CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => Music and Recordings => Topic started by: drfindley on August 05, 2015, 07:40:49 PM
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One of the problems when going to a meet is there is that every person/vendor's sample music library varies wildly and often their taste in test tracks sucks (you know how you are).
Let's pick a set of tracks (preferably around 20) everyone should have so that as we go from listening station to listening station we are comparing apples to apples, not apples to the worms you all call music (or test tracks).
I know there are a couple of threads on people's test tracks, but this is more to get us all to agree (ish) on a set of like 10-20 that we'd like at each listening station. Maybe we should make a CD and hand them out to people, but I'm not sure how that all works royalty-wise. Maybe a Tidal playlist? Or some FLACs we promise to not copy into our permanent library?
Maybe we should make a bunch of copies for all the single people so they can give them to that one cute person and they'll know you're a headphone nerd and fall madly in love with you. I'd expect it to go something like this: "Oh, you have the Changstar Mix Tape? Here's my number"
*ahem*. Back to business.
I've added the first two recommendations that I'm stealing straight from Merv, LFF and OJNeg. I'll update this list as we go. People can vote for or against what's up here. Please also let me know the version.
1: Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (1986 CD)
2: Aphex Twin - Ageispolis (?)
3: Hell Freezes Over - HC (?)
4: Dire Straits - "Money For Nothing" (original mastering vinyl or CD)
5: Eric Clapton - Unplugged - Layla (?)
6: Sheffield Labs - Drum Improvisation
7: Sheffield Labs - Die Walkure
8: Ombra mai fu - Heroes - Andreas Scholl
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You might want to precise the version to make sure everyone's on the same page.
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I would add that a Changstar Dance CD should also be provided for when the lights go down. So everyone can boogie.
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HC from HFO. Everyone's sick of it, but it's universal and you can cover 85% of what you need to hear in a matter of 30 secs.
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Die Walkure from Sheffield Labs?
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Oh yeah Sheffield Labs Drum Improvisation. The Stax stator breaker (if your gear is dynamic enough).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivN-hBXRtro
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Dire Straits - "Money For Nothing" (original mastering vinyl or CD)
Why Dire Straits? That intro makes or breaks your audio gear. When that intro sounds wrong the audio set-up is wrong.
For pure 1980ties goodness may I suggest a fun listen? David Hasselhoff's recent single "True Survivor" is pure fun and crafted by people who love that Jan Hammer 1980ties sound. The Kung Fury soundtrack is now on vinyl and digital, including Spotify so access should be no problem.
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Also proposing any track from Eric Clapton Unplugged album. Everyone should this album have and it is recorded/mixed very well.
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Meh, you'll never get me acclimated to the types of tracks most people listen to. Nor do I expect most others to feel the same way about my music, regardless of genre or how well it's recorded and mastered. Very rarely can I judge gear with tracks I'm unfamiliar with AND don't care for, which is key (I gotta be able to get into the music), unless something is clearly off with the gear. I got HC from HFO and still don't get as much use out of it as my usual, generally crappier sounding tracks. Though it is useful in some ways, yes, and I'm happy I got it now.
I prefer everyone just bringing their own music and dumping it on everyone's machines so they can judge with what they're used to. Worked well at the Boulder meet, save for some initial confusion and learning each other's machines, software, and directories where music is stored. Otherwise, I put something on, nod my head a few times, say, "Mmhmm, mmhmm...yep...No idea what I'm hearing." Again unless something is WAY off. Like the HE560 for my ears. ;)
However, I am open to keeping this group-agreed-on music on my machine for meets and so I have a frame of reference when reading other folks' impressions.
In other words, I'm a stubborn ass and have nothing to contribute because most of my music sucks for most everyone! (But will comb through this and get some new music on my machine for the next meet. :) )
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I'm with Hans, I stopped listening to audiophile approved tracks years ago. Reminds me of the olden days when everyone used Thelma Houston and Harry James direct to disk vinyl to demo their systems, YUK! :vomit:
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You might want to precise the version to make sure everyone's on the same page.
