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Music list for Sound Quality testing (or simple enjoyment)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by F8L, Jun 29, 2008.

  1. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I thought I'd start a thread on the subject of music that is recorded extremely well and can be used to tune a high-end stereo system or to simply show it off to friends and family.

    Anyone who has had a decent aftermarket system knows that not all Cds are recorded equally and some some MUCH worse than others. A great cd can make a system shine while a bad one can make even a great system sound like ^%#@. :)

    So here are a couple tracks I've found that sound great and are either very dynamic or have great detail. Please add your favorites as well and we'll get a small list going for those who are looking for new music that can really showcase their systems. *note* I actually enjoy the music because it sounds so good even if it is not my favorite genre.

    My partial list with links to amazon for listening samples.

    1) AutoSound 2000 Test Disc (not for listening but great for system tuning)
    2) IASCA 1997 World Finals Test disc
    3) http://www.amazon.com/Best-Fourplay/dp/B000002NGQ- Fourplay ~ The Best of (whole album is amazing)
    4)http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B00042YL36?tag=priuschatcom-20 Holly Cole ~ The Holly Cole Collection Vol.1
    5)http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B00005YUFK?tag=priuschatcom-20 - Hugh Masekala ~ Hope (Live CD)
    6)http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B00005YUFK?tag=priuschatcom-20 - Hugh Masekela ~ Hope (Live CD)
     
  2. ursle1

    ursle1 Realist

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    nice thread idea
    I had read that an ipod hooked thru dice had a superior dynamic range,
    I hooked up the dice and it's true, far superior to the cd or fm in the car, so after you get your list, convert the cd to mp3 at the highest bit rate you can(freemp3) is an aftermarket mp3 converter that allows higher bit rates, and enjoy the sound.
    I'm an analoge guy and digits don't really work for me for great sound, yes cd is superior to mp3, but the factory unit rapes the sound of cd, and it doesn't affect the sound of the ipod, jmho
     
  3. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I'm curious how you get better than CD quality? I did not think that was possible without special resampling. CD quality is 1411 kbit/s and the usual best you can do with mp3 is 320 kbit/s unless you use some sort of lossless format right? So with that in mind you cannot get better than the CD unless you actually change the formating (EQ, phase, DSP, etc.). At least I would think so. lol Tell me more and add a few of your favorite testing tracks. :)
     
  4. ursle1

    ursle1 Realist

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    If we were on your or my home system, hands down cd is of a higher quality, but on the prius system the dice enabled mp3 sounds much more dynamic than the cd player, again , I'm an analoge kind of guy, thousands of audiophile quality records, everything that was ever any good is being released on vinyl, and in my opinion vinyl is superior to cd, ok, sacd on a great system may be equal to vinyl but you can get great vinyl sound on a so-so system, I honestly don't have any favorite cd's, never listen to them seriously, but I can go on and on about great records, :)
     
  5. jammin012

    jammin012 The man behind The Man

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    Easy E - Boyz in the Hood
    Turn up the base, adjust the treble and sit back and watch your rearview mirror shake, rattle and roll.
     
  6. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Ahh ok, I'm sorry I misunderstood what you meant by "cd". :)

    I only have 1 SACD (Telarc Digital- Eric Kunzel) and I don't even have a player I can us it on. lol
     
  7. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Almost anything from Telarc is extremely well mastered and recorded. They were doing digital recordings when the rest of the industry was still working with wax 78 RPMs. :D

    Tom
     
  8. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    Anything by Tangerine Dream would make for great stereo system testing, besides being really cool music to listen to (especially on long drives). Their music has a huge range in dynamics and frequencies that can reveal the limitations of your components. And their production is famously meticulous.

    Recommendation: Underwater Sunlight, Logos, Live Miles.
     
  9. Benevola

    Benevola New Member

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    Paul Oakenfold--Faster Kill Pussycat. I'm still amazed at how great the Toyota factory stereo sounds
     
  10. GeoGeek

    GeoGeek Member

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    I'll second the Telarc Digital recordings and add that anything released by Sheffield Labs is exceptional.
    Some popular favorites of mine (though not Telarc or Sheffield):
    Dave Matthews Band - Crash
    Dire Straits - Money for Nothing & Brothers in Arms
    Flim & the BB's - Tricycle
    Eric Clapton - Unplugged
    Billy Thorpe - Children of the Sun
     
  11. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    Barenaked Ladies - If I had $1000000

    Good demo since a lot of people know the song. Very musical in both vocals and instruments.
     
  12. LOVL1TE

    LOVL1TE New Member

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    Stevie Ray Vaughan - Riviera Paradise. Clean, spacious, and subtle. Bass, drums, piano, and of course guitar. Riviera Paradise is a truly soulful nine-minute instrumental composition of jazz and blues.

    This is a phenomenal recording and can be used to test audio systems before purchase and fine-tune systems in place – in my subjective opinion.
     
  13. DougSlug

    DougSlug Member

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    I found this Audio Test CD the other day:
    http://binkster.net/extras.shtml#cd. For testing, not enjoying, though. It has precise frequencies and sweeps, etc. for finding dead spots, testing your crossovers or whatever. It's intended for your home system, but might be interesting in the car (if you're into that sort of thing). The low frequencies were good for finding rattles in my windows, doors and metal fireplace at home.

    - Doug

     
  14. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    The best way to test sound quality is with classical orchestral music. You need a wide range of volume and timbre in the recording to really listen to the quality of the system.