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What music do you use to audition new speakers (or to impress the guy that asks you if those Klipsch speakers are any good)?


sputnik

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I'm in agreement that using music they are familiar with might be more impressive to them. There are a few things I like to use to show off my Klipsch if they haven't brought anything with them, though.

Anything from Tool's "Undertow" LP will pummel you with bass and percussion, expecially the second track and the title track.

"Since I've Been Loving You" from Zeppelin II.

Stevie Ray Vaughn's version of "Little Wing."

"Aja" from the Steely Dan album of the same name.

The first few minutes of Dark Side of the Moon.

"Two Step" from The Dave Mathews Band, Crash.

Almost anything from Dead Can Dance, but especially "Desert Song" and "American Dreaming" from their live album, Toward the Within.

Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing" is amazing.

Who doesn't like "Red Barchetta" from Rush's Moving Pictures cranked out through a big pair of Klipsch speakers?

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Steve Miller - Born 2 B Blue

Donald ***en - Karmakiriad

Steely Dan - Two against Nature; Everything must go

Rolling Stones - Black and blue; Tattoo you

ZZ Top - Eliminator

Lee Ritenour - Wes bound

Anthrax - We've come for you all

Sade - Diamond life

Metallica - Load

Dire Straits - 1st album

and so on...

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Urge Overkill Sister Havanaif the opening 30 seconds does not get a smile they are def. If you have not heard this song seek it out and find it or drop me a line and I will send you an mp3/wmf of it. It is a rocking good ear ripper.

U2 Bullet the Blue SkyReally shows off the drum capabilities of Klipsch speakers

Rush Tom SawyerEverybody knows it and it sounds new and fresh to non-Klipsch types.

Led Zeppelin When the Levee Breakscant beat the whaling harmonica and painfully pretty vocals.

Rolling Stones Beast of BurdonDecent bass lines, nice vocals and some classic guitar by Keith. BTW just getting back into vinyl and this is one of the better sounding stones albums. Any other suggestions for well recorded/produced RS vinyl?

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OK, you guys are killing me...all this rock and roll is very nice, but the best music I have found by far for Klipsch is opera and the larger choral recordings, my Cornwalls have always been tremendously unforgiving, and that is the key to critical listening. The older more high fidelity recordings are the best. Among my favorites are:

Anything by Jussi Bjoerling, preferably, "Nessun Dorma", the crystal clear high notes are as amazing as this man's life was tragic.

Anything you can get your hands on by Leonard Warren, probably the best baritone opera singer in the history of the world, his "Leonard Warren in Russia" live cd recorded during the absolute height of the cold war, to standing room only audiences, is not only an incredible cd (as it was remastered from the analog recordings made in the 1950's I beleive), but his incredibly adept warm and massive sound is unequaled in the music repetoire. Died while literally on stage at the Met, singing La Forza Del Destino, in front of some 3000 patrons - no doctor backstage, another tragedy. Look for the Leonard Warren Society online, they rereleased several cd's of his music in compilation, both operatic and art song (he had a thing for songs of the sea and some of the foreign art songs are wonderful (Le Berceaux), you can hear the guy in the front row sniffling, that is how live the recording is on my Corns).

Franco Corelli, an animal of a tenor who died recently, is wonderful on a Klipsch. Also any good recordings of Ettore Bastianini, fantastic monster opera baritone from the 50's and 60's, is a treat. They just don't make singers like this any more, more's the pity.

Verdi Requiem, Confutatis - tremendous ramped up deep orchestral background, soaring choral crescendo, if the bass singer is good, you have a sparking example of all things that the Klipsch does well...

Orff's "Carmina Burana" - the "Imperatrix Mundi", or better known as the music of a thousand commercials, or the nusic from the movie "Excalibur" among others...fantastic unbeleivable clarity, and explosive, unforgiving detail in the Klipsch, one person breathes wrong, and you can hear it, really amazing experience...The roasting swan is something to hear on my Corns, you can visualize the scene, and the horn loaded tweets allow the fire to rip out of the speakers...

More modern music, Arvo Part choral stuff is incredible, warm and dissonant, engaging and awe inspiring. A young man by the name of Eric Whitacre writes some of the most beautifully haunting modern choral works I have heard since Part, if you have a chance to sample the stuff on your Klipsch, do it by all means...this stuff will definitely make your RF-7's ring in that 3500 hz area as the music is laden with overtones, in crazy close in harmonies, and is sonorously dissonant, if there can be such a thing...the tension releasing resolutions are nothing short of breathtaking.

OK, I am done with waxing poetic, now I wish I was home listening, dammit.

By the by, Dave Mathews sounds fantastic too...if you want specific examples, or more specific recordings of the above pieces I can get you my favorites (I have a bunch of different recordings of the same events, in most cases).

Other specific artists I can remember, Leontyne Price singing the "Leibestod" (specifically from the soundtrack of the movie, "Aria" - Jussi's best "Nessun Dorma" is on that one too, I highly recommend the recording), Ella Fitgerald, Miles Davis, John Coltrane "Blue Train", Mel Torme (anything), Sinatra "Live at the Sands"-great fantastic recording for my Corns, at high volume!

Sorry so long, K

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Blood Sweat and Tears - "More and More" They sold a lot of JBL L-200s with that, and it sounds better on the CWs. You need to crank the bass up a little bit, though.

Cat Stevens - "Bitter Blue" A personal favorite.

Peter, Paul and Mary - "The Marvelous Toy" Not everything has to be loud.

