The BEST songs for testing headphones?
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- čas přidán 26. 07. 2024
- TL;DW: crinacle.com/2020/05/09/the-t...
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00:00 Intro
00:58 "Familiarity trumps Technicality"
03:18 Unfamiliarity sounds good
04:35 Using "Genres"
06:38 Using "Instruments"
07:35 Mixing/Mastering differences
09:21 "Technically Good" songs
09:58 Crinacle's Holy Trinity
10:15 Hotel California
11:39 Billie Jean
12:37 September (December)
13:34 Pink Noise/Sine Sweeps
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CAM: Sony a7S III + FE 85mm f/1.8
MIC: Neumann TLM 102 + Motu M2 - Věda a technologie
The best songs to test audio with will always be the ones you love most because you'll be able to pick up on the small differences.
fr
Agreed
Agreed.
the problem is you will focus on vibing with the song rather than actually listen to the sound lol (jk)
Good point
wait... audiophiles listen to music?
We can't listen to Yoko Ono all day.🤷🏿♂️
no, they just listen to the electric noise coming from their headphones
Nah they listen to each wave of a Fourier transform
Audiophiles listen to frequency response
We need a sub-category "Audiogadgetphile". Goes with the territory I guess 😁
Brown note 10 hour loop
More like 10 hour poop
if you don't shit yourself then the iems are bad
Big agree on two points here.
1. Use music you're familiar with. A technical song you're not familiar with can make almost any headphone sound impressive. That said... it's worth having some technically-impressive music that you're familiar with. If all your familiar music is recorded in mono between 300 and 8,000 Hz, it's not gonna be very useful for evaluating headphones. To be honest, I really don't have room in my life for music that isn't technically competent, which means I don't listen to a lot of music I used to like before getting into audio. Dunno if that's a good thing most audiophiles should aspire to, but the quality of your music is definitely a limiting factor in the quality you extract from gear. But again, it only matters if it's music you're familiar with.
2. Genre-based recommendations are not that useful. The multitude of sub-genres is a good point, but I'll go one further and say that even within a specific artist, from album to album the mastering might differ significantly that if you're trying to optimize your equipment to the music, I'd pick different headphones. That said, I listen to a lot of genres and generally find that -- outside of poorly-produced albums -- my favorite headphones bring out the best of what I like in all genres so it's a bit of a moot point. Kinda comes back to point #1, if your music is well-produced you probably don't need to worry about finding headphones specialized for your particular music.
Genre based can have its uses. I know so many seta that suck with Metal. I mean really bad. But sets that are seen as merely okay are great for Metal. Metal is just harder to reproduce well.
@@DEFKNIGHT My library has Moonspell, Blind Guardian, Nightwish, Metallica, Deftones, Somali Yacht Club, Iron Maiden... The well-produced albums sound good on good-sounding headphones (Nightwish, Somali Yacht Club, some Metallica), the poorly-produced (Blind Guardian, Iron Maiden) don't sound great on anything. I don't know what people mean by these "headphones for metal" declarations.
@@SuperReviewwhat do you think of Chocolate chip trip as a test track?
@@SuperReviewheadphones for metal need to have lots of punch and slam.
there are many genres of music that aren't sub-bass heavy. if you only listen to these genres, then you can put much less weight on subbass performance and only optimize the frequency response elsewhere.
4'33" is soo underrated
I love the sound of my blood pulsing
Objectively true, you can just crank the volume high enough to hear all the noise introduced by pointlessly high sample rates
Yeah but I prefer the cover by Lord of the Lost
I so agree.. familiarity with a a track. Is the best reference.
@@xTheUnderscorex wait, how?
I usually use the DOOM soundtrack to test headphones. It is harmonically dense, covers the whole frequency range, and it's punchy AF so you can really tell how well the headphones slam. But also I just really like it so it's quick and easy to pick out differences when swapping headphones. I can also pick out differences in the mids with heavily distorted guitars way better than with any other source.
Yeah.
"The Only Going They Fear is You"
in particular
@@---pp7tq the only one*
It 100% has to be Scarlet Fire.
It's the only song that provides better results with worse earphones.
