH 120 A, same Brand as Yours, Harley.

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍🙏

[@pnichols6500]

I have the Impex 45 RPM one step pressing of Companion, breathtakingly stunning.

[@ronrutstein3440]

Dire Straits, Love Over Gold side one, and Yes, Close to the Edge, Phil Manzanera, 801.

[@justasimplefox]

Thanks for the nice tracks 👌🏻 my list changes but for the moment Vkgoeswild with ´Maggot Brain´ for the emotional connection and ´Anna Lee´ from Buddy Guy for the nice airy recording and Colter Wall ´Wild Dogs´ my favorite 😊

[@papabear1417]

Audiophiles are snobs. How good a system sounds depends on my mood. Even a modest system can sound better than a very good (not necessarily expensive) system. What you are assessing is your preference, not mine.

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome

[@Charles12509]

Hello, This kind of video is great…can you tell us what the system you are using to judge these songs…that would be helpful….my system Pass Labs Preamp, First Watt Sit-4, Mano ultra mkIII farad streamer hooked to the Denafrips Venus with the Volti audio Razz horn speakers, the first song was a tad lean in the vocals but everything else was heavenly, Willie’s song was strong, deep, bold just awesome..my second Dac the New Ontech Dac07 from Denmark with the WIIM pro streamer with everything else the same made the first song perfect and Willie who doesn’t like Willie his song was just great..

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your comment. In fact I use it for all systems, including headphones! As you can see in the video, I have several amplifiers and Dac’s etc, and our loudspeakers are ‘Sibelius’ from Pearl Acoustics. I hope that helps?

[@Charles12509]

I figured you used your wonderful speakers was just wondering want components you used…like your speakers my system is very detailed and just wonderful…also I think you are just a great steward of our hobby..its going to take me hours to go through those songs its my lucky day

[@Charles12509]

Now Tracy Chapman was a little harder…with the New Ontech a burr brown design, a little boring but with the Denafrips Venus r to r, it really came alive got my toes tapping..both dacs are going into the pass labs , first watt sit-4 and Volti audio speakers..I hear everything in the Chapman song…

[@PearlAcoustics]

@ 👍

[@PearlAcoustics]

@ thanks!

[@joyojoyo8]

question: what's the name of song at the start of this video (piano piece)? thank you.

[@PearlAcoustics]

‘Phelia’ by Stefan Maylaers. I will put a link to it in the description. Thanks for your question.

[@AIainMConnachie]

Sara Fleetwood Mac That whole album

[@PearlAcoustics]

👍