Re Sound System test... yes! This is something I've been thinking about seriously.
As tempting as it is to list just my fave tracks there
are songs that are better at testing a systems true dynamic range.
Once upon a time Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd) was regarded as the gold standard for testing new home stereo systems, but it doesn't hold up against today's age of
RIDICULOUS COMPRESSION.
I'll be testing with :
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Around the World (Daft Punk) ... the big kick and frequency swept intro are a good test of the low frequencies
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7empest (Tool) .. from the new album which is *exceptionally* well mixed and not overly compressed. This song is blowing my brain even on the old system.
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I remember (Deadmau5) ... the smooth vocals and big EDM kicks are a good test for most systems overall clarity / range and Joel is a masterful producer whose attention to audio quality really shows in his overall production
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Cello Suite #1 - Prelude (Bach) ... test clarity for a single instrument over a range of frequencies
And I also wish I could access this piece from YouTube in raw audio but I'll test it anyway because it's INSANE.
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Paganini Caprice no. 5 (Paganin / Sumina Studer)
Any other suggestions?