OOOOOOOOOH THEY'RE GETTING WARM
Otis McDonald ?
SCARLET! FIRE!
Maraca Cracker 4000 incoming
Perhaps the best music for testing headphones is the friends we made along the way
Just ask a friend to humm from 20hz over to 20k hz so you can test your headphone 10/10
the music you usually listen to
he said that in the video. come back when you have an original thought
@@duchieu235 i commented before even watching the video because thats how obvious it is
I always test on Paranoid Android - Radiohead. I like the song + it has great production/panning/layering/range, goes through various styles + it's a 6 minute song, so it lets you get used to the sound of the headphones.
Well that’s good, i choose how dissapear completely
Of course it has to be HOTEL CALIFORNIA, but my usual go to is the 1976 vinyl version.
But of course, you're favourite song will always be the best benchmark.
unless your favorite song is from someone with the same quality as mayhem. if it was recorded with two tin cans and a string, it doesn't work
We've been waiting for a video o' great Crin
No we don’t gay
For me personally, The BEST tracks that I used to test my Headphone, IEM or even Speakers, I always use Billie Jean - Michael Jackson, Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen, The Nights - Avicii, and also Sweet Child O Mine - Gun N Roses...
Nice video thanks.
Don't retire from reviews I need AFUL performers 5 & 8
I had the opportunity to listen to my own tracks from my phone on Sen HE-1s at LTX last year.
Absolutely once in a lifetime experience.
Now, the best song to test speakers with, especially in a shop with lots of people in it, is Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up'.
YES, such great points. We ARE learning ( at least). Probably the BEST advice bar none. Just superior information.
I have retired from IEM reviews 😐😐😐
Wait what
Why
When
The first line is a shocker 😔
That's very sad... I always looked for the best IEM reviews here
Crin also refers to technical evaluation as what he does in the video--like in the present. So maybe his retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be.
I mean, why stick to reviews, if he now works with a couple of companies to actually make them better?
I've always used violin songs. Because I used to play and that's what I listen to. Eternal eclipse cloak and dagger is my benchmark of choice. I actually find your 7Hz Diokos perfect for listening to it. Thank you for the excellent video as always
Nina Simone - sinnerman is my go to song when trying out a new set of headphones, speakers, or iems. I’m listening for the hand claps, her vocal placement, the timbre of her piano. The snap of the percussion and the power of the standup bass.
NINA SIMONE, YES! I don’t use her music to test songs though, because I love it so much and only listen to it when enjoying. Great pick!
I always used something from Barry White. His low voice and the arrangements he used (strings brass drums) covered most of what you need for audio.
september is personally also one of my choices, the way you can hear all instruments seperately if you focus on them is crazy
my other two choices are:
bohemian rhapsody by queen, different styles, very fun to listen to
new slaves by kanye west, its just my favorite song
I am a simple man: I see crin post a video means I must watch the video.
Hope your future ventures will be great
September... Crin can't unhear the Bongoman!
he's in the kitchen to the right in the meze's
Do you remember.... XD
I can't believe the audio quality of September improved a lot over 3 months.
Great video! Can't help but notice the stack of Aful's on the counter. Maybe a... down the road?
Great pick of songs, Hotel California is my go to song too and sometimes combined with Toto - I Will Remember
I was so feeling not nice with what you said in the first 4 seconds... And still, thank you 😆
Lmao Crinacle just named 3 of the top 5 tracks I use to test speakers and headphones. Gotta love it.
great video! thanks
I've always felt the best music to test IEM's with are the music you enjoy listening too, if the music you love sounds good with said IEM then the IEM passes my tests
Crinacle, you've earned yourself a sub. I'm nowhere near an audiophile, but I do love anime girls, and I see that all of your packaging is riddled with them. Thank you for understanding us.
Nightwish's Poet and the Pendulum (either the Decades release or the Wembley live version that was later compiled in an album), for several years now, has been my one-stop demo song. After that, I throw in random EDM, and I've more or less covered most of my collection.
I really like to test headphones with "Esa Noche" by Cafe Tacuba. Well separated and layered instruments, really pleasant listen on wide headphones. That whole album, Re, is a masterful display of instruments.
