Reference tracks

I know Skip has that other thread going, and I didn’t want to hijack but I did want to ask what others use for ref tracks.
Mines a moving target but I have recently pushed this track to the very top. When all is right with my setup, jaws drop with this track.

Try that one. I dare you
How about you guys?
Mines a moving target but I have recently pushed this track to the very top. When all is right with my setup, jaws drop with this track.

Try that one. I dare you
How about you guys?
Comments
Sony XA-5400ES SACD
Pass XP-22 pre, X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers, SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits.
- Isaac Asimov
Hi-Fi
Apple Lossless --> Squeezebox Touch --> Joule Electra LA-100 Mark iii --> Yaqin MC-10t --> LSiM-705's
Cabling by Groneberg
Visuals
http://StretchPhotography.com
http://Vimeo.com/channels/stretchphoto
Jurassic Park Main Theme
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
Thank You
Some tracks I like...
Patty Larkin:
Wolf at the Door (Perishable Fruit)
When (Regrooving the Dream) - Probably her best album (my favorite, at least)
River (Regrooving the Dream)
Casandra Wilson
Drunk as Cooter Brown (Belly of the Sun) - This whole album is very good.
Ani DiFranco:
Out of Range (Living in Clip)
Shameless (2006-11-10, Boston; Official Bootleg)
Terry Evans:
Get Your Lies Straight (Blues for Thought)
Larry Carlton
Take Me Down (Sapphire Blue)
Norah Jones:
In the Morning (Feels Like Home) - there's an "error" in this song, see if you can pick it out (it happens more than once - consistently in the same spot repeated).
Vanessa Fernandez:
Here but I'm Gone (Use Me)
Talk Talk
Happiness is Easy (The Colour of Spring)
Janiva Magnes
The Devil is an Angel Too (The Devil is an Angel Too)
Vinyl: Fluance RT85 * Nagaoka MP-110 * Bottlehead Reduction + Integration Upgrade * KAB RF1
Video: Hisense 55H8F * Panasonic DMP-UB200 * Z-line Designs Elektra
The dead can dance - ubiquitous Mr love Grove... The carnival
Chicken foot - soap on a rope
Gov't mule - blind man in the dark
Ben harper - I want to be ready..... Glory and consequence
Blue man group - the complex (whole album)
"No, that's silly talk. Dude, you can't possibly be this audio dumb so quit the act." - Doro
The ray Charles song is also very well recorded
"No, that's silly talk. Dude, you can't possibly be this audio dumb so quit the act." - Doro
PS, and strictly FWIW, I think Patty Larkin's live album a gogo is her best, and is one I whip out
I'd add Burning Down , Hand Full of Water and Beg to Differ from Regrooving the Dream as good evaluation/demo tracks, too (again, FWIW)
Yeah -- it is a good, and good sounding album... but, then again, almost all of her albums are outstanding and almost all of them sound great, as well.
Careful on the volume around 40 -50 seconds in.
Living Room:,T+A PA 1530R,Wireworld Silver Eclipse SC, Tyler Highland H2, High Fidelity Reveal RCA, Innuos Zen MK3 , W4S recovery, LKS MH-da004,
Have but haven't used in a while: LH Labs VI Dac, Cayin SCD50T, Grant Fidelity Tube Dac11,Aries Mini
Good one....he sings Elton's song, better than Elton. Man injects soul into every piece on that recording.
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's
Trilogy of 'Hey, Hey, Julia', 'Sailin' Shoes', and 'Sneakin'.......
(even HE was kinda surprised at the difference we heard)
Also Madonna's 40th birthday album Ray of Light. The entire CD is filled with all kinds of phase manipulated stuff that flies all over the room on SDA's. It also has some interesting electronic tones at the beginning of track one which used to come through distorted until I upgraded my crossovers with the Great ones that I got from @VR3
Best for sussing out upper register clarity & response.
I also use a Deutsche Gramaphon half-speed master of the Berlin Phil doing "Carmina Burana" for low to mid response.
Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyr "Music for Two" esp. "Wooly Mammoth", to see how things respond without getting muddy.
