Headphone Evaluation: Test Tracks

Nature Sounds: Thunderstorms.

Amazing. You’ll know what your headphones can (and can’t) do after listening to it.

Itchycoo Park (remastered stereo version): a top drawer track for testing pretty much all frequencies, but especially bass (try it with NO EQ to find out what your headphones can really do).

This entire album. Guitar tone, instrument separation and PRAT.

Love this. This is a terrific recording.

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In a post above there is a guide to get the list in your favorite streaming platform.
Anyway, here’s the list already on Tidal

EDIT: for the first song, ‘China’, I could only find a remastered version on Tidal. The rest should be as in the list.

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Wow! I’m flattered. Thanks.

I’d update with a few different tracks today, but this original version is probably going to stick no matter what I do now.

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The playlist can be adapted if you want, if that makes it a better tool.

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Tremendous album which I somehow only discovered a year or so ago…it is excellent and extremely well recorded. Only just started getting into headphones although I have always enjoyed 2ch stereo a great deal…having fun so far!

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Honestly. Roger Waters nailed it with the “Lockdown Sessions.”
Great fidelity as well. Excellent to evaluate female choir backing vocals.

Using the Final Audio D-8000. It ate this album for breakfast. Terrific experience on all fronts. :smiling_face:

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Thanks for the Lockdown tip! Just what I was looking for! :smiley:

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For HD 800 owners. This is a benchmark experience. This incredible instrumental highlights so much of what the HD 800 is good at. Enjoy.

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A tidal playlist of this list: Resolve's Test Tracks on TIDAL

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Terrific track to evaluate bass slam and control. Most headphones fail and distort with this one. Highly recommended.

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Mahler Symphony #2
Vienna Philharmonic
Zubin Mehta, conductor

A legendary 1975 recording of a great symphony… Incredible!

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Where should I hear distortion? Perhaps at this point: https://youtu.be/SWEPrenL5d8?t=88 ?

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For ‘dynamic slam/engagement’ & mid-bass punch:

For female vocals:

For male vocals:

For sub-bass:

For timbre:

For soundstage & airiness (*many live recordings will give the impression of soundstage on ANY headphone because the spacing is built into the recording. In my experience this track will sound incredibly “spacey” & etherial on a headphone with excellent soundstage, but merely “open” on a headphone with average soundstage. For reference, this is one of my favorite tracks and I have listened to it hundreds of times on many many headphones - it sounds BEST on HD800S, hands-down)

Honorable mention to this one, which is good for both female vocals and soundstage and conveniently is right before “Coconut” (referenced above) on the album:

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Tangerine Dream- Cloudburst Flight, 3 AM A The Border Of The Marsh From OkeFenokee; Vangelis- Chariots Of Fire (main theme); Genesis- Firth Of Fifth; Peter Gabriel- In The Humdrum; Dali’s Car- Create And Melt; Hawkwind- Steppenwolf; Tchaikovsky- Piano Concerto No2; The Enid- In The Region Of The Summer Stars.

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Hey. What a great list of songs and I fully agree with you. Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and Genesis especially. Love it man.
Last year I bought a Japanese Blu spec CD of DIRECT by Vangelis. I highly recommend that to you. It is an incredible sounding CD.

Beautiful atmospheric progressive rock from Norway. These guys are masters at it and they have audiophile grade sound to boot.

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https://tidal.com/browse/track/46694520

My favorite test track. Listen all the way through, and it will cover staging, dynamics, separation, everything

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One of my favourite test tracks

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