What songs do you class as Epic? (eg for testing a hi-fi or for fun)

[David 8]

I sat in it with Massive Attacks Blue Lines on at 500 db and after a while I couldn't breathe and thought I was ill.

He explained that his epic bass actually interfered with your diaphragm and ability to breathe and would ultimately kill you!

500db

That's like gonna kill everyone and make the planet implode.

I had about 134 which if I pinched my nose and breathed in it would stay shut.

Copped a noise pollution warning for that too lol

[cheezemonkhai]

Cranberries - Dreams

 

Sting - Englishman in New York

 

Dire Straights - Brothers in Arms, The Man's too strong, Once Upon A Time In The West, (money for nothing too for a goes to 11 test)

 

Pendulem - Voodoo People (Their version really tests the bottom end)

 

Queen - Too Much Love Will Kill You

 

Freddie - Living on my own

 

Corner Shop / Norman Cook Remix - Brimfull of Asha

 

Suede - Beautiful ones

[swordstoke]

500db

That's like gonna kill everyone and make the planet implode.

I had about 134 which if I pinched my nose and breathed in it would stay shut.

Copped a noise pollution warning for that too lol

 

Did chuckle at the 500db remark as that would've been interesting! 134db in the late eighties was respectable to be honest and more than enough to burst your ear drums if exposed long enough. Did you use multiple batteries and the typical split charging system to attain that level?  We would always wear ear defenders when setting up and more than often leave the SPL meter attached to the steering wheel for the final pressure level test. Believe they exceeded the 180db mark in the early 2000's but lost interest after that. Preferred the very subjective sound quality testing as that was at a more manageable level and revealed the true capability of the system. 

 

 

Also had a few sound effect cd/tapes which had snippets of F1 racing/harrier jump jet taking off and daft things like the Robocop voice which raised an eyebrow when used every now and again. Fun times! 

[Latte]

Guys,  500 db was artistic license intended to amuse.

If you do the maths you would need 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 watts per sqm to achieve it.

You would only achieve this if you had an amplifier with a volume control that went up to 11. 

At that point the ear defenders I was wearing might prove inadequate.

If you wanted to survive as well, a ship with warp drive capability, a good shield, and the ability to create worm holes to other universes might also be useful.

[Chris GB]

There is a huge difference between testing HiFi and noise generating equipment. Having stood within 30 yards of a Harrier doing a vertical take off, and considerably closer to Top Fuel cars at full chat, the experience is pretty visceral. If we are talking big numbers, I have encountered a 192KW amplifier in my professional life.

[swordstoke]

There is a huge difference between testing HiFi and noise generating equipment. Having stood within 30 yards of a Harrier doing a vertical take off, and considerably closer to Top Fuel cars at full chat, the experience is pretty visceral. If we are talking big numbers, I have encountered a 192KW amplifier in my professional life.

 

 

From a personal perspective I preferred to use very efficient speakers and amplifier capable of driving into reactive loads nearing 1 ohm. Fewer boxes interfering with the signal path brought its rewards  

 

1 track I got fed up of hearing but was a good test was the then newly released Madonna's Vogue 12" mix. The Cerwin Vega demo vehicle (think it was called Earthquake) used to blast it out regularly at 140+ which was enough for most! 

[Chris GB]

I tend to go with high efficiency easy load speakers and low power, low feedback design amplifiers. The 192KW amp was three channel, 192KW RMS per channel working between 0.2 and 22,000 Hz. The drive units used water cooled copper pipe as windings and could be coupled to a load of up to two tonnes and move that load faithfully to the signal. Never heard music through it, but many of the test programmes had mostly audible spectrum signal. Far from HiFi.

[David 8]

Did chuckle at the 500db remark as that would've been interesting! 134db in the late eighties was respectable to be honest and more than enough to burst your ear drums if exposed long enough. Did you use multiple batteries and the typical split charging system to attain that level?  We would always wear ear defenders when setting up and more than often leave the SPL meter attached to the steering wheel for the final pressure level test. Believe they exceeded the 180db mark in the early 2000's but lost interest after that. Preferred the very subjective sound quality testing as that was at a more manageable level and revealed the true capability of the system. 

 

 

Also had a few sound effect cd/tapes which had snippets of F1 racing/harrier jump jet taking off and daft things like the Robocop voice which raised an eyebrow when used every now and again. Fun times! 

 

Mine was early 90's, lots of Alpine v12's when they first came out and some JBL12's, no split charge, had the bits but never got that far, Dynamat was my secret weapon, and well designed ported box.

 

If I'm honest 134 was a peak I got at a local comp, I think usual was around 130 which as you know is still loud enough for most old ladies to **** a brick when you drive past.

 

I used to use those bass mechanic CD's with sine sweeps, I could set off car alarms parked on the road side, but multi storeys were great set off about 10 car at time lol

 

Oh to be young again ......Pardon, did somebody say something ??!!  

