Reference Recordings / Test Tracks

there's a ton that i use, but these always find a way to the top of my "test tracks" playlist:

steve tibbetts - ten years
area code 615 - devil weed & me
the cure - all cats are grey
the walker brothers - the electrician
spirit - life has just begun
alice coltrane - journey in satchidananda
buckingham nicks - stephanie
boz scaggs - can i make it last
chick corea - sometime ago
miles davis - in a silent way / it's about that time
olivia newton-john - love song
robert palmer - the silver gun
burzum - dunkelheit
chuck mangione - land of make believe (live)
fred neil - cynicrustpetejohnfredraga
blind faith - can't find my way home
frank zappa - peaches en regalia
neil young - will to love
peter green - little dreamer
colin blunstone - misty roses
dr. buzzard's original savannah band - cherchez la femme
mandrake som - berimbau
massada - sibu sibu
steve kuhn - trance
jon hassell - blue night
japan - canton (live)
haruomi hosono - kinu kaido
herb alpert - rotation

 

Oh man the Cowboy Bebop sound track was fanfreakingtastic! It really did make the experince, but with Bebop in the name you knew it had to have a strong sound track

an I'ma be that guy to post a link. I just did an entire write up on what I use for my Recordings an test Tracks

http://hifilowlight.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-sound-review-process-look-into-how.html

tldr

The Zephyrtine - A Ballet Story [ Fundacao Orquestra Estudio, Rui Massena] #09 Dance of the Zephyrtines

Kind of Blue (2015 Mobile Sound Fidelity Labs Re-release) [Miles Davis] #01 So What

Igor Levit: Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski #01 Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 - Aria with 30 Variations

Collected [Shadow Child] #07 The Verdict (Part 2) (Edit)

... And Justice for All - [Metallica] #05 The Shortest Straw

Migration - [Dai Quing Tana & Haya Band] #04 Gayatri

Dead Heart In A Dead World - [Nevermore] #05 The River Dragon Has Come

Jazz In the New Harmonic - [David Chesky] #08 Transcendental Tripping

Beginning of The New Legend - [Ark Storm] #06 Evolution

 

The best "headphone" test song I've yet heard is Dave Koz - "Whisper in your Ear" - truly he is whispering in each ear back and forth during the song. Great music but doesn't sound as amazing on speakers.

 

I usually use Grateful Dead HDTracks American Beauty, Pink Floyd, HDTracks Tom Petty to test any changes in my system.

I just listened to XTC's "River of Orchids" off of Apple Venus, Vol. 1 and it was a stunning track for headphones. I highly recommend it.

 

Time Out, Classic Records 45rpm, that's all I need to evaluate any system.

 

If you want to find all harshness and boomyness in any headphone, check out Gojira - The Axe. Or any other song from that album. Perfectly mixed and mastered with no boom or harshness whatsoever. So anything "wrong" will be in the headphones, and NOT the mix!

 

I use Maynard Ferguson to test harshness. Not only is his tone just miserably trebly, but I think they EQ it up a bit just for extra ear fuckage. It won't sound bad unless there's something funky in the treble of your headphones though. I mean, nothing can fix his tone (seriously Maynard, nobody likes treble that much. Listen to Chet Baker after he got his teeth punched out for a while)

 

I like having neutral and clear sound to test it with, because I need to tell whether a sharp sound is from the recording or the headphone. If the mix is already harsh, how do I tell what the headphone is doing vs the mix itself?

Likewise, a boomy mix will still be boomy in smooth flat headphones. Boomy ones will just give you more.

 

Here's some of my favourite tracks/albums that have very good production.

Deftones: Digital Bath (that drum-intro!)
Massive Attack: Angel (lot of sub-bass info, dynamic mix)
Stevie Wonder: Innervisions (very true sound with the instruments, dynamic)
Faith No More: King For A Day (overall great & dynamic rock production)
Rage Against The Machine: s/t (pure sound of an awesome rock band)
Rise Against: Heaven Knows (another great production job, punchy guitars)
Dr Dre: 2001 (hifi gangsta rap, if there is such a thing!)
AC/DC: Back In Black (punchy as hell, one of the most revered rock productions)