Favorite Songs to Demo Speakers

**markmarc** · 06-07-2005 12:24 AM

I have always found it fascinating what music people choose when demoing speakers. Here are my choices:

Phoebe Snow: Something Real
Bonnie Raitt: Nick of Time
Joe Jackson: Night and Day
Dan Fogelberg: The Innocent Age
George Winston: December
Aaron Copeland: Appalachian Spring

**Mjr7531** · 06-07-2005 01:14 AM

The Telarc Recording of the "1812 overture"; Bela Fleck's "Flight of the Cosmic Hippos"; and Berlioz's "March au supplice." I run any speaker through those before I do any other tests.

**gregure** · 06-07-2005 01:19 AM

-Jeff Buckley: Lilac Wine
-R. Struass: Also Sprach Zarathustra - BPO/Karajan
-Dianna Krall: When I Look In Your Eyes
-The Doors: Spanish Caravan
-Van Morrison: Moondance
-Pink Floyd: Money
-Stravinksy: Dance of the Firebird from The Firebird - San Francisco Symphony/Michael Tilson Thomas

Just a few of my faves.

**ND13** · 06-07-2005 11:13 AM

I use:

Rush- "Chronicles" both discs when time permits
Tracy Chapman- "Fast Car"
James Taylor- Greatest Hits
Dire Straits- "Sultans of Swing"
Pink Floyd-"Wish You Were Here"
Andre Segovia does Bach
Beatles- "Rubber Soul"
Just a few but others are used from time to time

**woodyjacobs** · 06-07-2005 11:35 AM

Cool post.

I use:

Sting - "Hounds of Winter" from Mercury Falling and "Shape of My Heart" from Ten Summoner's Tales (and "A Thousand Years" from Brand New Day for testing subs)
Chris Isaak - "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing"
Weezer - "Take Control" from Maladroit
Miles Davis - "Blue in Green" from Kind of Blue
Metallica - "The Ecstacy of Gold" and "The Call of Ktulu" from S&M
Beastie Boys - The In Sound from Way Out (anything on this CD is great)
Jonny Lang - "Darker Side" from Lie to Meo Me

**chunk** · 06-07-2005 01:50 PM

good idea for a thread. here are the three i used when looking for my sub. each are totally different from the others but reflect the wide range of music i listen too.

herbie hancock - "head hunters"
robert earl keen - "live from austin, tx"
donna the buffalo - "positive friction"

**MacLeod** · 06-08-2005 07:00 PM

I listen primarily to heavy metal so I take a slightly different approach.

Dream Theater's "Train of Thought" CD is very very heavy with a very muddy mix but it has a lot of intricate and very technically detailed parts that can be hard to make out. A very good and detailed speaker will play these parts very clear.

**Ron-P** · 06-08-2005 07:05 PM

Blue Man Group

**Airplay355** · 06-08-2005 09:45 PM

Shpongle

**heiney9** · 06-08-2005 10:23 PM

For Female Vocal:

Erin McKeown
Norah Jones
Jewel

Acoustic Inst.

Elton John-early stuff
Al Dimeola-One Night in SanFran
Buddy Guy & Junior Wells-Acoustic

Jazz

GRP-Live In Session
Billy Cobham-Spectrum
Max Roach vs. Buddy Rich
Miles Davis-Kind of Blue

Rock

The Who-Live @ Leeds
Best of The Cult
LZ-Physical Graf or House of the Holy or
In Thru the Out Door.
DMB

A few off the top of my head

H9

**tonyv1** · 06-09-2005 10:15 AM

I made a CD with music that I use to audition equipment with.
It starts off with "Nether Lands" by Dan Fogelberg, "Bali Hai" by Fourplay (great bass transitions) and "Woman in Chains" by Tears for Fears.

**heiney9** · 06-09-2005 10:49 AM

Originally posted by tonyv1
I made a CD with music that I use to audition equipment with.
It starts off with "Nether Lands" by Dan Fogelberg, "Bali Hai" by Fourplay (great bass transitions) and "Woman in Chains" by Tears for Fears.

That’s a good idea….I have made some compilations of fave artists and burned them to cd. I should make a disc of all demo material. I used to do that with cassette tapes way back when I sold audio, before cd burners were the norm. Why didn’t I think of this b4?