Yes, the version is important. I'll update the first post with whatever anyone recommends.
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I prefer everyone just bringing their own music and dumping it on everyone's machines so they can judge with what they're used to. Worked well at the Boulder meet, save for some initial confusion and learning each other's machines, software, and directories where music is stored.
Honestly, the best thing I've done is bring my own laptop to the meet and just play music off of that for consistency. I also dump a ton of music on my listening station so that hopefully everyone's tastes are covered (though I don't own any classical). I think it's smart to bring a USB stick with music you'd like to try.
The thing is, oftentimes using your own stuff doesn't work, because it's either a portable player or you don't have the right connections or there's that one guy who still believes in CD transports.
Having a default set of stuff that you can all listen to is great. I'm not really sure these should be "audiophile tracks" as much as ones that make it easy to give you a feeling as for what the test equipment can do. My feeling is audiophile tracks can be misleading as they tend to not really match your listening experience and overwhelming filled with acoustic guitar stuff, which doesn't test the dynamic range or the imaging or separation as well.
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Die Walkure from Sheffield Labs?
Oh yeah Sheffield Labs Drum Improvisation. The Stax stator breaker (if your gear is dynamic enough).
Are these roughly the same thing?
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Dire Straits - "Money For Nothing" (original mastering vinyl or CD)
Why Dire Straits? That intro makes or breaks your audio gear. When that intro sounds wrong the audio set-up is wrong.
Added.
For pure 1980ties goodness may I suggest a fun listen? David Hasselhoff's recent single "True Survivor" is pure fun and crafted by people who love that Jan Hammer 1980ties sound. The Kung Fury soundtrack is now on vinyl and digital, including Spotify so access should be no problem.
Does anyone outside of Germany listen to Hasselhoff? Also I think there should be only one or two tracks of a certain genre only max of two or three "let me play this weird thing to break your speakers/amp/headphones/DAC". Music that does that is fine, but it's nice to actually listen to music.
Also proposing any track from Eric Clapton Unplugged album. Everyone should this album have and it is recorded/mixed very well.
Any recommendations, I don't know this album well. As a resident, "San Francisco Bay Blues" looks appealing.
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Are these roughly the same thing?
Me and Anax talk about different things produced by the same studio. Anything from Sheffield Labs works but my personal favorite is Die Walkure.
Layla should be the most popular one from Unplugged.
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Are these roughly the same thing?
Did you just ask me if a Wagnerian Opera was the same as a modern Drum improvisation?
It's Hotel California from Hell Freezes Over.
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Aphex Twin is mainly my test track for cabinet resonances. Useful for pinpointing headphone bass distortion as well.
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"Ombra mai fu" (a.k.a. the Largo from Handel's Xerxes) sung by Andreas Scholl, countertenor, on his Decca album "Heroes."
Useful for quick identification of the most obvious FR problems, textural roughness or thinness, and soundstage gaps / double image.
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Did you just ask me if a Wagnerian Opera was the same as a modern Drum improvisation?
Yes, yes I did. I'm afraid I'm not "familiar" with the artist "Sheffield Labs" and their assorted works.
It's Hotel California from Hell Freezes Over.
Right. Copy and paste laziness there.
Anything from Sheffield Labs works but my personal favorite is Die Walkure.
Adding this. But will it make the orchestral/classical people happy (a group of which I'm not a part)
Layla should be the most popular one from Unplugged.
Of course
Aphex Twin is mainly my test track for cabinet resonances. Useful for pinpointing headphone bass distortion as well.
I quite like that as each sound comes in, it seems to hit a different frequency band. There's something about that seems to work well. Any other things you'd recommend?
"Ombra mai fu" (a.k.a. the Largo from Handel's Xerxes) sung by Andreas Scholl, countertenor, on his Decca album "Heroes."
