Your personal "reference" recordings?

[Les Adams]

We all have our own “reference" recordings I guess. These are the records or CD’s we pull out every time we make an adjustment or buy something new for our systems. We also reach for them when we want to impress guests - or simply to remind ourselves of how sweet our system sounds and yes, it WAS worth spending all that money! These are the recordings that we already know sound great but wonder if they hold anything else deep down in the mix that a new set of cables or a tweak here and there might reveal!


My “reference" recordings are:

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Endangered Species (CD)
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill (Acoustic) (CD)
Norah Jones – Come Away With Me (CD)
Eric Clapton – Unplugged (CD)
Julia Fordham – Porcelain (CD)
Paul Simon – Graceland (Vinyl / CD)
Dianne Reeves – Never Too Far (Vinyl)
Michael Jackson – Thriller / Off The Wall (Vinyl)

The awesome close-miked Lynyrd Skynrd album is my favourite of all for both performance and recording - I love the stunningly intimate (if a bit high in the mix sometimes) vocal sound on the Nora Jones recording - I also enjoy the excellent and detailed Eric Clapton live performance (where a slight buzz on Eric’s guitar amp adds to the atmosphere just like you are in the front row) and then there are brilliant but complex mixes on Paul Simon’s “Graceland” that can sound muddy and confused on lesser systems but awesomely detailed when you get it right! For me, these recordings are representative of producers and sound engineers who are masters of their craft. Let's celebrate great producers and sound engineers by sharing our favorites!

Whilst I suggest that these are all excellent recordings IMHO, it is not intended to be a list of the "best recordings of all time!"... merely the ones that I use for reference and sound great on my system.

So what are your “reference” recordings?

[pixelthis]

suite for flute and jazz piano (vinyl)
Claude Bolling and Jean pierre Rampal
Half speed mastered version

Ricki Lee Jones, RICKI LEE JONES (vinyl)
YOU ARENT a hifi nut unless you have this album

KINDA BLUE SACD
Not just the best Jazz album ever but maybe the best album of ALL TIME.

PINK FLOYD dark side of the moon CD

FLEETWOOD MAC, roumors, Natilus super disc vinyl

Spyro Gyro MORNING DANCE Natilus super disc vinyl

GIL Scott-heron REFLECTIONS vinyl

DIANA KRALL live in Paris DVD

diana krall Look of Love SACD

getz and gilberto
featuring antonio Carlos Jobin desert island disc CD
REMASTERED version of the album that started bossanova

A love remembered
John Coltrane

Steely Dan two against nature DVD

head hunters
Herbie Hancock SACD

china girl vinyl
David Bowie

Alicia Keys unplugged DVD

Men and women
simply red

AFFECTION
Lisa stansfield

TIGERLILLY
Natile Merchant

As you get older you realise that a lot of "rock " doesn't come across well on high end systems.
Led Zepplin, Bowie, the stones, the Doors, I HAVE VINYL FROM ALL OF THEM
but for a "reference" I usually go to these.
Want to feel really old? PLAY AN ALBUM THAT YOU BOUGHT 37 years ago as a teenager! (My first was honkey chateu by Elton John, a birthday present from mom at age 14!

[E-Stat]

We all have our own “reference" recordings I guess.

Tough question since there are so many and mine tend to change from time to time. Here's a current list of music in high rotation:

-Troika II Dream Palace "Halls of Mystery"
Small new age ensemble with wonderful percussion. Sweet bell trees to test HF clarity and focus. First octave bass adds foundation.

-Dido No Angel "Honestly There"
Quirky piece with instrumental intro containing very subtle synth riff that is both tasty and demanding to reproduce. You'd never hear this live.

-Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban "Whomping Willow"
Great dynamics, wide soundstage, and good symphonic slam. The next cut, "Secrets of the Castle" has some very sweet bell content.

-Memoirs of a Geisha Soundtrack "Sayuri's Theme" and "Becoming a Geisha"
Another John Williams emotional score with thunderous Taiko drums and beautiful violin and cello solos by Izhak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma.