One of the songs I'm most familiar with is Atlas Air by Massive Attack-I know very specific nuances in the distortion and texture and can instantly tell when they aren't coming through
I always find the best test 'tracks' are youtube videos reviewing the product I just purchased so I can feel good about spending money I dont have.
When did u retire??
EXACTLY MY QUESTION TOO?!?!?!
My top 3 songs for demoing any sound systems: Hotel California (Live); Dreams by Fleetwood Mac; I’m on fire by Bruce Springsteen.
Natalie Cole - Mona Lisa (for testing vocal and see if the vocal can appear in eye-level)
Dvorak no.9 (for testing soundstage (test the depth of soundstage and width of soundstage, and off course the bass of the headphone)
Classical referece: Tim Stoney Wood Carving partita, it is an arrangement from Castlevania SOTN - you're welcome.
Agree mostly although I do think some equipment will lend itself to certain genres in a very general sense eg. most electronic music will sound good on a system with strong sub bass because most electronic will have a kick drum with it's fundamental frequency in that area. Of course you can rebuke this but is generally true. Totally agree about your favourite songs being good references because even if a song sounds imperfect or flawed they are great things. Hell if one day you find out a song had a way bigger sense of depth than you ever thought because of a new system thats an awesome learning experience.
I'm not an Audiophile, but whenever I get new earbuds, IEM's, Headphones or speakers, I have a set of songs I ALWAYS listen to. It's usually Metallica, Michael Jackson, A few video game songs. Because I know the songs so well, I know how it sounds to a crazy degree, allowing me to more easily compare the speaker/headphone...etc.
Great advice I think. For me, it's about how the music you would normally listen to sounds - what's the point in Earth Wind & Fire sounding amazing if you mostly listen to death metal, grime or K-pop for example?
I second the whole point about working out how certain instruments sound too. I think this is why knowing the artists people listen to as opposed to the genres they listen to are useful to know for gear recommendations. I think another way to conceptualise it is to look at the strengths/capabilities of different types of gear/drivers too - if I know somebody listens to metal with really complex bass drum patterns and is after detail then I think planars are often the way to go for example.
my favourite songs for comparing headphones are:
Lovers in Abyss by Release Hallucination
Mother by Dessiderium
Goku by ICDD
The Sun, The Moon, The Star by Aether Realm
those AFUL boxes in the bg 👀
This guy rhythm games
I use quite a few from massive attack's discography (mainly protection and unfinished sympathy) and then a slew of older DnB tracks (ni-ten-ichi-ryu my beloved)
There's some other indie stuff mixed in, but it's basically just that. I've gotten to the point where all I need is the first 20sec of protection to tell if something is "good" or "bad"
As much as I love massive attack and think they always did great on the mix, it's just too artificial to judge equipment by it. They're pretty bright though, kind of like billie jean.
Steely Dan's Aja has been my go-to record for testing audio equipment
Steely Dan’s Aja is a masterpiece both musically and for audio engineering. Bon Iver, the album Bon Iver, Bon Iver is great especially for analytical IEMs.
For me its the Cardas Sweep LP.
Love that tune.
Merzbow on loop, non-stop every time I receive new gears
You retired from iem reviews? :' (
Now that you wont doing iem reviews, I am curious as to what content your channel will focus on
Funnily enough your thumbnail strikes true for me because whenever I wanna test any audio equipment I use Billie Jean and Beat It
I would like to add, SubtractiveLAD The Deep & Lovely Quiet. Until I found this channel I would play that song, and every previous pair would peak out. Thanks you.
My favorite tester track is Sing Sing Sing by Benny Goodman. I played this song live for 4 years in Jazz Band and have listened to the same recording for 10+ years. On really good IEM's like DUSK, the trumpets should never be so blaring it hurts and the timpani in the background should be clean. Micro details include the pads of the keys on the instruments clacking after the clarinet solo. The hi-hat will be a little spicy at times. The sousaphones during the muted trumpet section should sound fat with clear attacks. You should get good clarity throughout because the players are using good instruments with a lot of expression in the overtone series.
