What reference material do you use to demo your toys?

[maseline_98]

This could include CDs/DVDs/SACDs/DVD-A/Blu-rays/HD-DVDs.

I always like playing:
The Eagles - Farewell 1 Tour - Live From Melbourne DVD on 5.1 DTS "Rocky Mountain Way", "Desperato"
SW Episode II DVD - Final Fight Scene
Bone, Thugs & Harmony E1999 - CD - "Mo'Murda"
Norah Jones - Live at New Orleans DVD - "Comes Love", "One Flight Down" (2-Channel)
Altantis - DVD - First 35 seconds, Final 8-10 minutes
Pearl Harbor DVD - DTS - Chapters 21 - 25

[impala454]

I'm still working up a specific demo set, but so far:

Lynyrd Skynyrd - The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd CD 1 (2 disc set) - Simple Man (nice mix of guitar and deep bass)

Transformers - Score Soundtrack CD - Arrival to Earth (just a nice song IMHO, good tympani hits as well as very high highs from the violins. big nice brass parts as well)

Saving Private Ryan - DVD - Omaha Beach scene (obvious reasons, God I'd love to have this on Blu-ray)

Star Wars: Episode II - DVD - The THX "Cavalcade" trailer at the beginning.

Transformers - HDDVD - For PQ

Cars - Blu-ray - For PQ

THX Wow! Demo - DVD (fun to watch, good flyby sounds and such)

[wettou]

Where to start first DTS-MA demo discs 2007 & 2008

then depending on taste

SACDs:
- Pink Floyd SACD the entire album
- Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam
Sir Colin Davis (conductor)
- Dvorak: Symphony Nos. 8, 9 "From the New World" Budapest Festival Orchestra Ivan Fischer (conductor)
- Mozart: Requiem, Adagio & Fugue Scottish Chamber Orchestra Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor)
- "Amadeus" Mozart, Pergolesi Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Sir Neville Marriner
- Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture, Sibelius: Suites - Sir Colin Davis
- Indochine: Le Birthday Album


Blu Ray:
- 10,000BC
- Master and Commander
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Cars
- Swordfish

[audioqueso]

I still use the Matrix. The helicopter scene where all the bullets are falling down is awesome!

And music, anything the listener requests cause I'm always confident they will say it sounds gorgeous. They always have so far.

[audioqueso]

Hey Maseline,
Why "Mo'Murda"? I kinda remember the track, but what's so great about it? I'm not saying your choice is bad, but it's just not a song that pops in my head as being a song that stands out. What is great about it?
(Now that I see your setup, any hip-hop must sound mean with your Klipsch setup! :T )

[impala454]

- Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam
Sir Colin Davis (conductor)

Awesome I actually played this in high school band :T

[dtb300]

I believe I have posted here before some of my favorite reference recordings to demo not only on my own setup, but ones in stores, etc. I am not a big video fanatic so my list will only address music on CD and SACD.

Some of the discs I have which I feel have great sonics and stand my test of sounding great on multiple system listening:

Audiophile Vocal Recordings - Chesky (Redbook)
Gerry Mulligan meets Ben Webster - MoFi (Redbook)
Art Pepper + Eleven (SACD)
Mingus Ah Um - Charles Mingus (SACD)
Gil Evans and Ten (SACD)
Live at Blues Alley - Eva Cassidy (Redbook)
The E.S.E. Sessions - Blue Coast Collection (SACD)
Flim & the BB's - Tricycle (SACD)
Steven Davis - Quality of Sound (SACD) DMP Label
Yellow Jackets - Altered State (SACD), and the new Lifecycle (SACD)
Milt Jackson - Invitiation (SACD) MoFi
Mark Knopfler - Shangrai-La (SACD)
Amanda McBroom - Live from Rainbow and Stars (Redbook)
Diana Krall - Love Scenes (SACD) - All of her SACD's are nice, but Love Scenes has the best sonics.

For Classical - all on SACD

Britten/Elgar - Paavo Jarvi
RCA Living Stereo - Sherherazade (JVC XRCD sounds better, but the 3 CH RCA just gives a better sound stage)
RCA Living Stereo - Pictures at an Exhibition (also MoFi version)
Mozart Violin Concertos 3 & 4 - Julia Fisher (Pentatone Label)
Mozart Youth Symphonies - 3 & 4 sound the best
Boston Symphony Chamber - Mozart Chamber Music for Winds and Strings
Haydn - The Fry Street Quartet - ISO-Mike Recording by Ray Kimber
Joe McQueen - 10 at 86 - ISO-Mike

(all ISO Mike recordings are amazing quality, you just have to like the music too)

I see two disc recommended all the time for those just getting into SACD. While the music and the sound is better than the original releases on Redbook, they are not the best for showcasing the abilities of SACD. Again, just my opinion.

DSOTM - IMO the MCH is just gimmicky with the music all around, and the 2CH sound quality does not compare to "The Wall" on MoFi. There are far better sounding SACD recordings out there than DSOTM for MCH or 2CH.

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms - IMO Shangra-La sound quality is far superior across the board

[kgveteran]

Well I've had three GTG over the last six months and I can't seem to get enough of Peter Gabriel "Growing Up". I'm still floored.My wife and I sing,clap and cheer with the crowd, along with my friends (and some spirits!).

Transformers is a no brainer. The action is top notch.Michael Bay is out of his mind.

HDTV has got to be Deadliest Catch.I can't get enough of it.

Kg

[Hdale85]

Deadliest Catch is good Pretty much anything on HDT or Discovery HD.

[SoundEngine355]

Movies
Casino Royal - Intro Chase Scene
U571 - Depth Charges
Behind Enemy Lines - Shooting down of the jet and cannonball run

[maseline_98]

Hey Maseline,
Why "Mo'Murda"? I kinda remember the track, but what's so great about it? I'm not saying your choice is bad, but it's just not a song that pops in my head as being a song that stands out. What is great about it?
(Now that I see your setup, any hip-hop must sound mean with your Klipsch setup! :T )

I don't really know why I like to use that one. For some reason, I always liked the way the bass hits...

[june]

Darkness Falls http://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Falls...5800189&sr=1-1

&

DTS Demo #2 (China) http://www.dddhouse.com/v3/product_d...0&LanguageID=0