Near perfect mix/recording.
Family Room| Marantz AV7704| Usher Dancer Mini - 2 DMD Mains |Usher Dancer Mini-x DMD's Surrounds | Usher BE-616 DMD Center | SVS Ultra Rear Surrounds | Parasound Halo A21 | Parsound Halo A52+ | MIT Shotgun S3's | Dual SVS SB 4000 Ultras | Oppo UDP 203 | Directv Genie HD DVR | Samsung 75" Q8 QLED | PSAudio Stellar GCD | Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ | Lumin U1 Mini | HP Elite Slice PC | ROON'd for life |
ManCave: HT:Polk LSiM 706VR3 LSiM 703's LSiM 702's|| Marantz AV7002 AV PrePro Sunfire TGA-7401| Sony PS4 Pro| Sony PS4 Pro|SVS PB13 Ultra| Oppo UDP 203 | Music Hall MMF 5.3se TT w/ Soundsmith Carmen | Samsung 55" SUHD TV | Sony PS4
Patio | Polk Atrium 8's | Yamaha R-N303BL |
Office BlueSound Node| KEF LS50 | Peactree Nova 125SE |
Bedroom | Focal 905's | Chromecast Audio |
Garage | Polk Monitor 5B's
Closet Yamaha M80 | 2 Polk MP3K subs| Yaqin MC100B with Shuguang Treasures KT 88's & CV181Z's | Tesla E83CC's | Marantz 2252B | Marantz 2385 |Polk SDA SRS 2.3 | LSiM 705's |
I have some listening to do this weekend.
Good call miner.
Joss Stone, "The Chokin' Kind," from "Soul Sessions"
- Isaac Asimov
Hi-Fi
Apple Lossless --> Squeezebox Touch --> Joule Electra LA-100 Mark iii --> Yaqin MC-10t --> LSiM-705's
Cabling by Groneberg
Visuals
http://StretchPhotography.com
http://Vimeo.com/channels/stretchphoto
VOCAL
- Lou Rawls & Phoebe Snow - A Lover's Question (Great contrast yet complementary vocals. The music will make you tap your foot!)
- Gregory Porter, featuring Kem - Holding On (I'm a big fan of both Gregory and fellow Detroiter Kem. Great track, Great vocals and recording)
- Gregory Porter - Be Good (Lion's Song) (The vocals are just SO pure and smooth!)
- Natalie Cole - Route 66 (This is just a nice catchy track off of the Unforgettable album. Natalie just swings on it. Her Dad would have been proud!)
- Seal - Killer (Acoustic Version) (I love Seal's work. I saw him live once and his performance and his band was simply Awesome! I love the original track but this one makes for a cool demo track)
- Quincy Jones - The Places You Find Love (At the end there's a ton going here! A bad system will smear the hell out of this track)
- Earth Wind & Fire - Let's Groove (midbass test track!)
- Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana (Sub bass and Mike rocking out test track!)
INSTRUMENTALHDTV - Sharp AQUOS LC-70LE600U 70" | AVR/Streamer - Onkyo TX-NR3008 | Amp - Parasound HCA-1203A
Blu-Ray/Media/Gaming - Sony PS3-320GB / Microsoft Xbox One | Broadcast - Xfinity X1 Platform
Front Spkrs - Coming...DIY Statement II | Center Spkrs - Coming...DIY Statement II | Rear Spkrs - Artison Portrait LRS
Sub - DIY Stereo Integrity HT 15 | Sub Amp - Dayton Audio SA1000
Wire - Audioquest Type 4, BJC Belden 5000 | HDMI - BJC Belden | Power Cables - Pangea | Surge - Monster
back to mellow. It's my new favorite go-to demo piece for the 2Bs.
http://audiomilitia.proboards.com/
Gregory Porter is absolutely fantastic. I love when Holding On hits on the bass line and it jumps from left to right and back.
"Temptation is the manifestation of desire which equals necessity." - Mikey081057
" I have always had a champange taste with a beer budget" - Rick88
"Just because the thread is getting views don't mean much .. I like a good train wreck doesn't mean i want to be in one..." - pitdogg2
"Those that don't know, don't know that they don't know." - heiney9
"Audiophiles are the male equivalent of cat ladies." - Audiokarma Member
I came within seconds of posting SRV's "Little Wing" earlier! But I left and did something else instead.
Little Wing also sounds like SRV's "Riviera Paradise". I think they start the same way..
Beautiful guitar picking and the recording of it!
@arthurs played this track for my wife and I on vinyl via the Destination Audio horns on the final day of the 2018 California Audio Show earlier this year, as the last track to close out the show.
I'd never heard the song before. It was an incredible musical experience that I won't ever forget.