In this article we will be going over some of our favorite test tracks for a stereo system. Most of you reading this might have a handful of favorite tracks you use when you get a new piece of gear or move your system to a different location. It is a great idea to use music you are familiar with when setting up your stereo system to make it easier to pick up on differences speaker placement or new components might make. Or, if you are just getting into the hobby, we will teach you what to listen for to confirm you have your gear set up properly.

And speaking of setup, we will not be covering things like how to set up your speakers in this article but we have an extensive library of self help articles and videos on our website you can refer back to, especially if you are unable to hear some of the things we will point out.

These are some of our favorite tracks to play that help us cover a lot of different things you might want to listen for. And if you are just starting out, we hope you have fun learning about just how good a well set up audio system can sound. It is important to note, you will only hear a lot of the things we point out if you are sitting centered between your speakers.

As music lovers, we are very passionate about the music we listen to. Hearing a track that we like can be a transformative experience. It can give us the extra boost to get our day started or take us to a different world when we need to relax after a long day. Music has therapeutic properties that we are only beginning to understand. But to get the most significant benefits from music, a well-tuned audio system will allow you to hear everything from the natural dynamics of the event to the true tone of the instruments playing, and on top-quality systems installed correctly, the system disappears, and you are transported to the room the players recorded in.

Getting into great audio is like diving into any new hobby. Whether it’s cooking, wine, fishing, cycling, or photography, when you first start, it’s hard to distinguish what’s good from what’s not. But as you learn, it gets easier—and so much more rewarding.

Think about the lens you once thought was too expensive for your camera, but now you use it all the time. Or that bottle of wine you thought was overpriced but is now your go-to. Audio is no different. Most of us have great ears, and we can all hear and appreciate differences—it just takes a little experience. And once you get into it, it’s incredibly fun. A great system can even let you rediscover your favorite artists. You’ll start to hear the stories they’re telling through their music in an entirely new light.

Now, as you read through this article, we encourage you to take your computer or phone into your listening room, sit down with your system, and queue up each song as we get to them. We recommend streaming them from a Hi-Res music service like Qobuz or Tidal, or if you happen to have the track on vinyl, you can use that too. As we name each song, we tell you what to listen for.

"Almost Cut My Hair"

David Crosby

Did you catch the sound of his fingers on the frets? Pretty cool, right? Now let’s talk about stereo imaging. Imagine riding in a Ferrari. Sitting in the passenger seat is fun, but driving it? That’s a whole other level.  And as we know, there can only be one driver. Now, with audio, if you were sitting off to the side on that last David Crosby cut, you'd still be able to hear and pick out the sound of his fingers on the frets. But if you are sitting directly in between your two speakers, which we'll call the driver's seat, you start to hear a whole lot more. And if you heard the guitar on the right and his voice on the left, you have some wires crossed somewhere. Or if you could not tell each of the two sounds were not totally stage left and stage right, you might have a speaker wiring or set up issue.

"You Haven't Done Nothin'"

Jen Chapin

Could you hear her voice centered in the middle, even though there’s no speaker there? That’s stereo imaging at work. It’s not magic—it’s how our brains interpret sound. When equal energy comes from both speakers, and you’re in the middle, your brain perceives the sound as originating from the center.  Now, recording engineers know this, and they spend hundreds of hours on a great recording balancing sound to give you far more of an effect than just the right speaker and the left speaker. If you did not hear her right in the center, your speakers may be wired out of phase, or they may not be set up symmetrically.

"Landslide"

Fleetwood Mac

Amazing, isn’t it? Now, let’s explore the sense of space. Think about how an empty room echoes when you talk. Similarly, some concert halls add a sense of space to music, with sounds lingering for just milliseconds. A great audio system can recreate this effect, making you feel like you’re in the hall.

"Changed My Name"

Broadway Inspirational Voices

We hope you could hear the sense of space we are talking about. You might have noticed, these test tracks are getting more challenging as we move through them. If you experienced the voices dead center, but could not pick up on the space, that is usually due to a room that is too lively. The extra audio reflections are hiding that delicate sense of space. We have an entire article on how to treat your room for better sound you might should check out.

"The Sea and Sinbad's Ship"

Chicago Symphony

Then you'll hear the woodwinds come in and calm things down a bit. Pretty soon you'll hear a single violin. You'll hear this violin over to the left side but not all the way to the left speaker. It should also sound like it's back in the distance. This is what we call depth. A great system can show you imaging, space, and depth all at the same time.

Listen as the instruments all come back in and see if you can place them in front of you. We are still amazed at how great a recording this is for its age.

Fantastic, right?  I bet if you were sitting in the middle of the orchestra hall, you'd hear it the same way and be able to tell where all the instruments were coming from. Now, let's talk about power. To really transport you to the concert, a good system needs to be able to reproduce all the deep bass and dynamics you'll hear at a live concert.

"Main Title"

George Clinton

You'll first hear a haunting light voice in the center. If you listen really closely, you'll be able to hear her breathe in. Then you'll hear a little percussive sound in the right speaker. Next, everything's going to break loose with all kinds of drums and bass sounds. Listen hard though. During all those deep, loud bass notes, the electronic harpsichord will be off to the left and you'll be able to hear exactly where the saxophone is. Now go have a listen and meet back here when the track is over.

Incredible, wasn’t it?  So much was going on, yet you could hear every single instrument totally separated. We also find this to be a very good track to help dial in speaker placement. We will not get into the how in this article, but be sure and check out our article on speaker set up to learn more.

Now, we want you to go back to the first cut we played, David Crosby’s “Almost Cut My Hair.”. If you heard everything we have talked about, your system is very well dialed in and you should be able to hear what we are listening for in this last test which is emotion. Hearing the subtle emotion in a performer's voice or hands playing the piano is one of the most difficult things for a great system to pull off. You need above average gear and have your system set up well with the right amount of room treatments. This will let you hear the subtle microdynamics that let you hear the emotion in the performer's voices and how they're playing their instruments. And if your system can pull off emotion, you’ll find it so much easier to get lost in your favorite music.

When David Crosby recorded this song in 1969, the lyrics really meant a lot to him. Try to concentrate on his voice and see if you can hear all the emotions he was putting into it.

Did you sense his emotions? That’s the hardest thing for an audio system to capture. Every piece in the chain matters—from the source to the amps, cables, and speakers—but the most important factor is setup. Proper speaker placement can transform the sound.

For that reason, we’ve created an entire in-depth speaker placement article and video that you can use these songs with and other techniques to help you find the best place for your speakers in your room. And be sure and also check out our article and video on acoustic treatment. You will learn you don’t have to make your room look like a recording studio to get great sound with some of the tips and tricks we go over.

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