-Dead Can Dance Labyrinth "Wind that Shakes the Barley"
Well articulated a cappella female voice that sounds like she is in the room with you.

-Liz Story Wedding Rain "Wedding Rain"
Old analog two mike recording of Ms. Story's Steinway. Incredibly natural piano. Pedal sustains last forever.

- Astrud Gilberto "Girl from Ipanema" "Berimbau"
Ping-pongy stereo recordings, but still show Ms. Gilberto's voice to the fullest. Guilty pleasure department.

-Stravinsky Polovetsian Dances
This early Telarc recording will tell you lots about the fidelity of a system. Everything is challenged here. I have a weak spot for the ASO recording since I participated (in a very minor way) with this recording.

rw

[E-Stat]

Want to feel really old? PLAY AN ALBUM THAT YOU BOUGHT 37 years ago as a teenager!

Always a fan of James Bond films, I bought the soundtrack to "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" when it came out in 1969 (I was 12) and enjoy it to this day. (the original vinyl copy is a bit worn - but have remastered CD) John Barry was a master with brass and defining the signature sound of the early Bond flicks.

rw

[PeruvianSkies]

Always a fan of James Bond films, I bought the soundtrack to "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" when it came out in 1969 (I was 12) and enjoy it to this day. (the original vinyl copy is a bit worn - but have remastered CD) John Barry was a master with brass and defining the signature sound of the early Bond flicks.

rw

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!

[topspeed]

Tough list to compile, but here goes...

John Mayer - Room for Squares (cd) and Heavier Things (sacd)
Pink Floyd - DSOTM (sacd)
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (sacd)
Holst - The Planets (xrcd)
Count Basie - Count plays the Duke (cd)
Ray Charles - RC & Friends (cd)
James Newton Howard - JNH & Friends (Sheffield Lab cd)
Kodo Drummers (Sheffield Lab cd)
Tool - 10,000 days (cd)
NIN - With Teeth (cd)
AC/DC - Back in Black (cd); no really, if you want to know if a system can ROCK, this is the one!
Enerestine Anderson - Great Moments w/ EA (cd); Close miked club recording, oh man! The intimacy of this recording is surreal.

[Lance B]

Avalon - Roxy Music. More so the HDCD version than the SACD version, but they are both superb, brillinatly recorded, IMO.

For Your Pleasure - Roxy Music. HDCD version is excellent.

Pa Pa Doo Run Run - Telarc recording of the Beach Boys which is fabulous.

Dire Straits - Dire Straits, the remastered version is brilliant!

Brother's in Arms - Dire Straits, SACD version is magnificent. One would think I am a Dire Straits fan but I am not really, I like them, but not a huge fan, the recordings are excellent though.

One On One - Bob James and Earl Klugh. A wonderful easy listening/soft jazz album.

Machine Head - Deep Purple on SACD is unbelievebly good compared to the original and a great listeneing experience.

Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield on HDCD. Much better than the original!

A Question of Balance - Moody Blues on SACD. This is a superb version as there are sounds on this that I never knew were even there on the original album. The sound stage, dynamics and frequency response are a revelation.

Nirvana Unplugged - Nirvana. What a wonderful recording!

Honky Chateau - Elton John on SACD. Another evelation on SACD. Unbelievably good dynamics, sound stage and frequency response compared to the original. A real joy to listen to now.

Telarc classical recordings. I like their approach to using little or no equalization in the recording chain and by using correct mike placement they seem to be able to deliver the sonic brilliance that I enjoy.

[PeruvianSkies]

Whenever I am checking out equipment I always make sure to have the following:

CD/SACD
Jewel SPIRIT (HDCD)
Elton John CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (SACD)
Mike Marshall GATOR STRUT (MoFi SACD)
Alan Parsons Project TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION (MoFi Gold CD)
Beck SEA CHANGE (SACD)
Don Henley BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST (MoFi Gold CD)
Billy Joel THE STRANGER (SACD)

DVD/DVD-A
MASTER AND COMMANDER (DTS)
AKIRA (Pioneer DTS Ed.)
Fleetwood Mac RUMOURS (DVD-A)
BLADE (DTS-Japanese Import (if I can play any region) OR
BLADE II (DTS-ES Region 1 disc)
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (Korean version with 1508Kbps DTS-ES if I can play any region)
The Cranberries MUSIC VIDEO COLLECTION (Superb PCM 2.0)

[Feanor]

...
So what are your “reference” recordings?

