Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Best DVDs for trying out speaker systems ?

I know that wandering around from one dealer to another is frustrating at best, but my brother in law is gamely trying this out. He was listening to whatever the dealers had to offer, but I suggested he bring a few DVDs with him.

So... now he's asking me what DVDs he should take. Any ideas ?

hmm let me see, finding nemo, pearl harbour, u-571, matrix, stuff like that..

Search ebay for a DVD called the Demonstration DVD Surround.9 This is a great Demo disc. Hope this helps..
Lee

This brings up a related question that I've been meaning to ask. Has anybody watched a (the?) Blue Man Group DVD? If so, can you hear the big "gong" that they hit over the right of the stage? I'm trying to decide if 1) it is mixed poorly, 2) my sub won't go low enough to reproduce the sound, or 3) I need to adjust my system in some way that will allow me to hear it. I'm basically wondering if I found a great test DVD for a subwoofer...

I haven't heard that particular DVD, but there is sufficent treble content in a gong strike that you should at least be able to hear the strike even if your sub isn't up to the task.

The most impressive sub test I've found yet is a CD, not a DVD. ASIN B000003CSJ, "The Great Organ at Methuen". Beginning at about 29 seconds into track 3 (Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor) there are sustained engagments of the 32-foot pipes in the organ...that's a 16Hz fundamental. Great for testing not only bottom extension, but the capabilites of the amp driving the sub, since some of the blasts last up to ten seconds.

Thanks, everyone. Might be a dumb question, but in the music world I find some albums are good for making ANY system sound good, while other albums sound great on a good system and sound crappy on a less good system.

I think I'm looking for the latter type -- something which will help to distinguish between good and less good systems. I know the helicopter crash on Matrix is a really good test of the center channel (sounds muddy on many systems) but do you think these other DVDs will good for showing good vs. bad systems ?

The opening beach scene in "Saving Private Ryan" is excellent for distinguishing between "Wow, I have some speakers around me that make gun/bullet/explosion sounds" and "I better duck if I plan to survive this scene". The detail and the realism on a good system is amazing. I don't know of any CD or DVD that makes a bad system sound bad. I think you test the systems in question with the highest quality sound sources you can so as to not have the sound source be the weak link in the system - thereby unmasking a weak system...

>>The opening beach scene in "Saving Private Ryan" is excellent for distinguishing between "Wow, I have some speakers around me that make gun/bullet/explosion sounds" and "I better duck if I plan to survive this scene".

That's the kind of thing I was looking for. Thanks !!

Any time. Let me know if it actually proves to be helpful...

My personal favorite is an SACD called
"Test CD 4 Aucoustic Music in Authentic Environments", by Opus 3. This 5.1 channel mix has 17 tracks of music showcasing each type of instrument, including solo piano, bouble bass, jass ensamble, xylaphone, guitar quartets, woodwind groups, and male and female solo vocals.

Each track is also recorded in interesting environments, such as a medieval church, jazz club, and concert halls. The ambiance of each recording can be another factor of comparison. Each track is acompanied in the booklet with an explanation of what you are hearing, where it should sound like, and what each track best showcases (Imaging, depth, timbre)

http://www.opus3records.com

I also use the "Chess" broadway Recording for complicated voice evaluation. There are many tracks on this that showcase people of all voice parts singing 2, 3, or four part melody chorus's. A key here is how well you can discern singer position in terms of imaging and still clearly pick out what each singer is saying without the others jumbling together. Very powerful, emotional, music. "Anthem" is the most heart-wrenching song I have ever heard. If played right, you will cry.

For DVD: LORD OF THE RINGS - Fellowship of the Rings - 'Balin's Tomb' and 'The Brige of Kazad Dun'. These two chapters display some of the best surround effects, fire effects, and ass-kicking bass. Fire is particularly difficult to reproduce believably. Listen for ambiance when pippen screws up and knocks a bucket down a well, followed by a mega bass drum. Listen for realism when the stairway collapses underneath Aragorn and Frodo. In the first chapter's battle, listen to the bass sweep when Suron's physical form collapses. No contest here.

Note on Subwoofers: Many like to use U-571, but the depth charges really only show how deep the subwoofer can go. Look for organ music, deep piano, xylaphone, or double bass on the Opus CD to show deep bass that still sounds like music.

I've watched the BMG DVD you are talking about, I can hear the gong somewhat. I've ssen them live in Las Vegas and the sound I get from the DVD is nowhere near as impressive as it is live, I know, master of the obvious. But you asked, that's about the best way I can explain it. There is some really good subwoofer material on that DVD other than the gong. I don't remember which tracks, but I almost blew up my subwoofer, had to turn it down very quickly when an unexpectedly loud passage came on.

"There is some really good subwoofer material on that DVD other than the gong."

Exactly. That's what surprised me about not being able to hear the gong. It seemed like my system and sub were working very well. I just wondered if it was an extremely low note - below 20 Hz - and my sub just couldn't go that low...