Headphone Review Why are "The Crossing" and "Hotel California" commonly used in headphone auditions?

Everyone’s listening style and habits are very different, so when we choose headphones, we will all involve auditioning the headphones. However, we often see that the recommendations for headphone auditions are Tsai Chin's "The Crossing", the Eagles' "Hotel California" and other songs. What is the principle behind this?

The audition tracks recommend "The Crossing" and "Hotel California", mainly because in the mid-to-late 1990s, audiophiles often chose these two songs for audio auditions. Later, audiophiles also chose these two songs for audio auditions. My headphones burned out for various reasons, so when I was auditioning, I naturally chose the habit of auditioning hi-fi speakers. At that time, in addition to the good recording of these two songs, the most important thing was that this audition method had become a habit. Everyone used these songs to audition, and there was a unified reference method, which was convenient for audio equipment. Comparison of sound quality and other aspects. Therefore, the choice of these two songs by headphone enthusiasts not only continues the habit of audiophiles, but the most important thing is that each of us is familiar with these audition tracks. When we audition, it is easier for us to identify and compare.

Tsai Qin can be said to be the leader among Chinese singers in the music industry. Both the quality and quantity of her songs are unmatched by many singers. His recorded songs, whether with live instrumental accompaniment or deep and melodious singing, have caused her songs to become a touchstone for testing the quality of headphones.

We have previously written about recommended tracks for earphone sound test in previous articles, including Tsai Chin’s "Ferry". The biggest feature of this song is the drum sound in the intro, which is used to test the low frequency of earphones. Performance ability. The details are reflected in the three drum sounds, whether you can feel the vibration of the drum surface, and whether the drum sound is thick; when playing the bass, listen to whether the bass dive is deep enough, whether it is thick or thin, and whether it can be absorbed when it is released. Back. During the guitar strumming phase, listen to the feel of picking the strings. If you can't feel these, it can only prove that the low frequency of the headphones is poor, or the tuner weakened the low frequency during tuning. Finally, after the multi-instrument tracks are entered, if you listen carefully to the music, you can feel the position of the instruments, giving people a sense of hierarchy, and the sounds and vocals between the instruments do not interfere with each other. If the listening experience feels like a mess and it is difficult to distinguish the location, it can only prove that the audio equipment is poor.

The second is "Hotel California" by the Eagles. We also mentioned it in the previous article, mainly to test the sound field and resolution of the headphones. In the prelude, the two guitars are mainly played. Not only is the melody beautiful, but the rhythm and flexibility are also strong, which can better test the resolving power of the headphones. During the song, we can hear the cheers and applause of the audience, as well as the singer's singing and guitar playing. This is undoubtedly a test of the sound field of the headphones. Only when the sound field is large enough can it give you a feeling of spaciousness, without depression, and bring The feeling that we are there. If the sound of the entire song feels harsh and dull, it only means that the high frequency of the headphones is very poor, and it is easy to have popping sounds or excessive sibilance in the high frequencies.

The recording level of these two tracks is very good. It can test the performance capabilities of audio equipment from many aspects such as presence, three-band, instrument positioning, vocals, etc. Use them to audition and test the audio equipment. is a good choice. However, due to the development of the times, not all headphones are suitable for these recommended audition songs, because these two songs are recorded in the analog era and do not have the sound coloration of the current digital era. Nowadays, some audio equipment caters to the digital taste, so when we use these audition tracks, it is not a very wise choice. This will cause us to mistakenly think that this audio equipment is not good, and miss some suitable choices.

So, I suggest that you use the music you are most familiar with when auditioning, at least the music you appreciate and listen to the most recently, so that you can most intuitively feel whether this headset is suitable for you. Can your listening style move you? If you can't do the most basic things, do you still need to consider the following ones?

Since everyone’s listening orientation is very different, for a person who only listens to rock music, the good audio equipment we have tried with classical music is not suitable. Coupled with different headphones and different sound sources, the listening effects are really different, so you should choose the headphones that suit you according to your own listening style and habits. After all, we choose headphones and audio equipment to suit our listening style, to be moved by it, and to listen to the wonderful sound quality, not to show off and embarrass our ears.

Finally, what everyone needs to understand is that all audition songs are not absolute. The recommended old songs cannot fully test the problems of all frequency bands. They can only let you know about the headphones or audio. Where is the equipment defective? Nothing is absolute, and nothing is perfect. Within an acceptable range, the listening experience is comfortable, it can make you feel "transparent", and it suits you, then this headset or audio equipment is good.

