# Demo discs for new equipment



## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

So I am awaiting delivery on a new (well, used) pair of headphones (the Sony MDR-Z7, if anyone is interested). And as I while my time away and obsessively check USPS tracking, I am wondering what recordings in my own collection, and what recordings in all of yours, will give my new hardware the most interesting workout.

In my collection, the following seem like the best go-to recordings to test out new gear:









Of course, my desert-island Beethoven set, Karajan's '77 cycle in 192k/24b hi-res sound. This is my favorite interpretation, and the sound is involving, but very busy.









On the other end of the spectrum, Pinnock's superb Bach set. The sound on this is so transparent and clear, I can't wait to see what high-end headphones can do with it.









I have become a huge fan of the LSO's hi-res output. These files were recorded natively as DSD in the 21st century, and I haven't heard a bad sounding one yet.









This 96k/24b remaster of 1970's analog tape recordings blows me away every time I listen to it. I'm crossing my fingers for even more of a response with new hardware!


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Bruckner was one of Karajan's fortes, of course, and these recordings are very high quality. I'll just have to find ten hours to set aside 









I haven't heard a finer "Einleitung." It already blows me away on my noise canceling phones. How will a new pair sound?

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So clearly there is a lot of Karajan here, because that has been my collecting wheelhouse. But what recordings do it for you folks? I especially am interested in digital hi-res files that can be acquired from the likes of HDTracks or LSrg. But of course any terrific recording will be of interest to me (on CD or download, since I cannot play vinyl).


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

What amplification are you using? For headphones I use two amps: a Burson solid-state, and a vacuum tube device, the EarMax 2. Both are superb and both easily outperform the headphone jacks on any receiver or CD player. So assuming you have amplification that can reveal details, here are my three favorites to demonstrate:


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

mbhaub said:


> What amplification are you using? For headphones I use two amps: a Burson solid-state, and a vacuum tube device, the EarMax 2. Both are superb and both easily outperform the headphone jacks on any receiver or CD player. So assuming you have amplification that can reveal details, here are my three favorites to demonstrate:
> View attachment 127907
> View attachment 127908
> View attachment 127909


I will be running it from a Sony NW-ZX300 Walkman, which should provide enough power from its Balanced output (200 mW, apparently, as opposed to the 35 mW my Sony NW-A45 puts out).

I've never quite understood power output's relationship to detail. Isn't it just a matter of volume? I would love for someone to explain it to me 

Either way, I sprung for a new DAP and a balanced cable to complement the new cans.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Any organ works of Messiaen ... I used those recordings when I was selecting components for my audio system years ago. 

If it crapped out on the low bass notes of the organ that configuration (amps, speakers, LP player) was altered until it could withstand it all.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

The Sony is a fine player, and a pricey one, too! But it's limited in the power it can send to the cans. Deep, powerful bass is just not going to be there. It's nice to know that there's at least one other person out there who still uses a dedicated mp3 player!


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

The cans are in my possession. They are in like-new condition, serial number in the 34000's. I have done about 30 minutes of listening from my NW-A45 over the OEM unbalanced cable.

1. I may not understand yet what "properly driven" headphones are or sound like, but these did not seem "hard to drive." I listened at about 70/120 volume from the A45. I detected no interference or anemic sound. For other wired cans I usually listened between 50-60/120.

2. I listened to Hi-Res FLAC and DSD files: A Love Supreme by Coltrane, Thriller by Michael Jackson, Beethoven's 5th by Karajan/BPO, Tchaikovsky's 4th by Karajan/BPO. They all sounded fabulous. Compared to my MDR-1000X, the bass is probably the biggest difference - it is deeper and more enveloping, but also cleaner. I believe I noticed a generally increased level of detail across the spectrum, owing to that clean sound. I need to do A/B comparisons later tonight. I can't say I really understand evaluations of "distant" mids or treble, or "boomy" bass for that matter, but then, I have not listened to a highly "analytical" set of cans.

As of right now, I feel very good about this purchase for $300. They sound great to my ears, coming from the MDR-1000X. I don't really know how much better the sound could get coming from the ZX300 over balanced cables, but I've already paid for them and they're on the way here. So I guess I will find out what, if anything, is the difference coming from that source combo. If there is none, I will resell them and consider myself happy.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

MatthewWeflen said:


> So I am awaiting delivery on a new (well, used) pair of headphones (the Sony MDR-Z7, if anyone is interested). And as I while my time away and obsessively check USPS tracking, *I am wondering what recordings in my own collection, and what recordings in all of yours, will give my new hardware the most interesting workout.
> *


To check the sound when you first plug those babies in ….

A lot depends upon the front end -- what equipment is going to fire up those headphones? The better the front end, the better the sound at the ear end.

Of course, what discs you utilize in your set up procedure helps measure the effectiveness of new purchases, whether they be phones or traditional in-room speakers. I would suggest having a core set of recordings (in whatever various media you are likely to listen from -- vinyl, tape, CDs, SACDs, download) to incorporate in listening assessment. These are discs you know well and that, preferably, you may have heard in live fashion, as during the period of recording, when you were there in the hall to hear exactly what the music sounded like there and then. I have a couple of recordings of music I heard while in the symphony hall (mostly in Pittsburgh with the PSO), but the recordings need not be strong commercial releases. They may be tapings of a gig at the local bar. But you were there and know what it all is supposed to sound like.

In any case, select recordings you have some familiarity with, especially pieces you've heard for years and feel "you know well". Too, consider recordings that feature those aural things you best like to listen for. If you treasure vocal discs, utilize a selection of male and/or female vocal albums with a substantial middle range (where most of the music is) by which you can judge timbre, realism, background sounds, silence, hall space and other environmental factors.

Two albums I use for set-up and assessment purposes are the (1976 pressing) vinyl version of Jim Croce's classic _Time in a Bottle: Jim Croce's Greatest Love Songs_. "Time is a Bottle" helps me focus in whatever I'm seeking to do. (I have a special fondness for Croce, not only because of his songwriting/performance skills, but since we share a university credit, I having done graduate work at the same Philadelphia area university where Croce took his degree some ten years earlier.) The other album I utilize (a CD) is Lyle Lovett's _Joshua Judges Ruth _ with the song "North Dakota". A lot of little sounds go on in that piece, and I like to hear deep into the mix, and see if I can hear the positioning and distance between Lovett and his co-singer Rickie Lee Jones. As a guitar player myself I have working familiarity with these stringed instruments and their particular sound strengths and weaknesses, so it helps me tune things up towards a positive balance. Generally, if I get these things right, everything else will fall into place, whether it's a cartridge, or CD deck, or new amp, or new speakers I am installing. And, yes, headphones. These two songs ("Time in a Bottle" and "North Dakota" can sound sublime over a great set of phones.)

When all is dialed in to my liking, I then turn to classical music and jazz (actually my primary listening material). Two long time favorites here are saxophonist Joe Henderson's disc (both the vinyl and the CD) titled _Canyon Lady_ and any one of several Beethoven Ninths, focusing on the second movement -- where, if the timpani thwaks come across with striking realism, all generally seems to work well.

You might note that I'm favoring quiet music for initial set up. I find it the best way to listen into a recording. Loud, pounding music can hide what you really want to get right in focusing the sound. Generally, if you can enjoy a recording of Feldman's _Rothko Chapel_, you'll enjoy everything else. (It is possible that if your equipment is not up the par you will experience annoying clipping as you turn up the volume. But if you've chosen adequate front end equipment, and pair it with a substantial set of phones, you'll fly high with few problems.)

I'm not sure why anyone really wants to listen to loud, pounding music via headphones. That seems rather severe to me. So, I suspect I favor quieter, more acoustic-like music with headphone listening. But, as I suggest, if you get a great set up with that sort of stuff, everything else should fall into place. Blast those eardrums if you must. But I would caution against it.

Enjoy.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

SONNET CLV said:


> Blast those eardrums if you must. But I would caution against it.
> 
> Enjoy.


You can be sure that I won't be blasting. I try to listen between 50 and 60db. It's plenty loud for me, and should do no damage.

And that's a really cool cover on the Kempe Beethoven cycle. What is the interpretation like? How is the sound quality?


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

If I was to choose a demo disc for new equipment I would just choose a recording with sound that I liked and which I knew well already. That way my ears would automatically by default compare the new equipment's sound to what I was used to.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Ras said:


> If I was to choose a demo disc for new equipment I would just choose a recording with sound that I liked and which I knew well already. That way my ears would automatically by default compare the new equipment's sound to what I was used to.


Definitely. That's why that Beethoven cycle is atop my list. By far my most listened to recording.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

MatthewWeflen said:


> You can be sure that I won't be blasting. I try to listen between 50 and 60db. It's plenty loud for me, and should do no damage.
> 
> And that's a really cool cover on the Kempe Beethoven cycle. What is the interpretation like? How is the sound quality?


The second, first.
The Kempe is pretty much a "go to" choice for me among the dozens of sets of Beethoven symphonies in my collection. I have been recommending it on this Forum for a while. Not that it is perfect, but I like the raw, hardy sound of the orchestra, which is everything but "slick" in that worst sense of the word (and here I think Karajan's digital Beethoven recordings). Even if the players are less than accurate at times I feel this is the kind of playing and sound Beethoven himself may have heard, both from his contemporary orchestras _and _in his mind's ear as well. I like the set, which is why I chose to show that one as my representation selection of a Beethoven Ninth in the prior post. If you need only one Beethoven symphonies collection, you won't do bad to go with the Kempe.

Secondly, second … I suppose I tend to reserve headphones for quieter music (acoustic rock and jazz, chamber music, especially string quartets and such), but I have on occasion blasted a symphony or several, and with good results. I remain a believer in listening to music at a realistic sound level, which for an orchestra is at the level I would expect to hear in the concert hall. I primarily rely upon my speakers, which do a good job of giving me the level I want for any situation. I'm not one to listen much to heavy metal or disco-style dance music, which in my experience has always been played too loudly. When I do turn to headphones I use either a Sennheiser HD-600 or my older model HD-545 Reference phones. Each provides good sound but with a slightly different quality; the 600s are clear, sharp and analytical, while the 545s are more blooming and relaxful. Which I choose generally depends upon what particular disc I'm listening to, or if I will couple them with my tubed headphone amp or, say, listen directly from the output on one of my CD decks. The SONY XA5400ES is a sharp, analytical playback machine, and it couples better, I feel, with the 545s, unless the disc itself is of a soft, mushy nature. The 545s provide me with more of a tube-like sound. But since most of my equipment is tube based (except for the CD decks, the SONY or an NAD) the 600s couple well as they tend to deliver what is coming from the disc through the disc player. I use a tubed headphone amp called the Little Dot, which I like very much, especially with quality, upgraded (over the original) tubes. At present my 545s are plugged into my Roland digital keyboard; apparently some family members prefer my performances when I silence the instrument by plugging in the phones. What! They don't appreciate badly played Beethoven and Chopin?

The 545s work well, too, when I plug my guitar's Digitech into them. Since I usually play a nylon-string hollow body instrument, there is much feedback for most of the Digitech RP-12's hundreds of settings. It will cause an amp to howl like a banshee on most settings, but through headphones I can play the harshest of the heavy-metal and punk pre-sets and not make a sound other than the noise programmed by the machine. I could live only with the 545s. But I'm glad I have the 600s; they is one fine headphone set.

All the best as you listen.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

SONNET CLV said:


> The second, first.
> The Kempe is pretty much a "go to" choice for me among the dozens of sets of Beethoven symphonies in my collection. I have been recommending it on this Forum for a while. Not that it is perfect, but I like the raw, hardy sound of the orchestra, which is everything but "slick" in that worst sense of the word (and here I think Karajan's digital Beethoven recordings). Even if the players are less than accurate at times I feel this is the kind of playing and sound Beethoven himself may have heard, both from his contemporary orchestras _and _in his mind's ear as well. I like the set, which is why I chose to show that one as my representation selection of a Beethoven Ninth in the prior post. If you need only one Beethoven symphonies collection, you won't do bad to go with the Kempe.
> 
> Secondly, second … I suppose I tend to reserve headphones for quieter music (acoustic rock and jazz, chamber music, especially string quartets and such), but I have on occasion blasted a symphony or several, and with good results. I remain a believer in listening to music at a realistic sound level, which for an orchestra is at the level I would expect to hear in the concert hall. I primarily rely upon my speakers, which do a good job of giving me the level I want for any situation. I'm not one to listen much to heavy metal or disco-style dance music, which in my experience has always been played too loudly. When I do turn to headphones I use either a Sennheiser HD-600 or my older model HD-545 Reference phones. Each provides good sound but with a slightly different quality; the 600s are clear, sharp and analytical, while the 545s are more blooming and relaxful. Which I choose generally depends upon what particular disc I'm listening to, or if I will couple them with my tubed headphone amp or, say, listen directly from the output on one of my CD decks. The SONY XA5400ES is a sharp, analytical playback machine, and it couples better, I feel, with the 545s, unless the disc itself is of a soft, mushy nature. The 545s provide me with more of a tube-like sound. But since most of my equipment is tube based (except for the CD decks, the SONY or an NAD) the 600s couple well as they tend to deliver what is coming from the disc through the disc player. I use a tubed headphone amp called the Little Dot, which I like very much, especially with quality, upgraded (over the original) tubes. At present my 545s are plugged into my Roland digital keyboard; apparently some family members prefer my performances when I silence the instrument by plugging in the phones. What! They don't appreciate badly played Beethoven and Chopin?
> ...


I am definitely aspiring for "endgame" as they say on Head-Fi. I am hoping that the combo of the MDR-Z7 and NW-300ZX player (arriving shortly) will be my last hi-fi purchases for many years. I totally understand how people get sucked into the hobby of acquiring gear, though, and I don't begrudge it to anyone. My last purchase combo in mid-2018 was the MDR-1000X and NW-A45 for a combined total of $400. This purchase, along with a "balanced" cable, will end up running me a total of $760. I think, financially speaking, I am done for at least several years.

As I reflect back upon 35 years or so of really _listening _to music, I have had emotional responses with all manner of equipment. My dad's quadrophonic stereo and headphones, boomboxes, cassette tapes, CDs, iPods. I know I will enjoy these gadgets, but I need to calm down about buying them and just enjoy the music.


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## JB Henson (Mar 29, 2019)

My Two Cents...


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

JB Henson said:


> My Two Cents...
> 
> View attachment 127967
> 
> ...


I've been very impressed by the Living Stereo recordings I've listened to. I will definitely give them a spin!


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## Fredrikalansson (Jan 29, 2019)

Try Bartok Bluebeard's Castle when Judith opens the fifth door. Or the third movement of Vaughan-Williams Sinfonia Antarctica. In both cases you get extremes of loud and quiet so you can hear how the equipment handles both and also sudden switches in volume.


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## Fredrikalansson (Jan 29, 2019)

Recommendation for Bartok: Boulez (more dynamic range than Kertesz), and for Vaughan-Williams: Haitink. These recordings are recommended primarily for their sound.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Fredrikalansson said:


> Recommendation for Bartok: Boulez (more dynamic range than Kertesz), and for Vaughan-Williams: Haitink. These recordings are recommended primarily for their sound.


I own the Haitink set, so I will definitely give it a listen.


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