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The Dynaco Tube Audio Forum

Dedicated to the restoration and preservation of all original Dynaco tube audio equipment - Customer support for Tubes4hifi VTA tube amp and preamp kits and all Dynakitparts.com products


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40 posters

    What are your favorite "test" CD's or LP's ?

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    Dingojazz


    Posts : 73
    Join date : 2010-09-03

    What are your favorite "test" CD's or LP's ? - Page 2 Empty Favorite "Tests"

    Post by Dingojazz Fri Nov 19, 2010 12:13 am

    D. Fagen; Morph the Cat (CD)

    " " ; Nightfly (vinyl)
    Dire Straits: On Every Street (vinyl)
    Chris Isaacs: Heart Shaped World (vinyl)
    Basia: London, Warsaw, NY (vinyl)
    Shawn Colvin: Steady On (vinyl)
    Milt Jackson: Tribute to Monk (vinyl) bass solo "round midnite"
    Ry Cooder: Jazz (vinyl)
    " " : Chicken Skin Music (vinyl)
    Muddy Waters; Folk Singer (vinyl)
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    thevic24


    Posts : 34
    Join date : 2010-01-31

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    Post by thevic24 Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:33 pm

    I have a few songs that I like to use.

    1. The live version of Hotel California
    2. I wouldnt wanna be like you(Alan Parsons)
    and the opening track to Alan Parson's "Tales of Mystery ad Imagination" album.

    There are a few others but these are my main go to tracks.


    -Vic
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    VikeMan


    Posts : 3
    Join date : 2010-11-21

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    Post by VikeMan Tue Nov 23, 2010 11:00 pm

    My typical test CDs...

    1) Alan Parsons: Tales of Mystery and Imagination
    2) Pink Floyd: DSOtM
    3) Porcupine Tree: Lightbulb Sun

    I do really like the music, but mainly I use these because I know them inside out. In fact I used all three tonight to audition my newly arrived Bob-built ST70/VTA70.

    ---VikeMan
    Bob Latino
    Bob Latino
    Admin


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    Post by Bob Latino Wed Nov 24, 2010 5:55 pm

    Vic and VikeMan,

    It's funny that both of you should mention Alan Parsons. I recently acquired a DVD-A copy of Alan Parsons' "Eye In The Sky" and now use the title track as a test track. Any of Parsons' tracks on virtually any album are very well engineered.

    Bob
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    thevic24


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    Post by thevic24 Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:57 pm

    Hey Bob,

    If you get the chance to, check out Alan Parson's "Tales of mystery and imagination".

    The whole album is excellent. The opening track along with Cask of Amontillado are very good "demo" tracks.
    IMO, he put together a good crew for this album.


    -Vic
    baddog1946
    baddog1946


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    Post by baddog1946 Thu Nov 25, 2010 7:17 pm

    Try Pierre Bensusan "Intuite" best acoustic recording I have heard for a long time. Music is great too.
    avatar
    baddog19
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    Post by baddog19 Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:50 pm

    Greg Brown "Slant Six Mind"
    frank
    frank


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    Post by frank Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:10 am

    Laurie Anderson "Strange Angels"
    Dead can Dance "Into the Labyrinth" and "Aion"
    All of these for great recordings and wide variety of sounds, from tympani to all sorts of tinkly things. Good for vocals.

    Ray Brown, John Clayton, Christian McBride "Superbass 2"
    A friend of mine runs a high-end stereo store and uses this when setting up customers systems to check bass balance. GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.

    Alison Krauss and Union Station "Live"
    Joe Jackson "Big World"
    One for female vocals the other for male vocals. Both because they can get really irritating if you have treble problems.

    The THX tests found on some DVDs such as "Monsters Inc."
    I use the sweep tone for subwoofer integration.
    j beede
    j beede


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    Post by j beede Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:45 am

    Flying Fish 701 might be THE highest quality recording of acoustic bass (Dave Holland). Also Vassar Clements on "fiddle"
    Reference Recordings RR57 "Requiem" track 7 or frankly any track
    Dean Peer "Lord's Tundra" virtuoso electric bass (that isn't Jaco Pastorius) also on Stereophile test CD #3
    O Brother Where Art Thou? Sound track. Dislike blue grass? Try this. John Hartford's last recordings?
    Roger Waters Amused to Death. Insane stereo effects. Ignore the politics
    M&K RealTime RT1001 "For Duke". Say no more.
    Jaco Pastorius on Joni Mitchell's Don Juan's Reckless Daughter. Open "E" string electric bass is not for the squeamish or weak power supplies
    mantha3
    mantha3


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    Post by mantha3 Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:53 am

    Great ideas on this thread.

    Some others to add...

    Radiohead "Amnesiac".. The whole album is a good audiophile piece.. Great production.

    I like to Jam loud with my ST120 amp:
    Incubus - "Monuments and Melodies" Album - Song Stellar... This may be more a song I just like.
    Tool - Album "10,000 days" - song - Intension
    I may be removed from this forum for adding this:
    For tornado like wind from your speaker ports:
    50 Cent (rapper) - Album = "The Massacre" - Song = "Candy Shop" Probably the most pure bass I've heard.

    Tube Nube
    Tube Nube


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    Post by Tube Nube Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:26 pm

    Ricky Lee Jones' tune "Easy Money".
    deepee99
    deepee99


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    What are your favorite "test" CD's or LP's ? - Page 2 Empty Two not mentioned so far . . .