Mannheim Steamroller - "Chocolate Fudge" (Fresh Aire I) and "Mere Image" (Fresh Aire III) Okay, so these guys went to the well once (many times) too often. Their first four albums have a lot of energy and were cutting edge in the early eighties.

Dave Grusin "In the Digital Mood" (Pennsylvania 6-5000 will have you answering your phone)and "Nightlines" "Between Old and New York"

Zubin Mehta & Los Angeles Philharmonic "Cantina Band" from "Star Wars"

Orch. of the Age of Enlightenment (what a great name) J.S. Bach

Violin Concerto in E Major.

Lorin Maazel - Cleveland S. O. - Igor Stravinsky "The Rite of Spring"

T. Susato Danserye Suite on "Bells For Stokowski"

J. Weinberger "Polka and Fugue from Schwanda" on "Pomp and Pipes" (the last two on the Reference Recordings label.

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"Beds are Burning" Midnight Oil "Diesel and Dust" CD. I use this for "newbies" to Klipsch about 95% of the time. The expressions on their faces when 110db of clean sound literally pins them to the wall is priceless. I should put a camera facing out over the center cornie!

Unless they are into the genre, I usually only hold them to a minute or less (I watch them for tolerance and switch before pain sets in) and move on to whatever better suits their sensibilities, but I find this disc to be the best sales tool around.

Dave

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Here are some music pieces that I have re-discovered once switching to Klipsch:

Sanford and Son Theme - Harry James (Still Harry after all these years), Great placement of instruments, fabulous soundquality by Sheffield Lab

Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow - Dave Grusin (Discovered again), a classic IMHO

The Battle - Lisa Gerard (The Gladiator soundtrack), very powerfull!

City under the desert - Kodo/Tomita(Nasca Fantasy), Japan meets Peru.

Pady lament - Sinead O'Connor (Sean-Nos Nua), excellent vocals!

Also sprach Zarathustra - Strauss (Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony), marvelous recording, though rivaled by the Andre Previn - Wiener Philharmoniker recording (TELARC)

Suite Sister Mary - Queensryche (Operation Mindcrime) Hard to pick a favorite song from this great album

Fantasia suite -Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia (Friday Night in San Francisco), great live recording of some of the world's best guitar players.

Since buying my Klipsch I have spent so much more time listening to music and really enjoying it. The only negative: These speakers will painfully expose any poorly recorded albums....

2.gif

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The look on someones face when hearing Khorns for the first time on an eight watt SET amp or 15 watt PP is worth the price of admission.

Try the opening cut on the "Black Sabbath" album by the group of the same name. This is where Ozzie earned his stripes.

Brubeck's "Take Five" for clean sound, dynamics and sound stage.

Allan Jackson's "Drive" for the HOLY COW!! I didn't know Country could sound so good factor.

The Beatles "Abbey Road" everybody knows it, few have ever heard it.

Peter Paul and Mary "Puff The Magic Dragon" again everybody knows the tune. Very high on the WOW! factor when played on Khorns,etc.

Rick

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Thanks for all the suggestions. Gimme more! I just got back from Denver with my speakers. I've been checking them out using alot of the recommendations - I had to go out and buy some of them. This worked out well - I picked up some great music. I'm going back through this thread and making a new shopping list. Thanks for the operatic suggestions too - I have very little of that and all I really know of opera music is what I've seen on Bugs Bunny cartoons.

I am selfishly bringing this thread back to the top to fish for some more suggestions. Like someone said the genre isn't that important - just looking for more well recorded, detailed, and dynamic music that show off the fine points of the speakers.

Here are a couple more from my collection that are good reference material and great music.

"Absolute Sound" - Hearts of Space (various artists). They describe the soundstage and what you should hear for each selection.

"Moroccan Spirit" - Higher Octave Music

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"Try the opening cut on the "Black Sabbath" album by the group of the same name. This is where Ozzie earned his stripes."

You mean when he made his pact with satan.2.gif

That's interesting coming from you, Rick. I always liked that album.....Of course I just like songs that begin with thunderstorms and church bells.

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Sput,

A little off-topic but alluded to here: for info on classical, as opposed to purely classical bombshells, search on "Classical" to find many useful threads, for example Boomac's Help with Classical Music choices.

I always use classical to demo my system, but don't have particular favorites, I just tailor it to the person and the situation.

Larry

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  • 7 years later...

More modern music, Arvo Pärt choral stuff is incredible, warm and dissonant, engaging and awe inspiring.

His Te Deum CD (1993, BMG) is VERY nice.

61CU2q1AcNL._SS500_.jpg

Highly recommended.

(Sorry for resurrecting this very, very old thread, but it has some good suggestions in it.)

Chris

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BTW...

EDIT: (oops) I still recommend James Newton Howard and Friends for use as a demo disk--the one that Roy D. also uses for auditioning and fine tuning Jubs, etc.

f8e5810ae7a0a443c86f8110.L.jpg51JvNTMt8VL._SS400_.jpghttp://www.amazon.com/Big-Notes-Flim-Bbs/dp/B000003DCT/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1350337932&sr=1-1&keywords=Big+Notes' target="_blank">

It may be the finest disk that I own for that particular use.

Chris

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GODWHACKER - Steely Dan

GET UP OFF THAT THING - James Brown

TUFF ENUF - Fabulous Thunderbirds

I WONT DANCE - Sinatra with Count Basie 1963. The first short sax bit blows them away....the dude is IN THE ROOM. :)

GOOD MORNING AZTLAN - Los Lobos

BLOW AT HIGH DOUGH - The Tragically Hip

MAN WITH A HORN - Scott Hamilton

BLOOZE - Peter Frampton

I could go on for hours.............

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