hamilton@brahms.udel.edu (Andrew W Hamilton) (04/10/91)
I just bought a Shure V-15 V-MR cartridge (like it a lot! - but that's another story) and when I sent in my registration to receive their "Audio Obstacle Course" test record was told that they are no longer being made. It seems that this is happening with a lot of test records. The only ones I have been able to find are ancient ones at Goodwill stores and the like; records from the days when stereo was new! I know that Old Colony has the CBS test records, but I have heard that they are not very useful. What I am looking for is a record (or records) with a wide range of test tones, and some tests to help me make sure that my turntable and cartridge are set up/wired/tracking properly. Also, some well-recorded musical selections for evaluating systems would be nice, too. Do any of these records still exist? Thanks in advance. J. P. Grenert hamilton@brahms.udel.edu
chowkwan@priam.usc.edu (Raymond Chowkwanyun) (04/11/91)
The Swedish record label Opus 3 has a test record for depth of image. It's listed as AOP OP7900 in Acoustic Sounds catalog 800 525-1630. Personally, I find test records of little use. It's a nice idea. If your system can play this record, then it will play anything well. It certainly would save a lot of time if such a record existed. Unfortunately, the world isn't that simple. When I was auditioning Classe vs. MFA pre-amps, I found I preferred the sound of the above-mentioned Opus 3 disc on the Classe but that the other recordings I used sounded better on the MFA. Use of the test record alone would have led me to buy the wrong unit. This is not to say that somewhere out there there isn't a magic test record that will indeed reveal all. I'm saying guard against easy assumptions and until you find that magic record, it's better to rely on a representative sampling from your own collection. I usually bring along 1 jazz, 1 classical, and 1 rock LP. Also, it's good to have examples of those old standbys violin and piano. Both are notoriously difficult to record and reproduce. It also helps to have listened to these instruments live within a few days of doing your auditioning. Human voice is also a useful yardstick because we all know what it should sound like. -- ray
rjn@hpfcso.fc.hp.com (Bob Niland) (04/12/91)
/ hpfcso:rec.audio.high-end / hamilton@brahms.udel.edu (Andrew W Hamilton) / 6:53 am Apr 10, 1991 / re: chowkwan@priam.usc.edu (Raymond Chowkwanyun) writes... > Human voice is also a useful yardstick because we all know > what it should sound like. The Stereophile Test CD (STPH-002-2) has a track (5) with J.Gordon Holt reading the text of "Why Hi-Fi Experts Disagree". Each of the 18 indexed cues is recorded with a different "high end" microphone. Even on this prosaic vocal material, the differences between mics is astonishing. Regards, Hewlett-Packard Bob Niland Internet: rjn@FC.HP.COM 3404 East Harmony Road UUCP: [hplabs|hpfcse]!hpfcrjn!rjn Ft Collins CO 80525-9599