Other shout outs I use include;
-Star Wars - Duel of Fates: just a great track that tests soundstage because the song should sound big and epic
-Britney Spears - Toxic: Very produced song with a lot of clean and interesting instruments used here, but also tests how sibilant a set might be. "With the taSte of your lipS I'm on a ride, your toXiC ComeS Slippin' under, with the taSte of a poiSon paradiSe" can all run a tad sharp. You should hear Cathy Dennis' vocals and be able to tell her apart from Spears pretty easily. I'll never get tired of this song what can I say.
- Blackpink - Boombayah: It's popular AF and K-pop is easy to find, and it's incredibly well produced. That subbass should be pushing air into your ear canals.
- Literally any Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree track. I listen to him religiously and the recordings are phenomenal.
This is the first time i am hearing of your retirement X_X ohhnoe
Shout out to Hotel California. Been using this song as reference since it came out 😆
just recently pad rolled my TH900mk2's again with some "new" ZMF Pads and the Yaxi Alcantara's. And i've found a song for hardcore testing sibilance :D it's "weapon" from "Against the Current", i really enjoy their instrumental rhythms and especially chrissys voice in some of their recordings. but holy hell, those alcantara pads took her voice inside the chorus into the sharpest ssssibilance i've ever heard from my TH900's
>spend tens of thousands of dollars on audio equipment
>listen to paint by numbers ultra-popular music
Classic.
The absolute best test recording la 1:26 are records you are on, meaning you were on the session. But not afforded that opportunity I’d reach for recordings that always moved me, even on inferior gear, and see how they fare.
Would love your old mandarin playlist
'Familiarity'? I FULLY AGREE! When trying out headphones & such, I try tracks ranging from:-
- Lemon Jelly: 'In the Bath', 'King Ra'am', 'Ramblin' Man'
- Dire Straights: 'Brothers in arms' (ORIGINAL '85 CD' & 'Private Investigations'/ (ORIGINAL 1982 CD),
through to
- Worakls: 'Porto'/'Nikki'/'Nocturne'/and more
- Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major
- Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 - 2nd Mvt
These tracks I know VERY WELL, and so, playing this kind of selection helps me get a grasp of the full range of what the tested 'Listening gear' can really do for me... THAT'S the VITAL part... "What the gear can do for, ME", not what someone else poo poos or lauds over, as you've always said, it's mostly subjective...
😎🇬🇧
Worakls: 'Porto'/'Nikki'/'Nocturne'/and more
great suggestion
The songs I test with
Key Largo - Sarah Vaugh
Staff Roll - Tekken Tag Tournament
Liquid Love - Roy Ayers
What the hell have I - Alice in Chains
Anything - J Dilla
Stretching - Art Blakey
Remind me - Patrice Rushen
Battlecry - Nujabes
You had me at nujabes
Pink noise and sine sweep, got you!
7:19 rather than the range of the fundamental frequency on an instrument it actually is the range of the harmonics of the instrument that gives its character. I play bass for example and the highest fundamental note is something 400-ish but when setting my tone I try to dial some 0.7-2khz in while also trying to control the boominess at 100-300hz and harsh nasal sounds at 500-700hz and it goes all the way to 5k which gives the instrument its character with bass.
btw
1. when the resigntion came? I forgot I watched this channel
2. Peter Gabriel's So, RHCP's BSSM and Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours are my favourites
3. You can also try to hear the white noise, literally noise of the mixing console, with older tracks at quieter parts to check the higher register
@@Cake_Doge Yeah, what I think Crin meant to say is, a refence song should have acoustic/analogue instruments, especially if you are really familiar with one or a few instruments and how they should sound. From a track that has clean piano you can possibly judge the main range of the equipment.
I generally hate horns, but some trumpet doesn't hurt to make sure I don't get too annoyed by the honk or sibilance. That's not technical listening, it's shopping for myself.
I have found that jazz songs in general just sound spectacular on god audio equipment and I always use jazz tracks to test new audio equipment. My go-to is The edge by David McCallum, it’s a stellar classic that just sounds amazing
Well, for one, i like the way you talked about testing. We cannot tell people which Track they should play to hear it. Music is what they Love to begin with. For me, one Track i used is, "More Than This" by The Cure, using FLAC format. Anyway, each his (or her) own. Peace :-)
crab rave ofc
fr
Also good to test speakers!
