OUR BEST TOP 10 SONGS TO TEST YOUR SPEAKERS

Freya Ridings | Lost Without You

One of the best ways to show if a system has a good high frequency response is by listening to a female vocalist. This track does it too well. It opens with Freya’s beautiful voice paired with soft keys over a quiet backdrop— perfect conditions. After around a minute thirty the piano really opens up with warm, bass-rich chords. 

• Opening delivers crystal clear female vocals and soft piano over a quiet backdrop. 
• Notice how Freya’s voice is focused in the centre of the room. 
• Around 1:20 things pick up, revealing rich piano chords that really test a system’s bass response. 

Laura Fygi | Bésame Mucho

This track opens with the natural and accurate sound of a guitar: a favourite for showing just how realistic hi-fi systems can be. It’s almost like having a guitar in the room with you... except your room will feel bigger, because there are subtle hints of big room acoustics on this clean recording. Soon after, Laura’s voice comes in clear and smooth, making this romantic track like a private performance just for you.

• Demonstrates immaculate realism with a natural acoustic guitar sound. 
• Creates a big room feel thanks to subtle acoustics picked up on the recording. 
• Silky smooth female vocals. 

Francine Thirteen | Queen Mary

Francine brings another beautiful voice onto this top 10, but this time the instrumentals feature a little more production. There's a punchy percussion track, deep bass, awesome panning effects, and detailed samples that give this performance a striking ambiance. This is a great track to demonstrate stereo image and bass response— both extension and control. 

• Clean, well-mastered bass and percussion tracks are layered beneath smooth female vocals. 
• Samples and panning effects create a wide soundstage. 
• A deep bass synth gives this track richness and showcases bass control. 

Hedegaard | Ratchets

This one is all about deep, punchy bass. It’s an electronic production with bassy samples, rich synth lines, and rhythmic percussion. Pay attention to the stereo separation and timing— electronic tracks like this can really show how tight and controlled a system is. 

• A strong bass test track with deep extension. 
• Punchy synths and percussion lines that show tightness and control. 
• Cool, bassy samples and a steady tribal rhythm. 

Yellow | Oh Yeah (2009)

An unmistakable classic this one. It’s packed with samples and electronic effects that, on a good system, will spread across the room with awesome 3D separation. The synth lines in the beginning have a harmonic effect that will make you buzz! 

• Really fun track with cool panning and other effects. 
• Rich harmonic synth melodies that leave you buzzing. 
• An overall rhythmic and funky tune. 

Madonna | Vogue (Q-sound mix)

This is a favourite for stereo image, with samples and percussion that pan tastefully around the room. With a well set-up system and decent room acoustics, you’ll hear sounds well beyond the speaker positions— it's amazing. 

• Incredible stereo image demonstration. 
• Great separation in all tracks: vocals, percussion, piano and samples. 
• A fun and catchy Madonna tune with much to love! 

Playing God | Polyphia

Love this track. It tastefully blends production and synth with recorded acoustic fills, and takes you on an emotional journey. Fast guitar lines and drumming demonstrate the dynamic capability of a system, and the sound evolves as you go, keeping you on the edge of your seat. 

• Mixes a synth and production format with awesome acoustic fills. 
• An eclectic range of musical styles that ebb and flow tastefully. 
• Enthralling melodies and speed demonstrate dynamic capability. 

Japanese Roots | TakéDaké

This is a highly dynamic and sparse piece. Wooden instruments move in and out of the soundstage, showing a system’s speed and control. The ambiance this track creates is wonderful, with sounds that decay gently into the noise floor, almost making it a key part of the music. 

• A beautiful world music recording with incredible nuances. 
• Quick changes that show a system’s speed and control. 
• A complex soundstage takes shape as earthy instruments fade in and out. 

Just A Little Lovin’ | Shelby Lynne

Dense with rich bass and well-centred vocals, this track is great for testing subwoofer integration and tone. It will show you whether a subwoofer is set up to compliment a set of speakers, rather than to clash with them. Listen for the bass line to sit neatly under the bass kick and separate from the guitar (except for the spot of distortion in the opening stanza). Shelby's voice should be thick and sweet, but the smack of lips at the end of each vocal phrase should snap to the foreground. 

• Great track to test if a subwoofer setup compliments a system. 
• Clear separation between vocals, guitar and percussion. 
• Silky smooth female vocals. 

Oh, Had I A Golden Thread (Live At Blues Alley) | Eva Cassidy

This track tends to devolve into mush on some systems. But when reproduced correctly, it’s wide ranging and deep, with well-balanced mid-bass and muted-but-clean trebles. There’s a guitar in the intro panned extreme right that you should be able to follow the strums. If it's difficult to follow, the system may be lacking in the mid-range. Then in the final stanza with the supporting singers, the music should rise while maintaining clarity as Eva grows in confidence. 

• Great live recording that puts you in a different place and time. 
• Dynamic track that’s hard for some systems to reproduce: really shows range and control. 
• Track evolves gradually, becoming very lively and complex.