test songs are important heres my 5 best

[@christravis8288]

My test song is Natural Mystic by Bob Marley. The bass builds as the track fades in and there's a lot of percussion. It's a great song for testing harsh highs or flabby lows. There's also a lead guitar throughout that is naturally on the trebley side, on the wrong equipment it sets my teeth on edge.

[@Jonc25]

Pink Floyd wise I quite like High Hopes, the sound of the bee flying around and the piano to name just a couple is a test for any system.

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

Audiophiles always play a 3 piece jazz ensemble that is recorded really well. I always say cool, but that will sound great on a $50 Bluetooth speaker, play some challenging music. They always throw the system an underarm pitch so it can whack it out of the park, it's like testing a 4wd on a nice flat road. Its almost as if they're hiding the systems weaknesses and don't want to expose it by playing something that will highlight it.

[@chuckmaddison2924]

Should play Rammstien that should give the System absolute shit.

[@actualadviceaudio]

Agree I try to steer clear

[@jimfarrell4635]

I spent months listening to nothing but contemporary Scandinavian Jazz (I'm looking at you, Zingali) till I had the realisation I needed new speakers. I was listening to what the Zingalis loved, not what I loved. I traded in for ex dem Wharfedale Elysian 4s and I'm back to whatever Roon throws at me. Thing is, it was a gradual and almost unconscious process over years where I gradually limited my listening. Probably a psych study in there somewhere.

[@smallspendor]

Walk on the Wild Side? The girl singers appear to come out of the speakers and make their way almost up to my ear. Striking, when I first heard that. The bass sounds on the first track on “Kind of Blue” gives a good indication of bass naturalness on my loudspeakers.

[@TorontoJon]

Yes, both of those tracks are ones I use as test tracks on headphones and speakers. :)

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

Yeah Transformer always surprise me

[@Kouros-t6d]

Disco records from the 70's into the 80's are some of the VERY best recording ever made(even more ecplosive if they are singles in 12 inch)!! There are often glorious strings and horns mixed with electric/electronic instruments , a few suggestions : Keep on Jumpin and In the bush from Musique....First and second albums from Bionic Boogie....first 6 records from Cerrone....first 2 from Voyage ...all discography from Change....I'm a man from Macho....Shoe shine from Jim Capaldi....Off the wall from MJ....Fly robin fly by Silver Convention....Blam from Bros Johnson.....The Dude from Quincy Jones....I could go on and on for hours.....if you want something new in that style check Dabeull....Tuxedo and JaFunk! Happy new year!

[@TheSoundrookie]

Great choice of tracks, but there's also great tracks for testing in modern music. Especially in the bass area, where for instance bass sweeps in DNB tracks clearly tell how linear and deep your system goes. Comes in pretty handy when looking for a good all round speaker. Some will call it music for power speakers, and they'll be right, but it's also good for revealing what more refined speakers can deliver. Most people have to stick to one set of speakers, and if they listen to a variety of genres, there's nothing more annoying than bass curves, and bass simply disappearing at some point. A good all rounder may not deliver a sound pressure you feel, but it should still be able to reproduce lower frequencies to a satisfying degree. So besides the awesome tracks you mention, I'll recommend throwing in some DNB tracks, and also some really good classical recordings. Stay awesome Mate. All the best from Denmark.

[@StormwatchGR]

Great video Kelvin. Mine is Tull's "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of a New Day". The Steven Wilson remix from WarChild (The 40th Anniversary Theatre Edition). Starts with just Ian's voice and acoustic guitar and then a ton of instruments is added one after one. And what a lovely song too...

[@slowpawstevet3676]

Some of my favourite test records for clarity, depth, soundstage and sheer enjoyment include - Band on the Run - Wings, Electric Warrior (T Rex), Metallica Justice and Black albums and any early Dire Straits or Supertramp, Beatles Abbey Road. A real test is also well recorded piano music will sound like a grand piano on a well balanced system but sound like a toy honky tonk on a mis-matched one.

[@stereoreviewx]

electric warrior killer production

[@martinhannover1139]

Hello Kelvin, always a pleasure to listen to you. Very good test recordings! I have seen Ian D. here live in Hannover accompanied with around 500 british soldiers from Celle. I would like to suggest to you Willy deVille Miracle- Willy with the Dire Straits in a wonderful recording. Take what you get-vinyl or CD. It is rare to get. Spanish Jack or Southern Politician are my fav. br from Hannover-Martin

[@mikedrew8615]

David Crosby, If I could only remember my name, is an epic album.. The sound, jeopardy. Also a forgotten classic. Portishead, dummy. Stunning Radiohead. Ok computer. Crazy good Hawkwind, in search of space. Is just cosmic. Free, tons of sobs. The absolute best. All will test you set up to the max ❤️❤️❤️

[@mrnobodyz]

I think the DavidCrosby was a popular test disc because it’s an album that doesn’t suffer bad set ups… each track sounds like it was as recorded in a different studio, maybe!?!

[@stevezeidman7224]

Kelvin, interesting group of songs. Please tell us about the dacs you’ve been listening to. It’s worth a video.

[@WalterDavidRiffmon]

Thanks! I've heard another reviewer put out test song suggestions but the list was exhaustive and exhausting to try to find! You gave five which is a lot less daunting. Less can be more!

[@Jonc25]

Curtis Mayfield. Loving the Henry Gibson bongos. Will have a listen to some of your suggestions this afternoon.

[@danielshafransky3379]

Hit me with your rhythm stick was a hit back in the day on the west coast of Canada

[@nhilltiger]

Australia as well

[@claeswahlin4127]

At least I and my friends here in Sweden knew 'Hit me with my rhythm stick' well.

[@robdw42]

Smooth Operator - Sade.

[@alexseaford4029]

Just had great fun listening to these recommendations, most if which I knew except Ms Krall, what a voice! Many thanks.

[@AudioGuyBrian]

My hands down favorite test of an amp, your speakers and your turntable is for sure from the band "3Teeth" album Metawar and the 4th song on side 1, called "American Landfill". The bass, mids and treble are off the charts. A weak, or wimpy system will have difficulty playing this song at loud 130-140 decibel levels. You better have 15" woofers and very good mids and tweeters that can handle lots of power.

[@H____enry]

Solid down-to-earth advice as usual. Will be using this list!

[@ロクアンドロルしかない]

The main difference in live vocal performance recordings comes from using a dynamic microphone rather than a studio condenser and then of course the PA feeding back a little and then the mobile recording unit.

[@adrianinnavan3910]

I often use 'Badman's Song' by Tears for Fears. Starts with just percussion including a kickdrum which should be a nice staccato thump. It has both male and female vocals, there's quite a lot going on with backing vocals and a variety of instruments taking prominence. Decent dynamics are also a feature of this song.

[@iansteel5569]

I use Steely Dan ' Ricky don't lose that number' and Dire Straights 'Thats the way to do it'.

[@Cartier_specialist]

Steely Dan and Dire Straits are meticulous with their mixing and editing. Also Alan Parsons Project is also very meticulous with their mixing and editing.

[@Cartier_specialist]

You meant Money for Nothing, right?

[@stereoreviewx]

i gotta say i think thats unrevealing steely dan sound great on coming out of a matchbox dont know how they do it

[@JukeboxAlley]

IGY, new frontier, many many other tracks by Steely Dan/Donald Fagen , and yes dire straits money for nothin (great kickdrum), your latest trick and you and your friend are very good. Ride across the river as well is very good

[@Cartier_specialist]

​@@stereoreviewxMeticulous work in the mixing room I believe.

[@mrkitewine7700]

I think it’s important to acknowledge the difference between a test song and a demo song. A demo song typically sounds great and is used to impress your friends. A test song is used “test” the system, to check for flaws, what it can and can’t do well.

[@Timoeltejano]

Here in the US we are and were familiar with Ian Dury and the Blockheads. "Sex And Drugs And Rock & Roll" was the biggest hit here. Great suggestions for test songs

[@DarrenRogers-r3u]

Great video again Kelvin, Talk talk colour of spring an absolute gem on vinyl so much going on!

