I'm mostly using tracks off the albums below. Also, the Stereophile recording called "Mapping the Soundstage", where John Atkinson walks around a stage talking and clapping. I just ordered Tim Hecker's album called The North Water, an ambient recording that sounds like it might also be great as a way to evaluate soundstage and imaging, judging by one clip I listened to. Anyways, I don't get too crazy with this stuff. It seems that most albums present some sort of soundstage, whether its real or fabricated. I try to listen to albums that present a real soundstage if I am testing for that though. Stuff like Q sound and hard panning, yeah those things are cool but they are kind of gimmicky. I always hear these effects as intended because they are so obvious. It's like hitting you over the head with soundstage - a system must really be set up wrong if it can't portray this. But to capture a real soundstage and room with two speakers, that I think takes extra work and where a system will really reveal how well it does the job.
Chocolate Chip Trip is a song where I can pinpoint quite specifically how far outside the speakers it goes. Plus I f@&$ing love Tool.
Le Sacre du Printemps, Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra, Deutsche Grammophon. In the evocative and sensual (in contrast to most of the dissonant barbarism of the piece) "Spring Rounds", the bass drum has a depth of field unparalleled in my digital collection. I downloaded the 24/96 FLAC, but resampled it to 16/44 redbook so I could listen to it in the car CD player. Same amazing depth. You are probably looking for width (it is quite excellent here, too), but I just thought I would mention this one for the 3D depth. good japanese boy names
I know there aren’t too many electronic music fans here, but if you want to listen to one of my favorites that doesn’t necessarily have a proper soundstage but sounds cool as fock…pull up The Irresistible Force - Playing Around With Sound from the album It’s Tomorrow Already on Qobuz. The sounds are zinging left and right from miles beyond my speakers. John Cage’s unmistakable voice starts the journey. The intricate rhythms created by all the different sounds sends me off to another planet…VERY 420 friendly.
Hold up hold up..is this your first Tool listen? Check out their entire discography. Starting with Undertow at least. They released an EP before that in 1992 called Opiate, it's a little raw though. Aenima was released in 1996 and it's classic. Lateralus in 2001 and is also widely loved. 10,000 Days in 2006 and finally Fear Inoculum in 2019. I suggest listening to all of them in order haha.
Thanks for the guidance! They are one of the few metal bands whose sound seems to retain my attention.
There is a list of 11 of the best spatial audio tracks on Apple Music in the latest edition of What Hi Fi, if that helps. It includes: Freddie Hubbard Weaver of Dreams REM Drive Billie Eilish Ocean Eyes Beatles Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and Michael Kiwanuka You Ain’t the Problem.
Agreed. I like this CD. The performances and the music are superb, the recording is modern (in a good way) and very dynamic. And the CD is cheap. Rachmaninov - Mikhaïl Rudy, Mariss Jansons, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra - Piano Concerto No. 3 • Paganini Rhapsody
If you have a good system, you do not need a Best track. On a good CD the sound should spreed beyond the speakers & in front a touch & also have depth. I have found through, that my vinyl system virtually always have good sound-stage & the sound even climbs down the side walls with several vinyl. I have only had this happen a couple of times with CD & SACD. Again this all depends on your system & room as well. Last week end I demonstrated this to a friend at his house with my 2nd system Pre & Power amp. His CD & amp where from Exposure, about $3K each but several years old, (he had put a DAC in which helped) where very shut in & did not go beyond the speakers & very little bass to speak off. However he marveled at the sound-stage and bass from my quite cheap Class D power amp & clone Pre which cost only a few hundred $'s to put together. Cheers
U2 - ‘Surrender’ on the ‘War’ album. Specifically, on the “grail” CD mastering. To a lesser degree on the MFSL. On other CDs or vinyl masterings, YMMV. The background vocals float on the air. Edge’s guitar slithers all over the place. The most striking element might be the percussion sound - I think it’s a wood block (?). You will hear it outside of the left speaker about 15 degrees and about 10 feet back.
Well done electronic music can deliver interesting staging. I particularly like Kraftwerk’s “The Telephone Call” from the album “Electric Cafe.”
Zucchero - Love is all around (still) Cd: La sesion Cubana [2012] Zucchero - La Sesion Cubana Link YTMusic:
Love this whole album for musicianship, imagery and air Listen to the release Cachaito by Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez on Qobuz Open Qobuz
The one in the aqua column here: U2 "War" 2 early masterings+MFSL comparison . I shouldn’t call it “the” Grail, since there are some who prefer the MFSL. There also seems to be some disagreement on whether the Japan for US is exactly the same as the Target. I can only speak for the Japan pressing. The MFSL was my favorite version for years, until I heard this one which really blew me away.
