Definitive Tracks
Cuts that reveal what your system can do.
Bass
Gloria's Step
Sunday at the Village Vanguard · Bill Evans Trio
Bass pitch and the wood of LaFaro's instrument.
Exactly Like You
Soular Energy · The Ray Brown Trio
The size, pitch and body of Ray Brown's upright bass.
No Sanctuary Here
Roadhouses & Automobiles · Chris Jones
Deep bass under his baritone and the width of the stage.
Part I – Acknowledgement
A Love Supreme · John Coltrane
Jimmy Garrison's bass figure under the chant, and Elvin Jones's cymbals rising behind the sax.
Maiden Voyage
Maiden Voyage · Herbie Hancock
Ron Carter's bass and Tony Williams's ride cymbal.
Voice
What a Shame
Café Blue · Patricia Barber
Barber's voice when it rises, and the bongos' pop.
Spanish Harlem
The Raven · Rebecca Pidgeon
A rock-steady center image and the breath around her voice.
Breaking Silence
Breaking Silence · Janis Ian
Vocal presence up front, and the weight of the bass beneath it.
Georgia On My Mind
Here's to Ben · Jacintha
The texture of a closely miked voice against tenor sax.
My Home Is in the Delta
Folk Singer · Muddy Waters
The weight and grain of his voice, and the bite of the two acoustic guitars.
Soundstage
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis · Sir John Barbirolli, Sinfonia of London, Allegri Quartet
Depth: the quartet, small group and full strings at different distances.
Hotel California (acoustic)
Hell Freezes Over · Eagles
The acoustic guitar intro of "Hotel California" and the percussion around it.
Game of the Pairs
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra · Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Instrument pairs passing the theme across the stage.
Church
Joshua Judges Ruth · Lyle Lovett
The gospel choir and band spread across a wide, deep stage.
Time
The Dark Side of the Moon · Pink Floyd
The clocks and chimes at the start of "Time" and the pans across the stage.
Dynamics
1812 Overture
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture · Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
The cannon shots near the end, and whether your system stays clean.
Introduction (Sunrise)
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra · Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The organ pedal and timpani under the opening sunrise.
Stimela
Hope · Hugh Masekela
The trumpet jumping from a whisper to full blast.
Mars, the Bringer of War
Holst: The Planets · Zubin Mehta, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Massed brass and bass drum building in Mars.
The Drum Thunder Suite
Moanin' · Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
Drum attack and the room around the kit.