[@stereoreviewx]

wiil try it K

[@TorontoJon]

9:25 I use Lou Reed's 'Walk on the Wild Side' too for Lou's voice, of course, but specifically for those vibrating guitar strings at the beginning and naturally, for those amazing female backup singers coming in and out of frame during various points of the song. It's absolute perfection. :)

[@BehindthesafetyofLinux]

My system passed all these tests with flying colors. Even with youtube compression. The girls in the last one were kind of terrifying, it sounded like they were standing just in front of me like they were literally in the room. It startled me. Equipment: DAC: Benchmark DAC3 HGC Amps: Crestron CNAMPEX 16X60 with all amp cards in bridge mode and modified output board. (Mains) Dual Crown XLi 2500 in bridge mode (Subs) Mains: Custom built bi-amped 4th order L-R three way towers LCY 110 ribbon (Tweeter) HiVi F6 (Mid-range) Dayton Audio RS270-8 (Woofer) Powered Subs: Pair of custom built AudioTechnology 15E1022510 Crossed over with Behringer CX3400 active crossover.

[@jeffn1384]

Why on earth would you play the KZbin version. 😮

[@stereoreviewx]

kit sounds great thks for sharing K

[@BehindthesafetyofLinux]

@@jeffn1384 It was easier than using Qobuz to to grab a couple songs in flac and like you said too, if you can resolve the worst quality input, it is just a better test of the system. The pink floyd songs I already had in WAV format.

[@JoFreddieRevDr]

My go to track to test the sound stage is "Tristan's Magic Garden" on Sky 2, on a good system you can pinpoint the position of each part of his set up.

[@Drackleyrva]

Great video! Speaking of '70s R&B and orchestras, try 'Papa was a Rolling Stone' by The Temptations (Full version). Amazing at almost 12 mins long.

[@Retro_Analog]

Masterpiece is another great song by The Temptations ‼️💯

[@stereoreviewx]

monster

[@Timoeltejano]

One i use is Lyle Lovett "You Can't Resist It" live from Texas. There is a lengthy cello solo that hits really high and low

[@stereoreviewx]

gonna try it

[@corneliusantonius3108]

David Bowie with the song "Sound and Vision"

[@ibleedswede]

Anything off low is good test music.

[@stereoreviewx]

i use bowie quite a lot mostly cos its great and his voice is what im listening to K

[@jameshutton5979]

Pink Floyd, Dark Side Of The Moon, On The Run is great for speaker positioning and toe-in.

[@earlfenwick]

Do It Yourself! A favorite. The only of Ian's albums I ever owned. Inbetweenies. Such a sneaky sexy album. 😅

[@spacehopper77]

The two tracks I use to test are Nolan Porter - If I Can Only Be Sure and Terry Callier - Dancing Girl.

[@Cartier_specialist]

Oops I forgot one other test song. Neil Young "Old Man" live from Massey Hall 1971 version. His acoustic guitar sounds so robust and the youth of his voice is readily apparent.

[@johanmak4169]

Number 1 is a short song: 'New York Telephone Conversation'- Lou Reed. Can you clearly hear the voice of Bowie in it? And number two: 'Easy money'-Rickie Lee Jones. This song starts with contrabass and the band is strikingly good, like the diction of Rickie Lee is. How metallic does the xylophone sound via your gear?

[@storm-sf5rj]

ELP From the Begining - Dire Straits Private Investigations - Pink Floyd Two Suns in the Sunset - Steley Span Come Ye all by France - Vangelis Conquest of Paradise - Joe Satriani The Extreimist to name just a few

[@mjunsw]

Sunday afternoons are the best. Not all are equally great, but Stereo Review X videos are a massive bonus 😊

[@Brownguy342]

Oddly mine is Don’t Fear The Reaper by Blue Ouster Cult. I just know how I want it to sound.

[@stereoreviewx]

i think thats a good one too ..... revealing of shortcummings

[@sportp9612]

Cheers Kelvin, listening to Back Stabbers right now..Qobuz to Bluesound Node to HH Scott 222c to AR3as…you are spot on.

[@stefpichette7742]

You shoulg get your hans on a Wiim ultra dac streamer preamp and test it fot us Thanks for the great reviews

[@bananabrooks3836]

Yes, please review digital to analogue in price ranges, people are wanting to keep their old systems with the convenience of streamers.