Les, et al.

My recordings I most often use for reference are the following.




Note that the are several choral works. This is because, IMO, choral recordings are more revealing of resolution and transparency than purely instrumental ones.

J.S. Bach: Magnificat and Händel: Utrecht Te Deum
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Teldec Das Alte Werk 8.42955

Bartók: Concerto For Orchestra
Ivan Fischer / Budapest Festival Orchestra, Skuk Slovakian Folk Ensemble Choir
Philips 456575

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Paavo Järvi / Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Telarc 80578 - SACD

Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Fanfare For The Common Man
Louis Lane / Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Telarc 80078

Haydn: The Seasons
Rene Jacobs / M.Petersen, W. gura, D. Henschel RIAS Kammerchor
Harmonia Mundi 801829 - SACD

Mahler: Symphony 1 D Major
Michael Tilson Thomas / San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony 821936-0002-2 - SACD

Rutter: Requiem; Five Anthems
Timothy Seelig / Turtle Creek Chorale; Women's chorus of Dallas
Reference Recordings RR-57CD - HDCD

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheheraz
José Serebrier / London Phiharmonic
Reference Recordings RR-CD89 - HDCD

J.S. Bach: Motets BWV 225-30
Rene Jacobs / RIAS Kammerchor
Harmonia Mundi HMC 801589 - SACD

Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um
Columbia CS 65512 - SACD (non-hybrid)

...

[PeruvianSkies]

Les, et al.

My recordings I most often use for reference are the following.




Note that the are several choral works. This is because, IMO, choral recordings are more revealing of resolution and transparency than purely instrumental ones.

J.S. Bach: Magnificat and Händel: Utrecht Te Deum
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Teldec Das Alte Werk 8.42955

Bartók: Concerto For Orchestra
Ivan Fischer / Budapest Festival Orchestra, Skuk Slovakian Folk Ensemble Choir
Philips 456575

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Paavo Järvi / Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Telarc 80578 - SACD

Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Fanfare For The Common Man
Louis Lane / Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Telarc 80078

Haydn: The Seasons
Rene Jacobs / M.Petersen, W. gura, D. Henschel RIAS Kammerchor
Harmonia Mundi 801829 - SACD

Mahler: Symphony 1 D Major
Michael Tilson Thomas / San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony 821936-0002-2 - SACD

Rutter: Requiem; Five Anthems
Timothy Seelig / Turtle Creek Chorale; Women's chorus of Dallas
Reference Recordings RR-57CD - HDCD

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheheraz
José Serebrier / London Phiharmonic
Reference Recordings RR-CD89 - HDCD

J.S. Bach: Motets BWV 225-30
Rene Jacobs / RIAS Kammerchor
Harmonia Mundi HMC 801589 - SACD

Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um
Columbia CS 65512 - SACD (non-hybrid)

...

Very nice post...some great stuff there, this is the type of post that makes coming here fun and informative.

[Feanor]

Very nice post...some great stuff there, this is the type of post that makes coming here fun and informative.

Most of the recordings I mentioned are great sounding, but one is actually problematic. That's the J.S. Bach: Magnificat & Händel: Utrecht Te Deum.

For years I found that album painfully bright. At the start I was listening with a Phase Linear 400; of course, that was like slivers of glass to the ears. After that I listen with the Bel Canto, perhaps the most tranparent amp I've owned but the Magnificat was still 'way too bright. Things got a lot better when I went to my current Monarchy amps, and better still with my Sonic Frontiers tube preamp. As I rolled tubes on the SF, it sounded better yet. Dang! at last this recording sounds quite good.

Of all the list, perhaps the best all round is the Haydn "The Seasons" -- a terrific show piece for multichannel.

[jim goulding]

Kind of Blue on 180 gram is an acid test (later- actually, that's the 200 gram version on Classic records tho it's not the 45rpm version). It's my other Classics that are 180 gram.