    Post by deepee99 Thu Jul 05, 2012 2:20 am

    . . . I would suggest Astor Piazzolla's Tango:Zero Hour. Very demanding.
    Also, how about Johnny River's Realisation? His very fine cover of Jim Hendrix's "Summer Rain" is a great test of sound-staging, and also a joy to listen to.
    danskman
    danskman


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    Post by danskman Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:40 am

    - Larry Carlton LP's from the early 80's
    - Miles Davis "Tutu", the absolute reference to compare turntables, cells, pre-amps and ST-70, obviously...
    - Some Pink Floyd albums (notably "wish you were here")
    - Alan Parson's Project
    - some HQ classical LPs (Deutsche Gramofon)
    - Annie Lennox's Medusa album (what a VOICE on the CD... OMG!)

    These are my preferred ones, but there are many others in my stash.
    I wish I had Steel Dan's Aja, too, but I'll have to go to Bern one of these days to find some old LP's in the best Swiss music store I know; it's funny that I went there on the early 80's to buy CDs... and there on the 2010's to buy LP's ;-))

    BR,
    Danskman
    harpy
    harpy


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    Post by harpy Mon Jul 09, 2012 12:15 pm

    Frank Zappa "Joe's Garage Act 1" general
    Pink Floyd "Animals" "Sheep" highs
    Beastie Boys "Pauls Boutique" lows - subs
    kaner
    kaner


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    Post by kaner Tue Jul 10, 2012 12:25 am

    I have to echo Bob's choice of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman. Every track is great but Track 1 really puts Coltrane's sax in your living room. Others that sound incredible through my ST70's are:

    Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
    Natalie Merchant - Carnival (her voice was made for vacuum tubes)
    Dave Mathews Band - Say Goodbye (especially the intro)
    Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (You can play David Gilmore's solo over an over again)
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    Tom


    Posts : 217
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    Post by Tom Tue Jul 10, 2012 2:39 pm

    Making my Chrismas List from this thread. Keep posting!

    Very Happy

    Oh, and Bonnie Raitt's new one on vinyl is really nice.
    hagmo
    hagmo


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    Post by hagmo Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:06 pm

    hello i'm new to the forum and wan't to say this is very cool.
    my list would include:

    hotel california live from when hell freezes over.
    kiss by prince
    son of aleric by deep purple
    big log by robert plant
    time by pink floyd
    [b]
    quadaptor
    quadaptor


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    Post by quadaptor Mon Aug 20, 2012 3:36 pm

    I keep going back to Miles Davis' cover of Bye Bye Blackbird.
    hawaii.ken
    hawaii.ken


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    Post by hawaii.ken Sun Sep 02, 2012 6:58 pm

    Some of my favs

    Female Vocal
    Carpenters - Horizon
    CD (FLAC-RIP)

    Male Vocal
    Kenny Rankin - The Kenny Rankin Album
    Vinyl

    Instrumental
    Earl Klugh - Finger Paintings
    Vinyl

    Instrumental
    Tim Weisberg - The Tip Of The Weisberg
    Vinyl

    Instrumental
    John Klemmer - Touch
    Vinyl
    denny9167
    denny9167


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    Post by denny9167 Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:34 pm

    Currently don't have a turntable,have several LP's. Do have a pretty good collection of CD's and iTunes,several on Chesky label,Sheffield Lab,Reference,Telarc,and Doran. My favorites are my Sheffield,Dave Grusin,Harry James,and Pat Coil,of course my favorite being the Drum and Track Record,very good for testing,and setup.

    Btw. The Stereophile test CD's are good for testing. I have 1 and 3.
    baddog1946
    baddog1946


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    Post by baddog1946 Mon Sep 03, 2012 9:48 am

    Sheffield labs Tower of Power "Direct to disk" is a recording that contains a lot of instruments and gives any system a workout. I have a lot of their stuff and this is one of the best from Sheffield Labs too bad they are not around anymore.
    denny9167
    denny9167


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    Post by denny9167 Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:32 pm

    baddog1946 wrote:Sheffield labs Tower of Power "Direct to disk" is a recording that contains a lot of instruments and gives any system a workout. I have a lot of their stuff and this is one of the best from Sheffield Labs too bad they are not around anymore.

    Just downloaded this one from iTunes, just what I expected from Sheffield,simply marvelous!! I remember years ago hearing my first Sheffield recording on LP, on Strathern Ribbons,I was blown away by the clarity, and dynamic range of the music. I became an Audiophile that day!!
    deepee99
    deepee99


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    Post by deepee99 Sun Dec 23, 2012 12:13 pm

    Take 5 album on vinyl. If you here the "ding" instead of a tink on Blue Rondo (about 16 bars in) you're live.
    baddog1946
    baddog1946


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    Post by baddog1946 Fri Dec 28, 2012 3:20 pm

    I downloaded 11 free reference test tracks from the "6 Moons" Newsroom page from "Bakoon" Products for free! that are of superb quality. Mostly 24/96 piano stuff but they are excellent for fidelity tests of your amp or speakers.[u]
    kevinmi
    kevinmi


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    Post by kevinmi Sat Dec 29, 2012 12:43 pm

    Here is a couple of vinyl selections I've been using to help with setting up my turntables: Heart-Dreamboat Annie, and King Crimson- In the Court. Both remastered on 180 gram vinyl. These feature both loud and very soft passages good for evaluating how well your stylus is tracking in the groove. Of course they both sound good to just listen to, also.

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