[@fchampd4512]

St James infirmary - Louis Armstrong

[@Iamloveingawareness]

Some nice choices with valid listening points there Kelvin 👍Have to agree 100% about the older poor recordings to test any system. Strongest test for sure. Try "I'm On My Way (Live)" by Mahalia Jackson: She's banging out those vocals on a bad recording with background noise: How muddy are the bass notes on the piano? Is there good separation between the vocals and the piano? How much top extension on her voice? How distorted do those power vocals sound when they peak? Very telling on a system. If you can get that song to sound good then you're at the end of the Hi-Fi rainbow 💫

[@stereoreviewx]

try tonight K

[@taskyprianou]

My five: I Don't Mind - Joy Crookes (bass and ASMR feels) Seigfried - Frank Ocean (space and airiness) He Needs Me - Nina Simone (space, airiness and feeling of venue) Give Me Love - Cerrone (all round loveliness) It'll Never Happen Again - Lady Blackbird (just yummy) Thanks for all your help and advice. Great channel.

[@noblesavage23]

heard rhythm stick quite a bit in L.A. back in the day

[@halvach1998]

Downloaded these songs & played them as I followed the vid. Interestingly, 'Hit Me' (popular in NZ when released) seemed to have too little bass, so I was pleasently surprised when Herbie Flowers came though loud & clear... must have done something right when I built that system!

[@ロクアンドロルしかない]

In Australia Hit me with your Rhythm Stick was a hit, I was doing second last year of High School at that time and was under the guidance of a fellow student who was taking guitar lessons who told me Kiss are excrement and introduced me to more complex music starting with The Song Remains the Same Led Zeppelin Live original LP in headphones, some other dude invited me to listen to the entire Wish you Were Here Album on the floor of his bedroom on what would now be a vintage Denon Hi-Fi separates system, upon hearing Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick “das is gut ich Lieber dich “ which I understood because my Father was German it was obvious, even through the television speakers of the top of the pops tv show of the time which was either Countdown or an American one because we got some from them too, that the musicians were pros and tight, and what stood out to me not only the funky rhythm of the intro, but the guitar solo at the end was pretty cool.

[@stereoreviewx]

yeah is full of quirky licks cheers K

[@genericusername5909]

The the - Ascension day Bonnie prince billy - I see a darkness The prelude to Wagner’s Das Rheingold Mogwai - Hunted by a freak Mike Oldfield - Tubular bells While it’s not representative of the music I listen to the most, I feel that if a system can do human voices well, acoustic guitars close up, and high dynamic range with acoustic instruments well separated, they can do anything

[@johnbarnes-c9q]

Are you sure Ascension Day by The The and not by Talk Talk?

[@deepcuts2]

My definate go to track for audio test is 'One Time' by King Crimson from the 'Thrak' album. Superior Recording with the full range of dynamics. This track will test any Hi-Fi component or system.

[@MostlyBuicks]

Oh hell yeah! Very tasty.

[@Crumbleofborg]

Nice selection. I think the main thing is to use a track that you know really well. See if you end up enjoying the music instead of listening to the system. Apart from that, I often put on the Yes Album track, "Yours is no disgrace". There's a lot going on in that but I listen specifically to two things: does the organ sound get a bit lost behind everything else? And how accurate and consistent is the walking bass line in the quiet central section! Also I'll put some solo piano piece on, e.g. Mussorgsky's Pictures. A lot of systems I've had don't do piano realistically, with either too much sparkle, heavy bass or (back in the day) wow and flutter.

[@stereoreviewx]

yes piano is maybe second to the human voice cheers K

[@martyw]

Hit me was a hit on the other side of the North Sea as well in NL. Great song!

[@72vespa]

FYI, Herbie Flowers recorded an upright (acoustic) AND an electric bass on Walk On The Wild Side tune .....

[@stereoreviewx]

you thing they are both o the final track ?

[@marxman00]

The court test Disk 31 glorious 3rd octave pink noise tracks with 20 uncompressed instument samples .

[@joelima201]

Night Fly by Donald Fagan great dynamics and Grace land by Paul Simon. Used back in the late 80's in a Hi Fi shop that I worked at to demonstrate equipment.

[@TonyCottrell-iv2qv]

Some good suggestions here! My own is not a song, it is the album Made in Japan (Deep Purple). Partly because I have been playing it since it was released (1971!) so I have heard it on every system I have ever owned, and some I haven't, but also because on the right gear it sounds so 'live'. Something about 'airiness' that is easily missed. It does lack piano though and I agree that is a real test!