Useful for quick identification of the most obvious FR problems, textural roughness or thinness, and soundstage gaps / double image.
Added.
Thoughts on adding anything from Daft Punk - Random Access Memories?
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Daft Punk is just a club bass check which is fine. It's not really that great overall. Would it be repetitive with Aphex?
I don't think a compilation of tracks without a specific criteria of to listen for will be that useful.
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Daft Punk is just a club bass check which is fine. It's not really that great overall. Would it be repetitive with Aphex?
Daft Punk seems to get a lot of attention at meets. But I agree, it is repetitive with Aphex Twin and I think Aphex is the better choice.
I don't think a compilation of tracks without a specific criteria of to listen for will be that useful.
Agreed. I found OJ's explanation for Ageispolis quite helpful. Also, by specifying criteria, it can help others learn to identify what sounds like what, kinda like the definition list.
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Yes, yes I did. I'm afraid I'm not "familiar" with the artist "Sheffield Labs" and their assorted works.
This is NOT the drum improvisation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKaYOW9zMoY
This is not the Sheffield Labs instrumental (no singing) version, I can't find any reference or credits to the source (probably Solti/Vienna given the time period), but this is the opera version one with the sopranos screeching, used to great effect in the film.
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This should have been the trailer!! Wait for the end when all the trombones come in around 3:25! This is using the actual Solti/Vienna version. Plus some great shots of Charlie Sheen in this trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36RjVOi32sA
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Adding this. But will it make the orchestral/classical people happy (a group of which I'm not a part
Die Walkure IMHO should cause more political correctness problems than splitting classical fans. If we want something specifically for piano, 1955 Glenn Gould Goldberg Variations (a whole album runs roughly 40 minutes) might be a contender?
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if we want something specifically for piano, 1955 Glenn Gould Goldberg Variations (a whole album runs roughly 40 minutes) might be a contender?
I use variation 5 from his digital version to test for resolution and speed / decay. It's good enough for my purposes, but it's not ideal because Gould tuned his pianos peculiarly so it's not a good test of timbre.
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For female vocals Florence + The Machine live are good. Florence Welch's voice is strong, present and nicely "flexes" with the band. From whispers to going full blast. Then add a proper Soul or Jazz diva, the kind of lady who could sing an audience into silence like Aretha Franklin, Lynn Collins, Jill Scott, or Sharon Jones. Pick your rendition and medium (vinyl or CD) and you are done with these two.
Your midrange to highs are covered. Included are interplay with the band and conviction. When the vocalist has fun or really (seems to) means it you hear it. When the audio gear sucks the life out of the performance then that is a bad sign.
"Dance To The Music" by Sly & The Family Stone should make you dance, not die. Audio gear that fails this has no right to exist in my opinion.
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Bass is much more distinct and delineated with Ageispolis, although not "hi-fi" by any stretch.
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Recently I've been using the new Infected Mushroom track "Kafkaf" to evaluate four things:
- Stereo imaging and transient response: individual tones should pop and decay rapidly/cleanly all over the stereo image; no blurring
- Bass impact and control: the bass (and mid) notes "slide" downward which requires both power and control from the amp/transducer to reproduce clean and loud
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE5uC2By-nY
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I love Infected Mushroom for testing and burning in headphones. Good stuff!
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5: Eric Clapton - Unplugged - Layla (?)
for consistency, I suggest we go for the 2013 Viacom deluxe package - disk 1. The CD should read R2 536565, Printed in USA, bar code 0 81227 96366 8
PS the deluxe sounds very similar to the original CD 20 years ago, with lengths and track cut-off points changed for a few songs.
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Judas Priest - The Rage (British Steel Album)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTWlVL9aS6c
Blue Oyster Cult - Godzilla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T65rW_SIzg0
The Who - Who Are You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLIerfXuZ4
Led Zepplin - Kashmir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDwotNLyz10