I will check this out because your avatar (and mine) is of my favorite band, the Olivia Tremor Control.
If you want to test soundstage presentation and depth of field, you need to start with a recording made in a particular acoustic space and made with the intent to capture the sound of the ensemble in that space, not a close, iso-mic'ed pan potted multi-mono popular music style recording, so classical music is a good bet.
If you listen to The Trinity Session loud enough and your speakers play low enough you can hear/"feel" the air coming through the vents of the church (i.e. the positive air pressure of the HVAC system). That was made with my favorite mic (2 of them, Margo had her own), the Soundfield ST-250. If I am listening for soundstage, I need a reference of what I am supposed to be hearing, not what I think I am supposed to be hearing. So I will listen to one of a few hundred Schoeps CMXY-4V masters. Cowboy Junkies ‘Sweet Jane’
Nick Drake’s Pink Moon is what I use to test out any new piece of kit. Not only is it a great record, it’s so sparsely recorded that you can pick everything out.
Paul from PS Audio won’t shut up about his new reference CD. Lol but it might be worth a shot. Audiophile Reference Music – PS Audio
‘I Gotta Know’ by Elvis Presley, as heard on this Vic Anesini remaster: Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 3 - Elvis Presley | Credits | AllMusic
Yes. Bill Porter engineered most of Elvis Presley and Chet Atkins' music, among many other artists. He was what could be called an "audiophile engineer" of popular music. Very few microphones and very transparent sound.
Yep! Fantastic soundstage on this one although anything on this particular album sounds amazing. The vocals seem to ‘float’ in mid air. The original RCA stereo vinyl sounds fantastic too but I linked to the CD as that’s what the OP is primarily looking for.
Crime of the Century was MFSL's first popular title (MFSL 1-005). The first four were proof of concept/demonstration records by The Mystic Moods Orchestra. I purchased my MFSL Crime of the Century directly from MSFL in 1979 from an ad in the back of Stereo Review magazine. It was my 7th album. I still have it and it remains one of my go to albums whenever testing new pair of speaker, phone cartridge, etc.
Most live albums sound like crap to me. Give me a single Soundfield ST-250 (or whatever the latest greatest tetrahedral mic is) or a pair of spread omnidirectional mics and choice of location or locations to put them and I will do better than 95% of them and for waaaaay less. I first heard "jazz at the pawnshop" a few months ago and yes it is a very good recording but nothing all that special to me. Ive got plenty of my own "jazz at the pawnshops".
For the best tracks to test soundstage, I suggest seeking out recordings made with a single pair of mics.
That said, look into Joe Jackson's Body & Soul album, the one that recreates the Sonny Rollins LP cover. It was recorded on ol'-skool multitrack equipment, each participant indivdually-mic'd, in a Masonic Hall Atlantic Records used to use for sting quartet recordings. You can feel the brass smack the brick-wall surfaces at the back of the structure. Latin percussion is particularly lively, as is the variance in dynamics of the arrangements. The location in which it was recorded, was definitely a member of the band on those sessions.
I don't have this on CD, I stream it from Qobuz, Gabor Szabo / High Contrast. A wonderfully engineered album. By the way,I think there are a bazillion of these threads out there,and I try to read everyone of them!
Jazz At The Pawnshop is a bit of a strange one. I bought it on vinyl when it was first released and the pressing quality was excellent. The musicians are very competent, but not world class. The tunes well chosen, but nothing out of the ordinary. BUT the recording and natural ambience absolutely comes through on any budget, but half decent system. Having demonstrated it to dozens of people back in the eighties, that seems to be what makes it special.
Never had Trinity Sessions but heard it being used for demo at a SimAudio room at a show here in Toronto years ago. It was mind blowing.
Was this recorded at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam? Or just by the resident orchestra in another venue? Maybe neither? Sorry I’m not a classical aficionado but do love certain pieces/recordings. Plus I’ve been to a glorious cello concerto at the Concertgebouw. Certainly want to go again sometime.
I might be wrong but for years I used to think it was a helicopter like many friends until I saw the movie, I think it is actually a steam locomotive, not a helicopter, the loco sound seems to fit too.
My friend played this on his high end rig in his living room at the front of his house. We went out in the front yard, it sounded like a live band was inside. There’s “that certain something” about live music. That recording thru that system had it in spades.
A few of my faves. https://open.spotify.com/track/2QJx8IgKSFfbMQDKxMUioZ?si=__cpfvHUS5SzI8j_4FhQi ravels bolero m.81-zubin mehta Here’s a song for you… Flight of the Cosmic Hippo by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones https://open.spotify.com/track/0dDZPziZGcQV4bUBaKfzyJ?si=v2v8b4zATOSWR2EuZpk2oQ Rapporti dance Black Box Dub - Remastered rapporti dance-black box dub-remastered/rsu, scorn, mick harris you might have to wipe your kit off after this one.