[@fchampd4512]

72*

[@TonyCottrell-iv2qv]

I knew I should have checked! ​@@fchampd4512

[@russellparker4568]

Can’t beat Brubeck - Take five. The sax needs to sound as if it’s in a large space, the drum rolls at the beginning are a tricky one to get to come through well, just the space and size of the drum kit and impact of the room they are playing in.

[@TorontoJon]

Yes, 'Take Five' is definitely one of my test tracks too. I even added it to a test CD-R to take with me to thrift stores when testing audio equipment there. :)

[@bananabrooks3836]

Albums: Durys 'Do it Yourself' from the same era but much less played into the ground than 'Rhthym Stick'. Vangelis 'The friends of Mr Cairo'. Rush 'Moving Pictures'.

[@dbert5963111]

great video kelvin. as of late , i would try King Crimson (level five). it's a very busy piece of music. your speakers might need some time off to heal! greetings from ct. USA.

[@stereoreviewx]

will try it tks K

[@alessandrograldi4334]

One of my favorite test music is Live and Let Die Soundtrack by George Martin, very articulated orchestra and the main song it's mixed with electric instruments, human voice and orchestra so very complex and revealing, another super test piece to me it's Ottorino Respighi - I Pini di Roma, Powerful, full orchestra with gorgeous brasses and strings, very deep kettledrums, it puts every system in the baddest or best situation, than to say a third one very different: Pharaoah Sanders - Pharaoah, intimate, delicate and with very thin details that if i don't hear i'm not happy

[@Jonc25]

Wow, that piano in Diana Krall. Think you are correct about the microphone was picking up a lot of coughing in the audience. Good choices. Thanks.

[@stereoreviewx]

yeah that piano player kills

[@TomMallett-n7x]

I think that the London Phase 4 stereo of the Musiic of Spain is absolutely wonderful for testing my system.

[@ThePuka]

The low places by Jon Hopkins is my ‘go to’ followed by range of well produced tracks from Stephen Wilson, some Floyd and some punishment finally. Igorrr - Pallbearer.

[@davidzoller9617]

Hit me with your rhythm stick is very famous, featured also quite often in movies. Probably Ian Dury's 2nd famous song.

[@jeanpacaud835]

For the sound stage - Birds by Dominique Fils-Aimé - Nice vocal track with good bass

[@TheRealWindlePoons]

Another vote here for "Walk on the Wild Side". The whole album "Transformer" is worth an occasional listen end-to-end in fact. For some laid-back smokey female vocals, I'd vote for Diana Krall's "Temptation". The simple percussion and acoustic bass on the intro are faultless. It is unusual to have a contralto vocalist on pop music but Tanita Tikaram's "Twist in my Sobriety" is always worth a listen. I'm a fan of music from the early 70s, so I'd add Average White Band's "Put it Where you Want it" from the album "Show Your Hand".

[@tomoxfford]

All I can think about now is how to find that one piano note at the Grand Canyon thing! Is that a real video or just a mad thing you dreamt up?!

[@stereoreviewx]

i bet somones done it K

[@TorontoJon]