Darude Sandstorm
"old mandarin chinese songs" ahh, time to relieve that scene from Internal Affairs
"Earth, Wind and Fire", is Fantastic to test... because of the multiple instruments and vocals, all playing at the same time. A lower grade Driver, cant maintain enough cone control... and will experience micro-distortions. This will cause the instruments and vocals to blend (muddy) into each other, rather than remaining Separate and well defined.
Michael Jacksons early releases, such as Thriller, also have many instruments, and a high dynamic range.
Dont fall for the Single (or very few) instrument demos... such as a single Acoustic Guitar playing. Soft, Slow, and Airy music like this, can sound Fantastic on almost Any speakers / headphones... because there isnt enough musical details to be able to Stress the drivers, and potentially distort, the music.
Also, certain demos use special effects, to create an Artificial 3d effect... that only really works with that specific Track, and is specially tuned to their speakers. I believe Bose was famous for using specially optimized demo tracks, like that. Soft, Airy, not particularly detailed... and tuned to a specific range... likely with some added rapid 3d panning effects.
Furthermore... you also want to test the speaker / headphones at all volume levels. Sometimes, a headphone / speaker can sound great at low to mid volume levels... but does not handle higher volume levels, anywhere near as well. The type of bass heard, can also be effected... depending on the volume levels. Ported speaker, for example... often sound "OK" at lower volume levels... but when you push them to loud levels... you really notice the Artificial sounding Bass, that is "Droning" and "Over-Exaggerated"... and might also even have "Port Noise" issues to boot (I prefer fully Sealed Speakers, or Passive Radiators. Ive yet to hear Open Baffle speakers, other than the mini satallite prototype speakers that I had made.. which sounded good for a quick "parts and pieces" experimental build).
I do feel, like certain Audiophiles are a bit too stubborn, about not using any EQ in their systems. Ive found that every speaker Ive gotten my hands on... can sound MUCH better, with a little tweaking.. via EQ. I can boost the Bass levels to more Exciting and Dynamic levels. I can bring out some otherwise potentially Subdued highs. I can reduce some harsh mid-range. Sometimes, its the fault of the recording itself. Sometimes, you are compensating for the room absorptions. Sometimes, you are dialing in the sound tastes, specific to you Ear Shape + Sensitivities. And sometimes, you are pushing the drivers... on the very edge of potentially blowing them... getting the complete maximum potentials out of them.
To sum up the first part of the vid from a science point of view:
- You need to isolate variables
- You can only test one variable at a time
- Listening to unfamiliar music introduces a second variable, therefore muddying your results in an already subjective hobby.
I know this sounds unlikely, but hear me out. *Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers - Prairie Dog Town* (Levitate 2009)
It's a bright excelent recording and production. Mixes country, rock and massive drums. Very dynamic song in respect to loud and quiet sections. There's also some tasteful hiss from the mic.
To judge bass response, I use *Diesel Power by The Prodigy*. The steady bass should tickle your left ear on beat 1 - it's mixed loud and panned left-ish, the snare hits harder on the right. It sort of physically tries to move your head left and right as the track motors on. Pun intended. Excelent breakbeat track, and now you know why the name fits it beautifully.
I'm stealing that Crin and making a TShirt out of it: FAMILIARITY > TECHNICALITY
My song for testing audio equipment is Elysium and Now we are free by Hans Zimmerman, the theme song of the best movie ever made - Gladiator
listen to kawaikutte gomen... if u can hear the lead guitar on entire song mean its good... if u can notice it from left or right mean ur audio equipment is mfking good....
I'm most familiar with the voices in my head. It's not very technical but I use them to test every headphone. They are the reason why I had to buy everything I test.
Best music is the one which you love and know dearly.
I always start with a playlist tailor-made for that covering all my genres i listen to.
Anyone want a new song to add to their list, check out this song that is a vocal, imaging and aoundstage marvel.
It is called "In the Clouds" by Adomaa
In my opinion it's he music you know the best, since you know what it should sound like. I can imagine this is hard to decide on when you're taling something like hardstyle.
