What music does everyone like for audio tests (and showing off their system)? I'm trying to make an audio test cd with SQ stuff on it and I'd love some ideas...

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Car: '95 Mitsubishi Lancer GLXi Coupe
Head Unit: JVC KD-SX950
Front: 6.5" Focal Polykevlar 165K's (being installed)
Front Amp: Audison LRx 2.150 (being installed)
Rear: 6" Pioneer TS-A1665 (3-way)
Rear Amp: Nothing (yet)
Subwoofer: 1 x JL Audio 12W3-D2 @ 4 ohms
Sub Amp: Jaycar (Response) 2x150 @ 450WRMS bridged
Current SPL: 118.0 db

Hey there BlaYd,

Well firstly when you say you want to make a CD of SQ tracks, im sure you mean to burn one on your computer, usually the quality is not as good as an already made CD it has more distortion and static, but i dont think its enough to notice to much, not sure. As for what i play, i have a bought a CD available from Focal (same company that makes THE BEST COMPONENTS) in my opinion off course. So thats what i use.

Hope ive helped.

tune_man

I too find the Focal Test CD to be a very worthy SQ disk. I am told that the new Alpine reference disk is also valuable.

At the ends of the day, it can all be relative to your ears. For example, Michael Jackson always sounds great, it very well recorded and very dynamic. It is a popular choice in system demos.

Believe it or not, Radiohead make some excellent recordings too. Play a Radiohead CD on a quality system and you will here their music in a whole new light. I never believed it till I heard "Paranoid Android" on a $20k Naim Audio home system.

For some other fantastic SQ get hold of some Shefield Labs disks.

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Black Coffee "Potpourri Fusique, Chapter 2" is my number 1 demo disc.
Gorgeous music, hella low clean bass, very smooth clean open sound. Highly recommended.

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Stinger cables and connectors etc
TEAM AUDISON SQ WITH ATTITUDE

anything from
The Eagles,
Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon
Tool Laterlus (very clear recording)
Alpine/focal/boston refrence recodings are allways good SQ disks.

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CDA7969R XTR800.4 RSD216 XTR15S HCW8
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i like the Alpine Highway One test disc, and also the IASCA 1999 Competition CD.

apart from that, as im into blues, i like Telarc discs, as these are one of the few companies that make a dedicated effort at creating accurate and live-sounding recordings.

but one of my favourites is 'Cafe Blue' by Patricia Barber - orgasmic female vocals and percussion/strings, with ambience and space hard to get elsewhere.

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Custom SQ System

Source: Clarion DRX-9675z - Front Stage: Boston Acoustics Pro 6.5's - Centre Channel: Boston Acoustics FS50 Midrange - Ambient Satellites: Boston Acoustics 3/4" Kortec Tweeters - Processors: Audiocontrol EQT's - Subwoofers: Earthquake BR12's - Amplifiers: Kicker IX404's - Power: Stinger 1 Farad HPM Capacitor
Sounding sweet and taking it to the street

[Edited 1 time by T-Bro on 12 September 2002 at 11:38]

I also use Alpine Highway One, and Michael Jackson is also great for showing off SQ (his older stuff like Billie Jean)

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Thanks for the input guys, how much do the Focal demo cds usually cost?

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Car: '95 Mitsubishi Lancer GLXi Coupe
Head Unit: JVC KD-SX950
Front: 6.5" Focal Polykevlar 165K's (being installed)
Front Amp: Audison LRx 2.150 (being installed)
Rear: 6" Pioneer TS-A1665 (3-way)
Rear Amp: Nothing (yet)
Subwoofer: 1 x JL Audio 12W3-D2 @ 4 ohms
Sub Amp: Jaycar (Response) 2x150 @ 450WRMS bridged
Current SPL: 118.0 db

I have 2 of the focal CDs - very nice - cost around $35 each I think.

I also find Dire Straits - Money for Nothing is a great track to pump - got nice midbass and just sounds good overall.

But yeah - if you're doing an SQ disk - do yourself a favour and don't burn up MP3's - sounds average and doesn't cut it in SQ stakes - leave it for the Britney Spears

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ICQ: 104066553

quote:

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Originally posted by Stoked:
I also find Dire Straits - Money for Nothing is a great track to pump - got nice midbass and just sounds good overall.

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Agreed there I was hooked after hearing it on Marc Rushton's system the other week!

quote:

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But yeah - if you're doing an SQ disk - do yourself a favour and don't burn up MP3's - sounds average and doesn't cut it in SQ stakes

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And my argument against MP3's strenthens I've compared Money for Nothing between MP3 and original recording back to back, and the difference is profound. The MP3 lacks all the clarity and crispness of the original.

Also, for SQ testing don't ignore orchestral music! Full range of frequencies, timbre's, dynamics, etc. My personal favorite is the 1812 Overture by Tchaikofski (arg, bad spelling!). By the end of it if your subs are still working, you've done alright

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SQ/show system in progress.....
* Processor * stacker * Floor * Neons * Glass
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I have my preference of...
Public Enemy - There's A Poison Goin' On (album)
Dread Zone - Second Light (album)

Outkast - B.O.B.
Vandals - Mohawk Town
Rancid - Daly City Train (this always sounds good)
Iggy Pop - Candy
Transvision Vamp - I Want Your Love


And for general purpose BASS blasting you cant go past:
Public Enemy - Go Cat Go

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Have you thought of trying some techno/ dance sorta stuff...Not all of its doof doof...albums like
Skitzmix
Ministry of sound
Kickin hard
Wild
Prodigy



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Headunit: JVC KD-SX985
Mid bass: Kenwood KFC HQ 718320w 7x10's
Amps: Jaycar 100wRMSx4, Kenwwod KAC 628 100wRMSx2
Subs: Pioneer 12" TS-W1201C
Neons: 2x strobes,2x pulsing,2x antenna type and 2x12"

quote:

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I've compared Money for Nothing between MP3 and original recording back to back, and the difference is profound. The MP3 lacks all the clarity and crispness of the original.[/

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This still depends on allot of things though...
The quality of the rip off the cd.
The quality of the encoder.
The bitrate that is used.
The quality of the decoder in the HU.
ect...

I think that if done properly you can get it pretty much identical to the original.. But still the origional cd is allways going to be better. If only very very slightly in some cases.

Music DVD's some of the "sony" ones have good Quality give Eric Clapton or Santana(live in concert)a try.(prologic or DTS comes in handy here...)
Or for some aussie retro...INXS(greatest hits album)
I found CAKE has good SQ recording(comfort eagle)
Ben Folds Five is good stuff(piano, bass & drums) Close the eyes and listen, the band should sound like they are playing live in front of you at floor level!
Jean M Jarre, Oxygene(spelling?)is a oldie but a goodie for dynamics and imaging(syth movie type music)


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Kick'it in the guts....

quote:

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Originally posted by T-Bro:
apart from that, as im into blues, i like Telarc discs, as these are one of the few companies that make a dedicated effort at creating accurate and live-sounding recordings.

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Mmmm, Telarc...
It's a shame the Enzo CD wasn't a nicer recording. Apart from noticable mic hiss that music sounded very nice. I See Red had real impact.

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