A couple of years ago, I actually created a playlist on my KZbin channel titled "JON'S TEST MUSIC FOR HEADPHONES AND SPEAKERS" which includes tracks like: - 'The End' by The Doors which has great stereo separation, warm bass presence, Jim Morrison's vocals, cool instrumentations, excellent drum work, etc. - 'Can't Help Falling In Love' sung by Elvis for his amazing full, warm, dead-centre vocals and backup singers, excellent instrumentation, etc. It sounds like he's right there singing in one's living room or media room. - 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkley for his vocal work, a nice punchy beat, etc. and his official video that uses Rorschach test imagery (symmetrical ink blot patterns) is sheer genius and still holds up well today. - 'Spirit in the Sky' by Norman Greenbaum for his grinding electric guitar work, great vocals and backup singers, foot-tapping beat, and psychedelic instrumentations. It's a classic. - 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' by Gordon Lightfoot for its musical purity, Gord's haunting voice, the guitar work, etc. and the rest of his album 'Summertime Dream' is listed on the 2018 TAS Super List (TAS stands for The Absolute Sound magazine) for its outstanding natural sound quality. - 'Unforgettable' by Nat King Cole for his voice-luck-butter performance and the recording is so great that he sounds like he's performing in one's living room or media room. One can almost feel his presence. It's terrific. - 'Hallelujah' and 'First We Take Manhattan' by Leonard Cohen for his amazing vocal resonance and full-sounding instrumentations or synth accompaniment. - 'Blue Velvet' as sung by Lana Del Rey for her full sultry voice. The overall sound of this track is very rich and full. - 'Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.' by Simon & Garfunkel for its perfect stereo separation with Art Garfunkel in the left speaker and Paul Simon in the right speaker. It's great for focusing on Paul Simon's guitar work and the sound is pure, crisp, and clean, but warm and not clinical. 'Sound of Silence' and 'Scarborough Fair/Canticle' are also excellent test tracks. - 'The Wizard' by Uriah Heep is excellent for its vocals, guitar work, and music that builds. - 'Ice Dance', a track from Tim Burton's 'Edward Scissorhands' composed by Danny Elfman which is an excellent orchestral track with subtle, vulnerable-sounding instrumentation indicative of snow falling and the choral singers add a very ethereal touch. - 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' main title composed by James Horner for a very dazzling, rich, and full orchestral performance. There are many more tracks I use by various artists, bands, composers, etc. and different genres. :)

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

This is a great list, thanks 😊

[@TorontoJon]

@@crazyprayingmantis5596, my pleasure. Enjoy those tracks. :)

[@stereoreviewx]

like them K

[@stevenhoward3358]

Yello - Takla Makan Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place Thomas Dolby - I Scare Myself Icehouse - Hey Little Girl Joan Osbourne - St Teresa

[@kiddcapri1711]

I think most of is have some rock or jazz we use to test/gauge a system. If anyone is interested here is a couple of electronic albums I use to push the boundaries of a system (I know they're never really messy, but can be fun). For sheer bass, bass weight and low end authority/control... Infected mushroom, Im the supervisor. Any tracks but tracks 1 and 3 stand out. For clarity and to gauge the size of the soundstage. Tychonaut, The Tyco brahe again any tracks but tracks 1 & 4 stand out.

[@bluebuddha74]

I agree that it’s important to test tracks that are poorly recorded in addition to your favorites. My test tracks are Debris by the Faces (how an acoustic guitar should sound), Squonk by Genesis, Sunny by Pat Martino on his Live! And Children of Sanchez by Chuck Mangione for Orchestral.

[@SuperMcgenius]

Great list, Hit me was not a huge hit in north America. I loved it, but this is from an old punk. regarding Pink Floyd welcome to the machine, when I sold Audio in New York City in the 1970s the difference between playing at 50 watt amp and a 200 watt amp was not subtle even at 93 dB levels. At home I was rocking on a pair of IMF TLS, 50s with a phase linear 400 with some modifications😅. Being a proper audio file back then demanded you doubled up your 16 gauge lamp cord😊

[@Terry-ed1pi]

That Ian dury song is very bass heavy. Love it

[@Rob1972Gem]

Also, I think it’s very important to test a potential system or components for a potential upgrade with music that you actually listen to and like there is very little point in putting jazz music for whatever reason people like jazz. I do not know everyone to their own, but there’s no point in testing new pieces of equipment or potentially a full system on for example jazz if you do not listen to jazz because you may get home and find that system has got very little base or if you listen to rock and pop in a little bit like me 70s and 80s rock with everything else thrown in from the 80s onwards jazz is not gonna do you much good as a test subject

[@ロクアンドロルしかない]

Also Diana Krall, (transcript makes it Diana Crow 😅) but yeah ex-wife bought a cd of the composer Bacharach or Hal Leonard or both, but I ripped the CD and still have the audio file, that has The Look Of Love, I think that’s actually the name of the compilation album too, but yeah superb test for vocal as would be any of the Dionne Warick songs on the same album SAN Hose and Anyone Who Had a Heart for example, and Walk on By actually, would give a good tonal test.

[@D1N02]

Added all five to my sound check playlist. Now it exceeds 75 tracks. For busy sound I like to put on Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On (Live (2004/Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles)) [feat. Jerry Lee Lewis, Kid Rock, Keith Richards & Merle Haggard] Willie Nelson Very busy, lots going on and can become unlistenabe pretty quickly.