For female vocal articulation and piano richness there's Shirley Horne- You Won't Forget Me on Verve (CD); Sylvia McNair with Andre Previn doing a Jerome Kern Songbook on Philips (CD); Sara K's first release on Chesky (CD) altho the latter is more for image solidity and space; a lady who is soon to be back from storage on Opus3 Records singing Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair and other good stuff whose name I simply can't recall.

Choral stuff there's The LA Jazz Choir on Mobile Fidelty vinyl and Carmina Burana on Telarc (SACD Hybrid); a Propius record of modern choral interpretations.

And a dozen more or so for chamber, jazz, and full orchestra; and eclectic stuff but I shalt indulge you further. Oh, but before I quit . . RACHMANINOFF's Symphonic Dances with the Dallas Symphony on Athena records deserves special recognition for being a big, rich and sumptious affair (a personal favorite but perhaps not an acid test- whadda ya gonna do). Cheers.


(later) I knew I had done something wrong (!) so I returned and corrected the mistakes.

[PeruvianSkies]

Kind of Blue on 180 gram vinyl is an acid test.

For female vocal articulation and piano richness there's Shirley Horne- You Won't Forget Me on Verve (CD); Sylvia McNair with Andre Previn doing a Jerome Kern Songbook on Philips (CD); Sara K's first release on Chesky (CD) altho the latter is more for image solidity and space; a lady who is soon to be back from storage on Opus3 Records singing Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair and other good stuff whose name I simply can't recall.

Choral stuff there's The LA Jazz Choir on Mobile Fidelty vinyl and Carmina Burana on Telarc (SACD Hybrid); a Propius record of modern choral interpretations.

And a dozen more or so for chamber, jazz, and full orchestra; and eclectic stuff but I shalt indulge you further. Oh, but before I quit . . Ravel's Symphonic Dances with the Dallas Symphony on Athena records deserves special recognition.

Has anyone done any extensive testing of KIND OF BLUE on vinyl vs. CD? I'd be curious to hear some insights on the results.

[Woochifer]

This list includes the recordings that I've been using for at least the past 6+ years for evaluating audio equipment. These are not necessarily all great recordings. I use some of them to see how certain speakers handle muddy recordings, others to see how components differ in their imaging, and others to see how well they handle certain frequency extremes. But they are a representative set that covers the kind of music that I listen to.

The only recent addition that I would add to list of reference discs is conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2006 hybrid CD/SACD release of Stravinsky's "Le Sacre du Printemps" (The Rite of Spring). The disc also includes Mussorgsky's "A Night on Bald Mountain" and is notable because it's the debut recording from the LA Phil's Disney Hall, which has received almost universal acclaim for its outstanding acoustics. The performance is focused and energetic, while the recording has excellent spatiality and some ferocious sonics (some purists might not like how much bass got dialed into the recording, but as an evaluation disc, this is great for stress testing components). Can't wait to someday see a concert at Disney Hall so I can compare how well the multichannel SACD layer captures the experience of an actual live performance at that venue. And next time I visit my local audio retailer, I'll definitely want to hear this disc on their reference rig.

These are my long-time reference discs ...

Jazzanova - The Remixes
Very full range "nujazz" recording with a wide array of percussion instruments, electronic and acoustic instruments, and deep acoustic bass notes. Highly recommended.

The Crystal Method - Tweekend
My electronica reference; a lot of messing with the phase to impart spatiality and a lot of thump in the bass

Aurora
Straight ahead/avant garde acoustic jazz; probably my best recording; originally done live to two-track in studio. I use this because I've seen the band live in a variety of settings and have heard the actual instruments in person up close before. CD is out of print and originally released on the Denon PCM label.

Royal Crown Revue - The Contender
modern swing recording, not especially well done multitracked recording and can sound muddy on a lot of systems; but I listen to a lot of this type of music and this band especially. I use this recording to see how well a system can differentiate the sounds.

Metallica - Load
Not their best album, but the recording is pretty typical of newer metal and alternative recordings, with a lot of kick in the midbass.

