Testing speakers is an important task before buying and installing them in your audio system. There are no right or wrong songs to do the test, but identifying the best ones will make the task easier. To help you out on your buying quest, our seasoned sound engineers listed the best songs to test speakers in this guide.
How to Test Your Speakers’ Sound Quality
Speaker performance varies, so it is very important to do sound tests to identify if you have picked the right speakers. You can play your favorite songs, but some songs are more appropriate to test your audio equipment.
The best way to check its performance is to use test tracks that will emphasize the following:
- Treble and bass quality
- Dynamic range
- Frequency range
- Tonal balance
Top 12 Tracks to Use For Testing Speakers
#1: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
As one of the most famous pieces of all time, our sound engineers love the assortment of sounds in Bohemian Rhapsody for testing speakers. This rock music track performed by the four-piece rock band Queen makes an incredible audio performance with a choir performance impression.
Using this one song is a good way to perform a speaker test. It consists of many layers of vocals and sounds from all the instruments, so it’s a suitable piece to test rhythm. The a cappella singing part is also an appropriate test for the speaker’s ability for tonal balance.
#2: Turn Your Lights Down Low by Bob Marley and The Wailers
Bob Marley and the Wailers recorded this song using a soundstage. The spacious recording has proven to be an advantage as it gave all the instruments their optimum places. This is a great song that provides a decent test for your speaker’s ability to determine the spatial separation of the instruments.
#3: Spoon by Can
If you are looking to test the rhythm and timing of your left and right speakers, then you have found the perfect song. It provides all the musical elements needed to test if you have a well-balanced system. The song also features a collection of instrumental strands in a cogent and unified whole, making it a real test for your speaker’s performance.
#4: Lonesome Lover by Max Roach
The song’s hi-hat and ride cymbal playing will test the treble capacities of your new stereo system. This song tests your tweeters’ ability to control a note, as exemplified in audio parts 3:00 to 3:12. A high-frequency fidelity examination can also be done using this song as the chorus and parts 4:38 and 6:04 provide excellent treble performance.
#5: Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin
A good speaker test involves the ability to check its tonal range. This song includes a melodic piano music with excellent string and guitar picking performance. A plaintive piano can be heard from just the first half and later switch to a string overload, especially from the lead guitar. You have good speakers if they can quickly follow the continual back and forth switching of frequencies.
#6: Uh Uh by Thundercat
The song Uh Uh is a track from one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time, “Drunk.” This is a great test for your speaker’s tonal variation and bass extension. Good speakers will show you unbroken bass sounds and variations in the note tonality.
Though it can test bass and variation, the more aggressive form of rock, metal, is a more suitable alternative for sub performance.
#7: The National Anthem by Radiohead
This Radiohead song is an all-time favorite for audiophiles checking the quality of their potential speakers. It is always included in the list of best songs to test your speakers mainly because of its ability to check for the speaker’s tonal balance across different sounds.
This is a great all-rounder song as it strikes a balance between dynamism and tonality across the different frequency ranges. It is one song with sound from all the acoustic and electronic instruments. The overdriven bass guitar sound amplifies the song’s ability for its use in a speaker test.
Hence, it is a good choice to test for a well-described variation in a bright system.
#8: Rosanna by Toto
Toto is one artist you could depend on with testing your speakers. Rosanna, in particular, is a song for quieter moments and test if your speaker can pick up on every small detail of tonal change.
#9: Royals by Lorde
This is one of the more recent pieces constantly used to test speaker performance. Though not always present on best songs to test your speakers’ lists, it can show the ability of your speaker to amplify the bass and synth. The initial impact of the booming kettle drums can be heard early in the piece. The frequency then subsides on the drum skin.
The subwoofer power is tested about half a minute into the song, where the booming bass can be heard. The natural-sounding drum kits make its strong bass line. Your speaker is of decent quality if it can produce a good bass quality out of this song.
#10: A Life in Music (Star Wars Theme) by John Williams
A legendary movie needs a legendary song, which is the perfect piece for that. This is an apt song to check for the treble capacities of your speakers. When performing the speaker test using this song, the high notes should shine but still be sharp.
An excellent speaker will be able to provide solid high-frequency notes without squeaking.
#11: Orinoco Flow by Enya
Orinoco Flow is a song that you can enjoy for its all-around features. It has three parts, the marimbas for the high-frequency sound, Enya’s voice for the mids, and the string for the low-frequency part.
#12: Hotel California by Eagles (Live Version)
This is not a usual addition to the best songs to test your speakers. Though the studio version is a very complex song, the live version is simpler and can be used as a good speaker test.
It can be used to test the high and low-frequency capacities of a speaker as it showcases a fair amount of high-pitched tone and bass from the bongo drums. However, remember to use the live one for easier speaker testing.
FAQ
What is the best song to test bass?
The best song to test bass is Uh Uh by the Thundercat. It can showcase your subwoofer’s ability to amplify low-frequency notes as well as bass extension and tonal variation. It can even show tone decay and attack simultaneously.
This song features a six-string electric bass guitar, making it the best piece to use to test bass. You’ll know you have a good speaker if they can give a well-defined tonality and variation while showcasing intensity all at once.
What is the best rock song to test on speakers?
The best rock song to test on speakers is The National Anthem by Radiohead. According to our resident audiophiles, the compressed drum sounds, piercing cymbals, raunchy and loud bass, and the organic and electronic sounds make it the best rock song for speaker testing.
Though it is a rock song, it presents a reliable way to test the tonal balance of your speakers. This is especially true for the horn and percussion solo in the song. The best speakers will showcase the perfect balance between dynamism and range of frequency.
Conclusion
Testing speakers is a crucial task to identify if your speakers can render an optimum listening experience for your system. Our sound team have listed the best songs to test your speakers which include The National Anthem by Radiohead, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen [1], Uh Uh by Thundercat, Orinoco by Enya. All you need to do is select a song and play it through the speakers.