Guys,  500 db was artistic license intended to amuse.

 

 

 

 

Just checking lol

[Chris GB]

Exposure to high SPLs in the order of 130db will result in serious hearing loss, so HiFi could become academic. I have been in a 130db white noise working environment and without ear defenders the pain would be unendurable.

[David 8]

Exposure to high SPLs in the order of 130db will result in serious hearing loss, so HiFi could become academic. I have been in a 130db white noise working environment and without ear defenders the pain would be unendurable.

 

 

It is possible I got my levels wrong there then lol, It was the early 90's after all. All a bit of a blur.

 

There again I do have a touch of tinnitus and can't hear much if there is any sort of background noise, so there was a little damage.

 

Maybe it was 120 peaking at 124, I know it peaked on certain notes at 4db higher. 

 

 

All the cash I threw at it including security, you know what I don't even have a photo of it all. One of the amps is still going strong in my mates car though 

[TeflonTom]

i call bs on 500 decibels, you would be permanently deaf at that sound pressure level.. i work with massive public address and concert sound systems as part of my job, around 125 to 130 decibels is the pain threshold, at around 140db your ears will start to bleed...

[swordstoke]

i call bs on 500 decibels, you would be permanently deaf at that sound pressure level.. i work with massive public address and concert sound systems as part of my job, around 125 to 130 decibels is the pain threshold, at around 140db your ears will start to bleed...

 

 

That has already been established mon ami.

 

Getting back to the OP.

 

Music programme that impresses? 

[gadgetman]

i call bs on 500 decibels, you would be permanently deaf at that sound pressure level.. i work with massive public address and concert sound systems as part of my job, around 125 to 130 decibels is the pain threshold, at around 140db your ears will start to bleed...

Now 500W of bass in an AX GTI is engough to crack the glassfibre roof/boot!  Seen a guy at college showing off his new sony 6 disk changer system, and crack!

[TeflonTom]

Getting back to the OP.

Music programme that impresses?

quite right, there is a band called mad season with an album called above.. I think it was the geezer from Alice in chains and somebody else who escapes me now... Anyway, there are a few songs on there which are great for setting up graphic Eq's properly, there is a good mix of sub bass, heavily gated percussion, a huge dynamic range, and a nice 2khz-4khz vocal and guitar track which is the band the human ear is most sensitive to, really well mixed down those were at the mastering stage...

Most modern manufactured rubbish is has too much compression applied because it's designed to be listened to through iPod earphones, so it's hard to find anything with a descend aural content to set up or test a hifi properly.

[vindaloo]

Evanescense - Bring me to life - hell of a bass rumble on the intro.

Pachelbel's Canon

Leo Delibes - Flower Duet

 

Erm... Anything classical with low strings. Shows how yer bass has holes in it.

 

Never say die - Black Sabbath - overtracked/produced maybe but more complex than the average.

G&R - Anything from Appetite...

 

If you're trying any of this with MP3s, go sit on the naughty step.

 

[fabdavrav]

Just been listening to DMX "the Great Depression"..........

 

....bloody hell it's got some deep bass...........mind you my new hi-fi shows it up much better & clearer............

[Sparkly]

Rammstein - Du Hast

[Aspman]

Don't the stereo competitions just use fixed tones now rather than music?

[Soot1e]

Don't the stereo competitions just use fixed tones now rather than music?

Those sound offs, yes but they are just interested in noise not the musical quality.

[MoggyTech]

Blackbird by Alter Bridge, Xanado Rush, Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd, Flying In a Blue Dream Joe Satriani.

[wrightcnc2009]

Dire Straights - Money for nothing has been my car stereo set up track since I had my first cat at 17, now 31 and it will be the first thing played in the new car when arrives to dial that system in without fail!

 

Other car music would be bit of ZZ Top - Afterburner album, Dire Straights - Romeo and Juliet album, Nickelback, Guns 'n' Roses, Gary Moore etc etc, rock anything basically if you get the drift

[fabdavrav]

Just got a new album..........

 

Magnificat singing the Lamentations, Mass & Motets written Thomas Tallis in around 1560's. recorded by Linn records.

 

 

All I can say is set your hi-fi up properly & just listen with no distractions to "Spem in alium"

 

 

   .........................

[Goblin]

Whenever I set the PA up for a gig with the sub, I'll always put on Tom Sawyer from Rush's Clockwork Angels tour. Mega bass!

[grr666]

This

 

[sparks03]

Radiohead - The Bends

Holst- Mars or Jupiter

Underworld- Rez or Luetin

Members of Mayday- 10 in 01

Daft Punk- Alive (97)

Mojave 3- Give What You Take

Pink Floyd- Learning to Fly

Flaming Lips- The Gash

Edited 4 May, 2014 by sparks03