Crinacle’s trinity don’t lie!!!
You know that Hotel California is probably the MOST notorious song for copyright strikes? This video will be, at best, demonetized and, at worst, taken down.
Yeah. Rick Beato mentioned that.
But at least it's below 6 seconds and soundid didn't catch it.
ya i tend to use something with some sort of artifacts in the top end transients
I my self, a extreme metalhead, usualy go to Queen - Live at wembly station - Radio ga ga. Then anything realy basey and heavy, your death metal for example. Something light, classical music is good for that. Some piano och closing with chip-tunes. This gives me the perspective I like.
I would like to dig deeper into the mastering aspect. Some songs that I am very familiar with are mastered quite poorly, so it makes them hard to use as a test because the flaws are limiting the potential testing range. For example, I absolutely love "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones and it is my most played (read: most familiar) track, BUT I can't use it for testing because I hear the compression issues in her voice (aspects sound crushed like 00:10 to 00:12, "I waited til I saw the sun" especially on "waited", or 00:21 to 00:23, "I left you by the house of fun" especially on "left").
So I'd like to open this up to the crowd here. What popular songs (for the sake of argument, should appear frequently on Top 100 lists) are generally considered well mastered AND are popular enough that they would be generally accessible on demo units (as Crin mentioned in the video, a higher likelihood of appearing on an exhibition set up)?
Anything from Steely Dan
I love anything from Billie Eilish. She's got so many styles and her brother, who I think does all of the producing and mixing for her, is imo a genius.
get the analogue productions remaster of that norah jones album, that should fix your major issue with it
Eminem - Without Me
Dr Dre - What's The Difference
It is interesting to hear what Crinacle thinks about the new Moondrop MIAD 01 ^^.
I’ve discovered in every song in my library micro details, and I just use these in general to compare iems :p
bro i know it's too much to ask, but, can you please share the lighting setup of your room? the video looks warm and aesthetic.
I missed this guy.
Its not only the music genre its even an genre you dont like when the recording is well made you will be astound
If you like film/game score music i can highly recommend the soundtrack from ori and the will of the wisps. Its absolutely beautiful music and it is very well recorded and mastered. Sooo many small details to be heard its insane.
My go-to song as it's a song I'm familiar with but also is super busy and goes through the whole sonic spectrum was usually Magnolia by Playboi Carti. The beat is surprisingly dense aside from the heavy bass drum.
I once got told that to do a comparison you need to make everything consistent and switch one thing. If you swap both the gear and song you basically will not be able to compare anything. So here's a pro tip: if you can't bring your song to the gear, bring your own gear instead to listen to the song they give you 😂
Hi Crinicle, what do you think of the newly released Moomdrop Phone? Not yet in SG but looks good in my opinion 😊
About to get the sony wf-1000xm5 this will come in handy 🤟
10:15 I was always under the impression that Steely Dan's Aja held this role. Was surprised it didn't even get mentioned here.
"Redrum" by Rise to Fall is probably still one of my gotos cuz the intro synth is just so, sharp (it has this sharp peak and deep base trough. idk how to describe. feels like your ears are getting scratched inside in a good way on good cans), that if it has the hint of muddiness in any headphone/iem (lack of distinction between the bass and highs) i know its just not resolving.
melodeath is such a layered genre in general that i find it really good for evaluating how good headphones are at separation.
in my opinion, Angel by Massive Attack is great for testing. Very dynamic, high highs and low lows.
The best song to test a gear if "scarlet fire" and we see if this nugget will explode
You retired from IEM reviews? I was looking forward to more...
The song I know the most, is frgt/10 from the Reanimation album by Linkin Park. The sounds in the background are like soothing waves, it is the song I use to judge if the equipment I use will have the sound I want.
I always use the same tracks to listen to new headphones, DSD256 versions of classical music that goes really loud to almost a whisper and has a lot of difficult sections.
I find that pop and rock and rap is just too compressed these days.
I also like testing with binaural audio tracks.
Surprising I never thought of using "Hotel California" for testing.
My go-to songs are usually "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Billie Jean".
Weird Fishes / Arpeggi !!!❤
had a gut feeling someone would say this lol
actual banger