Orff - Carmina Burana (San Francisco Symphony)
The SFS's 1990 Grammy winner. Recorded at Davies Symphony Hall and I've seen the SFS perform this piece at that venue three times before. Excellent recording with some of the most startling center imaging I've ever heard.

Liquid Soul - Make Some Noise
Chicago funk/jazz/rock jam band. Combination of live and studio recordings that are variable in quality, but nothing outstanding. Another band that I've seen live at the venue where the recording was done.

Hank Mobley - Roll Call (96/24 DAD)
The 96/24 DADs have to be played back through a DVD player, but the ones I've heard can sound astonishingly good. Mobley's 1961 jazz recording has some incredible playing and the playback quality with the 96/24 audio disc is very clean. Not the best recording for piano or drum sounds, but great with horns and bass.

Gershwin - Works for Orchestra and Piano (Porgy & Bess Suite/American In Paris) - St. Louis Symphony (96/24 DAD and SACD)
Excellent classical recording with great range and imaging. Recorded with minimal overdubbing. The SACD version is even better because the multichannel track captures the hall ambiance very effectively.

Mahler - Symphony No. 1 - San Francisco Symphony (SACD/CD hybrid)
As good as the CD layer sounds, the multichannel SACD track is where it's at. Another recording done at Davies Symphony Hall that very much captures how the orchestra sounds coming off the stage. Davies' acoustics are not the best, and this recording captures the audience experience very well, warts and all. This is a 5.0 recording with no LFE track and the five main channels at full range.

Pat Metheny Group - Imaginary Day (DVD-A)
Excellent multichannel demo that uses a variety of instruments and imaging cues.

Steely Dan - Everything Must Go (DVD-A)
Probably the best multichannel demo that I've heard for creating deliberately mixed surround imaging. A lot of depth perception and range in the recording. Excellent test for 5.1 speaker positioning and timbre matching.

Also, I will very occasionally bring my reference vinyl to an audio store (I generally don't like to haul vinyl around because of dust and wear concerns).

Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (Mobile Fidelity Original Master Recording)
This remains the end all version (aside from maybe MoFi's 200 gram UHQR version). Superior recording, half-speed mastering, and flawless pressing quality to go along with spine-tinglingly vivid and clean sound. Because this version's now considered a collector's item, I don't play it very often, and I take it out of the house even less often.

James Newton Howard and Friends (Sheffield Lab direct-to-disc)
Originally written as a NARM demo for Yamaha's then-new digital synthesizer lineup, Sheffield got Howard, David Paich, Jeff and Joe Porcaro, and others to do a live direct-to-disc session. This album has incredible detail, and will immediately highlight how speakers can handle amplified instruments and percussion. Exceptional recording that unfortunately got neutered for the original CD version to suit Sheffield's anti-digital agenda (not sure if the current CD and XRCD versions fixed the problems on the original CD issue).

[Woochifer]

Has anyone done any extensive testing of KIND OF BLUE on vinyl vs. CD? I'd be curious to hear some insights on the results.

That would depend on which LP or CD release you're talking about, since Kind of Blue has been reissued so many times on both formats. Currently, I have a LP from the mid-80s and the SACD version. Between these two versions, the SACD is more revealing, more dynamic, and with greater detail than the LP version (at least on my system using my turntable/cartridge combo).

But, these results can vary considerably. The LP version that I own comes from Columbia's digital remaster series, which got criticized at the time for dulling down the original recordings (presumably this was needed because the first CD transfers were done as part of that series, and tried to avoid the harshness and brightness that plagued other early CD releases). At least two other better received LP versions came out after my version -- one of which was a limited edition 180 gram pressing from Columbia, and the other a 200 gram 45 RPM "speed corrected" version from Classic Records. Purists will usually tell you that the earlier pressings for vintage albums dating back to the 50s and/or 60s will usually sound better than reissues pressed during the 70s or 80s -- closer to the first generation master disks, less use of recycled vinyl, thicker plats, less use of gimmicky "simulated stereo" and other heavy-handed processing etc.

Sony has also subsequently reissued Kind of Blue at least twice on CD. I don't know how they compare to the vinyl, but they have also been reworked.