[@itisjustacomment]

Who else is playing the songs as he says them?

[@thomasalexand]

I've got them all on cd except Krall's A Case of You, which is a Joni Mitchell song from her album Blue.

[@anoksf216]

Ha! Yes!

[@sosonic12000]

We’ve all a few of those Judas’s our lives Mr K… The O’Jays defo knew the score 🤣🙌 Is it worth a lil’ shout on impedance ohms , efficiency db, power - watts, sensitivity….matching amp to speakers… 🤔

[@marcparsons1726]

Diana Krall The Look of Love. Will expose a bad DAC. Walter Egan Magnet and Steal is a nice one.

[@JukeboxAlley]

Ray LaMontagne-born to love you (magical great track, can tell alot about the vocal potential/weakness of the speakers) Boz skaggs-thanks to you (great low end, smooth) Emerson Lake and Palmer-from the beginning (great in general) Freya Ridings-lost without you (just her and the piano version, testing vocals, ambience and reverb, its a truly moving track) Haevn-the sea (full orchestra, very great testing track and good in general) Bb king and eric clapton-3 o clock blues (perfect) Phil collins-ALOT of tracks, rain down on me, easy lover, feel it comin in the air tonight for drums and bass Boney james- butter, and alot of other tracks (very smooth recordings and great saxophone player) Billy ocean-carribean queen (one of the best sax solos for me, and great bass playing) Bob james trio-feel like makin live, angela theme from taxi, and alot of his old tracks from when he was with the band fourplay, montreal, wish you were here (perfect) Rick braun-notorious (perfect trumpet player along with cindy bradley) Beegie Adair trio-any of it is perfect Simply Red-holding back the years-perfect song Carpenters/karen carpenter- rainy days and mondays, almost anything with her, she was perfection. A few fun modern tracks bonus- Cannons-bad dream and hurricane, and footateps in the dark Tanerelle-dream Midnight-lost boy, days of thunder, fire in the sky etc. Roosevelt-montreal Mr. Kitty-afterdark Angus and julia stone-big jetplane FKJ- die with a smile, tadow Could name a few more thousand but ill leave you guys with these for now! These are all great gems and some for testing, some for the soul! Enjoy!

[@henniemarks8852]

The Loniest Monk Victor Wooten for the bass.Birds DominiqueFils-Aime for the bass and female voice.With all my love Melanie de Biaso for voice in the first part and the drums in the second part.Fix it Lady Blackbird for the piano and voice. What good am I Tom Jones for the voice. The Pink Panther theme Henry Mancini for the separation. And many others. Thank you Kevin for the awesome tips over the years !

[@goydivision]

I listened to Thriller, produced by Quincy Jones on a good turntable setup when I was 13 . In a bit of a heap at the time , was great medicine.

[@fchampd4512]

Cant find a single MJ song that sounds good :( always wondered if Quincy had some hearing issues

[@Spock105]

I scare myself - Thomas Dolby Cowboys and Angels - George Michael Soundchaser - Yes Arkansas coal - Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra I'm a fool to love you - Billie Holiday The carnival is over - Dead Can Dance Real & Defined Androgens - Annette Peacock Deacon Blues - Steely Dan Trilogy - ELP Alta Noite - Marisa Monte and so many more .....hard to choose

[@TheEnrieb]

I like to use John Carpenters main theme from Prince Of Darkness.

[@ronlysons6750]

Anything by Diana Panton. She's in the room with you.

[@nickaustin8334]

Live vocals and studio vocals use completely different types of microphone. If a live recording has sweet vocals, they're doing well!

[@UncleMilty]

Lee Ritenour, Alive in L.A. First track, A Little Bumpin'

[@TheRoby1kenobi]

When I Fall in Love from Inside out Keith Jarrett. Top test track. It has everything I need to judge in 5 min an hi-fi system, including nicely recorded applause, so difficult to reproduce. If you don't like jazz or classical, Private investigation Dire straits, nice to hear also the walking and shoe rumour entering and turning.

