Being an audiophile does not just mean you are constantly dragging audio equipment into your listening room, while you drown in cables and stress over whether your amp is good enough for your speakers. I’m exaggerating of course, but you get my point. Being an audiophile doesn’t mean you are only working to get the best possible audio system. You are doing this in order to actually be able to sit on your sofa and enjoy the sound that you put so much effort into creating. So in honor of that moment, just after you set everything up the way you wanted and just before you realized something can be improved, we bring you a list of top albums to be enjoyed on your Hi-Fi sound system. They are mostly classics and they will make you feel like your money was not spent in vain.
The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Some call this the best album of all times. And maybe it is, maybe it’s not, but one thing is for sure: it’s amazing! What makes it fantastic are the details. The musical space that will open up before you while listening to this album is indescribable. It would be best to listen to it on vinyl – it was created with this medium in mind, and we should respect that.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced?
After appreciating all the hidden details of Sgt Pepper, you might want to do the same with Hendrix. We all know that his guitar solos are impossible to match, but the massiveness of his music, the brilliance of his technique and the fantastic creativeness can’t be appreciated to the fullest without high quality equipment. And again: go vinyl. This music was meant to be listened to on plastic.
Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon
THE album that will show you just how delicate your audio equipment really is. The subtlety of dynamics, colors and effects simply can’t be heard on mp3, headphones, or computer speakers. The Dark Side of the Moon is definitely made to be listened to inside the audiophile’s listening room, not to mention the incredible feeling of setting the equalizers just right, in order to do justice to this music.
Then we, of course, have London Calling by The Clash, a record that will show you just what punk can do. It is amazing to feel wrapped inside the sound of this album that was produced in a way that will make your skin crawl. It will make you jump and scream and feel!
Talking about changing the face of music, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark is perfect if you want to experiment. These pioneers of the British new wave experimented to the fullest with different electronics, made their own synthesizers and created sounds that no one ever heard before. Their first album is legendary in so many ways, and should be listened to with care and contemplation. The effects they use are unbelievable, and you just have to feel it, to understand it.
Now if you like a bit of classical music, definitely go with Boleroby Maurice Ravel. The whole was created when a composer decided to bet against himself: he composed a piece that is comprised out of one single theme, played over and over again, in the same tonality. The idea was to make it not boring. And he did it. If you appreciate the change of timbre and enjoy listening to the quality of the sound itself, this is the piece for you. It is a masterpiece created out of only changing the instrument that plays the theme and building suspense in this way. Make sure you turn up the volume!
And if you are a fan of the raw sound, you know you just must listen to 1984by Van Halen! If you are just trying out your components it will show you just how resilient your speakers are. It will tell you everything you need to know about your audio system. If you just want to play along, it’s brilliant for that too. Don’t forget your “air guitar”!
The list of albums can go on, and on and on… I didn’t mention the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Animals…
I personally find that Thin Lizzy is a good choice because they have two guitarists that play approximately a millisecond apart for harmonies. I always find that listening to that to test audio tells me a lot: whether there is enough treble; whether the quality is clear.
I agree that a good band to use to test is Led Zeppelin because they purposely have the sound that is distinctive. So you can just hear the guitar or just focus on vocals.
I’ve always found that a good band to test audio systems is Fleetwood Mac. You could always go for Rumour’s which is a good option for testing clearer sounds, or Tusk to test the treble. You could go even further and use the song Oh Well, from when Peter Green was in the band. The variety gives really clear sound to test or a bit more treble if you would rather.
Cat Stevens – Greatest Hits or similar album – on vinyl
The sound of the guitar and vocals has not been reproduced digitally since.
Menahan Street Band –
if you want to try out a new band with a nice analog sound.
I would put Led Zepplin and Moody Blues over the Beatles (innovative as they were) when trying out a a sound system, they were a little more deliberate, in my opinion.
Also early Herbie Hancock, such as Weather Report.
For classical music try Gustaph Mahler’s symphonies. Also try Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, or Terry Reilly’s A Rainbow In Curved Air. Anything by Klaus Shultz, Tangerine Dream, Miles Davis. To test your speakers listen to Grand Funk by Grand Funk, and Sounds Like This by Nektar.