Interestingly, you can't exactly trust that the SACD version will sound superior all the time either. On Miles Davis' In A Silent Way, the digitally remastered LP sounds better than the SACD. Of course, the album's a mediocre recording to begin with, and the SACD seems to highlight the flaws more glaringly than the LP does.

[E-Stat]

My recordings I most often use for reference are the following.

Nice collection. The Copland is one of my favorites and while I have that version, I prefer the performance of a much earlier version conducted by Copland himself. My wife ice skated to a program using music from Appalachian Spring. Regarding choral music, do you have a Holst Choral Hymns from The Rig Veda? The good Dr. Cooledge introduced me to this particular piece of music. We compared his Kimber Palladian power cords to my Harmonic Technology Magics using that piece. I agree that complex vocal works can be quite revealing.

rw

[jim goulding]

Estat. With you and JWC recommending that Holst recording, that's enough for me. I love great choral pieces and agree that when they are recorded right, it's all right! I'm on it like a duck on a bug! Thanks.

[Feanor]

Nice collection. The Copland is one of my favorites and while I have that version, I prefer the performance of a much earlier version conducted by Copland himself. My wife ice skated to a program using music from Appalachian Spring. Regarding choral music, do you have a Holst Choral Hymns from The Rig Veda? The good Dr. Cooledge introduced me to this particular piece of music. We compared his Kimber Palladian power cords to my Harmonic Technology Magics using that piece. I agree that complex vocal works can be quite revealing.

rw

E-Stat,

No, I don't have any of Holst's Rig Veda pieces. What version do you have? It seems that versions are rather thin on the ground. Actually I don't have any of Holst's choral works, though he was a quite prolific choral composer.

[Jimmy C]

...I actually have quite a few. I listen primarily to Jazz, and that genre tends to record pretty well.

Alright... the silver disc...

1) John Patitucci: "Another World"

2) Minu Cinelu: self-titled

3) Joe Zawinul: "My People"

4) Victor Wooten: "Yin Yang"

5) Most anything from Bela Fleck

Now the black, larger disc...

1) Joe Zawinul: "Black Water"

2) Talking Heads: "Stop Making Sense"

3) DiMeola/McLaughlin/DeLucia: "Friday Night in San Fransisco"

4) Chuck Mangione: "Feels So Good"

5) Dave Grisman: "Quintet '80"

I'll stop at five each.

Fave beer of the week: Red Stripe

[hifitommy]

widmer bros hefeweizen!

[jrhymeammo]

Hey Jimmy C and Jim Goulding,

You guys really need to get this hybrid SACD.

Mike Wofford Trio - Live at Athenaeum Jazz.
Telarc albums can't even touch this live recording.

This was my "reference" recording before acquiring my SACD player. And that's always a good sign. If Hybrid SACD only sounds good in SACD mode, then it's not a good recording. But as we know, analog is different... wont go there on this thread though,

JRA

[s dog]

Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
New York Dolls - Too Much Too Soon

[jim goulding]

Thanks for the heads up. A couple of things . . (1) On my cracker jack box computer speakers, it sounded as tho the piano was on one side of the stage and the drums the other. Would you describe for me the relationship of the players on your stage? I could hear that there is plenty of air and hall sound. (2) On Amazon, it said this is an SACD- it didn't say anything about Hybrid but it did say that it required SACD compatible equipment to play. I can play Hybrids but not SACD only discs. Whadda you think? Also, is this 2 channel? Thanks for your reply and, again, for the information in the first place. Cheers.

[jrhymeammo]

Hey Jim,

This is defintely a hybrid disc.


As for players on the stage, this is 2CH mix is old school.

Piano: Left
Drums: Right and Both
Bass: Left

JRA

[E-Stat]

What version do you have? It seems that versions are rather thin on the ground. Actually I don't have any of Holst's choral works, though he was a quite prolific choral composer.

They are thin on the ground. IIRC, I had to get my copy from Amazon.com where it wasn't exactly cheap. Here's the one:

Willcocks conducting Royal Philharmonic

rw