CDs to make your system sing!

I would not take your best sounding cds, that will not test the system so well. Why do you think hifi dealers pay really well recorded music? To make their system sound great. 

Sure you can take some, one I have just got which is probably the best recording I have got is Collin Walcott's, Cloud Dance.

I would take some others that don't sound so great on your current system and see if they are much improved.

What sort of music do you like?

Bartok's Concerto For Orchestra - Solti/Chicago SO

Clear Spot - Captain Beefheart & Magic Band

Prairie Wind - Neil Young

West Side Story - Andre Previn

Surf's Up - David Thomas & Two Pale Boys

Remain In Light - Talking Heads

Tusk - Camper Van Beethoven

Hot Shots II - The Beta Band

Luna - The Aliens

Scratch My Back - Peter Gabriel

Elysium - Pet Shop Boys

Gaucho - Steely Dan

Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys

To name but thirteen. 

Thanks for the advice.

My CD collection largely comprises late-1960s countercultural/folk music and early UK dance (quite different, I know). Both define my youth in different ways. I grew up listening to the former and happened to be in my teens when the rave scene emerged. I've perhaps become inflexible in my tastes and it's probably a suitable moment to think more broadly.

I can't do thrash metal, or anything veering in that direction. Apologies to true metal heads, it's just not my thing. I'm perfectly happy listening to blues. I'm not sure how much scope that gives people in terms of suggestions.

In terms of less-than-stellar recordings to test the CDP, I can always give Surrealistic Pillow a spin...

Thanks for the suggestions. I've heard precisely none of these albums, though of course the names are (mostly) not unfamiliar. I've got some investigating to do!

Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Scotts

Thanks Atticus. I might enjoy that. I'll see how I get on with a few audio samples before buying.

If you want modern blues, well recorded I don't think you can do much better than Eric Bibb's Deeper in the Well album, I think it is a DSD recording but his early albums are well recorded.. You could also try Ali Farka Toure's Talking Timbuktu with Ry Cooder, sort of blues/world music. In fact Ali Toure is known as the John Lee Hooker of Africa.

Aja - Steely Dan is very good recording, Gaucho is a bit mixed depends which cd pressing you get.

Eva Cassidy Live at Blues Alley is pretty good and is some blues.

Kate Bush - The Red Shoes is one of my faves for auditioning new hifi.

My local dealer in Aberdeen used to say "yes, that is a difficult one", so I must have been onto something.

"Eat The Music" for both musical complexity and punchy not flabby bass, "The Buildings of New York" for scale and "oomph factor".

Bach's Fuge and Tocatta in G Minor by any good organist on a good organ for full scale and gravitas.

Beethoven's "Fur Elise" for piano, 9th Symphony "Ode to Joy" for gravitas.

REM "Automatic for the People" for pop, maybe anything by the B-52s equally.

There's a couple of Rush and REM albums from the 2000s that are notorious for their BAD production, especially the REM ones, which all seemed mixed for the dreaded MP3 player and earbuds.  See how good (or bad) those sound as well.

REM - New Adventures in Hifi is very good recording I think. 

For 70s rock, I always take Little Feat's Last Record Album, track 2, All That you Dream will test the woofers to see if they can handle bass guitar, one set of speakers the woofers turned to jelly even at low volume, the dealer said it must be the recording, maybe but others speakers can handle it fine. 

Hi SFC, my suggestions are based on the quality of the recordings:

Yello  "Essential"

Gorrilaz  "Plastic Beach"

Rodrigo y Gabriella  "Re Foc"

Ott  "Blumenkraft"

Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa  "Don't explain"

Jacques Loussier  "Jacques Loussier plays Bach" (Telarc)

Supertramp  "Some things never change"

Holy Cole "Temptation"

Dave Brubeck  "Time out"

Chet  Atkins / Mark Knopfler  "Neck and Neck"

Bob Dylan  "Together through life"

Atomic Kitten - Feels So Good

Madonna - American Life

Thanks Cno.

I own many Dylan albums, but I never got round to hearing/buying "Together Through Life." 

There are some albums suggested on this thread where I've no knowledge of the artists or their music. I'll consider it an enjoyable research project. A few hours googling should give me a good sense of which I'd like!

I'm also pretty excited to hear the Teac in action. It's not a brand audiophiles would typically place much faith in, but the trickle-down technology from Esoteric CDPs and effusive reviews suggest it'll be great. Some of my very best purchases have been slightly older mid-to-high-end kit at knock down prices.

If you find something you like, let me know........you'll find you know quite a few of the Yello tracks, as they are often used in films, ads and TV programs. It's quirky, brilliant and beautifully recorded.

If you want to hear some join spotify for free. Allmusic has reviews and samples to.

Will do Cno, and BigH...

I think the sensible thing is to start with music I know really well. That way I'll gain a better understanding of what the new CDP does with it.

My research on this thread relates to potential future listening pleasures.