[@stereoreviewx]

yes audience applause is revealing K

[@PaulChadwick-s7b]

Nice one Kelvin I would add 10cc The original Soundtrack most tracks also The Alan Parsons Project Tales of mystery and Imagination Fall of the house of Usher.Thanks for a thought provoking video yet again.

[@stereoreviewx]

yeay 10 cc allways interesting

[@hifiman4562]

I just discovered Child In Me by Lisa Simone. Good stuff.

[@andrehendrik]

for deep bass against a backdrop of shimmering guitars type presentation I listen to Idjut Boys "Another Bird"

[@HarmenElzinga]

can i suggest a speaker to try , the jamo concert 2 wel build , sound great cheap to buy

[@XENONEZZ2]

Just been listening to ''Case of You'' what a wonderful song but have you any idea why it should sound ''better'' on KZbin (warmer and more organic) than when I listen to it using Tidal (a touch more sibilant)....?.

[@stereoreviewx]

yes i can beleive that you tube is taming the sibilance i guess withh less detail ? and its not detrimental to song as theres not much else going on

[@XENONEZZ2]

Interesting that absolute clarity might not always equal absolute listening pleasure.

[@Smog104]

1 -Inner city Blues - Marvin Gaye I listen for the triangle 2- Turn to Grey -Visage - the elecro is really crisp 3- Time - Pink Floyd I love the cacophony of noise but it’s imaging is great in the build up of the song 4- For the Glory - Ian Brown - it’s a very enveloping sound the vocals are very airy there’s not a lot of instruments in the song it’s very uncluttered 5- Take a Chance with me - Roxy Music - again a very enveloping song and the instruments are very defined . Bob Clearmountain recorded the Album which is Avalon on 5 tracks it’s a album you can get lost in sound Another two are 5 years by David Bowie a superb recording was was all of Ziggy Riverside - Agnes Oble - great vocals and piano Withering heights - Kate Bush - listen for the high end piano keys Ghosts - The Jam not a great recording but Bruce Foxtons bass licks are awesome Ghosteen - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - this is a great barometer for ANY HIFI a superb recording Ok that’s more than another two Oh one more Carolina Low - The Decemberists - the acoustic guitar strings are unbelievable- Bang and Olufsens acoustic lens tweters sound great on this song especially the tweeter on a Beosound 2 !! Which ℹ incorporated into a pair of Beolab 3s Carolina Low sounds great especially the acoustic strings on my SF Amatis the little Beosound 2 tweeter is the only tweeter I heard to give the SF a run on these Decemberists strings

[@billywindsock9597]

Fade to Grey, not Turn.

[@stereoreviewx]

thanks Five years is a killer possibly my fave sonding album K

[@an4r3acf]

Nice pick, but you should also state version and support, I mean “original mix and master 1975, vinyl” and so on. You can easily tell differences between original and remix, even remaster, not to say vinyl and digital…

[@malcolmmitchell8538]

Prodigal blues by Billy Idol is my go to, give it a listen 👍🏻😎

[@rabit818]

Speaking of glockenspiel, I need to explore Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick was a surprise. Love Ian Dury in college eons ago and thousands of miles away from the UK. I will add Donna Summer’s electronic masterpiece I Feel Love.

[@stereoreviewx]

i feel love im a big fan

[@TheRocco28]

It’s not a great song and I don’t sit down and listen to the whole recording, but I have a compact disc, extended version of Pump up the Jam by Techtronic. I use this to check the bass response of my speakers and to determine how far out from the back wall to place them.

[@wesleyhendricks4219]

The Greatest Show On Earth - Borderline Odd choice I know 😅

[@jimfarrell4635]

My test tracks vary a lot. They shouldnt really, but they do. However a regular is "Birds" by Dominique Fils-Aimee. Not really my kind of music, but for bass and vocal unbeatable. However, it is now banned, as my wife is thoroughly sick of it.

[@Cartier_specialist]

Alanis Morissette "All I Really Want" before the song officially begins on a really fine system you should be able to hear Alanis inhale right before the harmonica begins. Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" at the beginning of the song on a fine system the high pitched note from the electronic keyboard note should come in from the high left side like a laser beam. Avril Lavigne Sk8er Boi around the minute and a half mark if you have great bass response you should hear what sounds like an earthquake coming from the left side. Joan Osborne "Right Hand Man" quality of female vocals.