H9

**markmarc** · 06-09-2005 11:00 AM

The key is to burn at full bitrate quality, not the compressed MP3.
I had several demo tapes when I sold audio some 20 years ago myself. Some people thought I was cheating by using Metal Tape.

**heiney9** · 06-09-2005 11:23 AM

Originally posted by markmarc
The key is to burn at full bitrate quality, not the compressed MP3.
I had several demo tapes when I sold audio some 20 years ago myself. Some people thought I was cheating by using Metal Tape.

Oh absolutely….no MP3’s ever!!! That brings back memories. I used to use Metal type tapes. I have always owned Nakamichi decks and back then I had a Nak Dragon. A friend of mine came in to look a car stereo’s and I popped in a Metal tape and he commented, “That’s not one of those tapes from your Dragon, is it? Because that’s not fair. It’s going to sound better than anything I put in it”. We just laughed

H9

**Willow** · 06-09-2005 01:13 PM

FWIW :

Ben Harper
Wynton Marsalis
Paganini
Canadian Brass

**kingtut** · 06-10-2005 12:15 PM

Probaby overdone by a lot of people, but I choose Hotel California by the Eagle -- Good bass, nice acoustic guitar and clear vocal.

**broncsrule21@** · 07-30-2008 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by kingtut

Probaby overdone by a lot of people, but I choose Hotel California by the Eagle -- Good bass, nice acoustic guitar and clear vocal.

The Hell Freezes Over version or the original??

I use that Hell Freezes Over (DTS) version for testing my HT.

**bigaudiofanatic** · 07-30-2008 09:51 PM

Coldplay Viva La Vida

**candyliquor35m** · 07-30-2008 10:53 PM

Old thread but wth it's still relevant:

1. Andreas Vollenweider, White winds (album), The glass hall (song #3)
2. Celine Dion, Falling into you (album), Call the man (song #13)

**mhardy6647** · 07-31-2008 08:42 AM

Three years late to the party I be...

Single favorite song? Way Down Deep, Jennifer Warnes.

I understand that this OOP album (The Hunter) is being re-released on CD and LP this fall.

**AsSiMiLaTeD** · 07-31-2008 09:18 AM

I always liked Crash by the Dave Matthews Band as a good demo song.

**Danny Tse** · 07-31-2008 11:11 AM

I am surprisd no one has mentioned Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms"....

"Money For Nothing" for dynamics and "Your Latest Trick" for imaging. Even when using a 2 channel stereo version, "Your Latest Trick" can seem surround-like.

**danger boy** · 07-31-2008 04:25 PM

I usually just throw in some Yoko Ono and crank that bitch up to 11+ on the dial.... seems to work just fine for me.

**hearingimpared** · 07-31-2008 05:00 PM

Shine on You Crazy Diamond . . . all parts.

**concealer404** · 07-31-2008 05:56 PM

Re-recorded version of The Sound of Animals Fighting - "Tiger and The Duke"

**organ** · 08-05-2008 02:11 PM

Neil Diamond - America
Norah Jones - pretty much any song
Armik - "Rain Dancer" and "Gypsy Flame" albums. Well, all his albums are very good.
Jesse Cook - Vertigo and Frontiers albums.

**Erik Tracy** · 08-05-2008 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by danger boy

I usually just throw in some Yoko Ono and crank that bitch up to 11+ on the dial.... seems to work just fine for me.

That must clear the neighborhood of cats, dogs, mice, rats, bugs, cause kids to cry, fell grown men to their knees.....

:D

**DForeman** · 08-05-2008 03:03 PM

Steely Dan - Two Against Nature album.

**hockeyboy** · 08-05-2008 04:19 PM

Lately I have been using Daughtry: It's not over

**Lowell_M** · 08-05-2008 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by Danny Tse

I am surprisd no one has mentioned Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms"....

"Money For Nothing" for dynamics and "Your Latest Trick" for imaging. Even when using a 2 channel stereo version, "Your Latest Trick" can seem surround-like.

The dynamics in Money for Nothing make it one of my absolute favorite songs to demo. I think the Rockford guys might be a little tired of it by now.

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