I think this question should have been asked 20 years ago, because at that time, whether it was a stall selling stereos or a booth at an audio exhibition, the music of "Hotel California" by the Eagles was always playing (it must also be the 1994 Ice Cream Sound). The version of Seal of Hell Concert) and Tsai Chin's "The Crossing"... But now they are no longer in glory. Take the Beijing Audio Show that I just visited during the National Day. There were so many exhibitors and so many speakers giving demonstrations. I actually didn’t hear "Hotel California" and "The Crossing" once... On the contrary, most of the people doing demonstrations now It is high-standard digital master music. One of the tracks called "The Snow Maiden" was used by many businesses for auditions. "Hotel California" and "The Ferry" were eliminated miserably. Hehe... This shows that "Hotel California" and "The Ferry" ” is not an irreplaceable audition piece, so why was it such a hit?

This is where you need to understand the conditions for making an audition piece...

First of all, the recording of this piece should be relatively good, with clear levels of high and low frequencies, and it should sound better.

Secondly, the tune is relatively simple, and the various sound details are presented clearly, making it easier to remember.

Third, it has been played more often...

The last one should not be done intentionally, there should be some luck... But the final effect is that we often One word he said was "familiar"!

Yes! It’s “familiar”!

This is the most important point. The tracks used for sound test must be tracks that you are familiar with and cannot be more familiar with. You can memorize almost every detail in the music. Only in this way, you will hear the sound. When another set of speakers is played, you can't help but compare the differences and differences, and you can feel which parts are a little "harsh" and which parts are more "sounding". The reason why harshness and pleasantness are put in quotation marks here is to show that this is just your feeling after comparing it with your brain...

To summarize, the reason why "Hotel California" was widely used for audio audition The track may have been played so many times intentionally or unintentionally because it was simple and easy to listen to, and it was remembered by people. Not only the tune, but also many acoustic (sound effect) details were memorized, so that it became familiar. With this foundation, it can be used to test audio.

To be honest, the sound effects of songs like "Hotel California" and "The Crossing" are actually not that great. Coupled with the lack of popular high-definition digital broadcast resources, it is normal for them to be gradually replaced by new tracks. However, even high-definition new tracks must be played enough times for everyone to form a familiar memory before they can be qualified for audio testing.

In the past, when playing with equipment, I always played the real gun version of "1812 Overture"

My personal understanding is: the label of the times

"Hotel California" is a famous American rural A song by the rock band The Eagles, with drummer DOn Henley as the lead vocalist.

The song's classic guitar melody, weird and inexplicable lyrics, touching tragic feelings, and guitar sound field effect may make "Hotel California" a favorite among speaker fans.

However, I do like: "1812 Overture", "Red Shirt Boy", "Marlboro March", "Elder Sister Drum" and "The Best Drum in the World" and many other revolutionary audition discs It was shocking...

First of all, we made it clear that we must choose a year and use the Hotel California chosen for the Hell Freezes Over concert version in 1994.

In this classic version, there are the following factors

1. Pure mid-range guitar sound (the overtones and air of the guitar)

2. High Frequency sand hammer business, high dynamic range

3 The sound positioning of this version of the recording is completely different from the actual seats at the scene. It can be regarded as dedicated audio for stereo positioning testing (sound field and imaging).

The heavy beats and weak beats of the maracas are cleverly placed in the left and right channels. The sound of the drum beats is laid out at the rear (the low-frequency dive and elasticity of the drum beats)

In addition, the cheers of the audience are arranged at the point where the intro frequency is missing, making the overall frequency smoother.

In addition, the entire audio coverage from low frequency to high frequency is relatively comprehensive, so it is widely spread by recording engineers.

Not only for testing headphones, many large domestic venues have also used this track for sound reinforcement system auditions.

The performance of each device is almost different. These details can determine the level of sound quality or whether it meets your own preferences.

Therefore, when auditioning, you should recommend music that you are familiar with, so that you can most intuitively feel whether this device is suitable for you and whether it can move you.

Tsai Chin's "Opportunity": I remember that there was a little joke when the audio forum talked about this CD...

A few years ago, Mr. Liu Dahu was in the equipment industry This CD was used in the review, and it was once mentioned: "The distinct touch of the piano keys, can you hear the details of the bass part of the piano..."

But it was also mentioned in a certain issue of the forum later. , an exclusive interview with Bobida, when asked about the recording of the CD "Opportunity", he actually said: This is not using a grand piano, just MIDI...

This is a stupid question. ...How is it possible that all the speakers were sound-checked with Hotel California? Different speakers have different characteristics and strengths, and it is impossible to test them all with one piece of music. Three-way, two-way, bookshelf box and floor-standing box, the configuration of the speaker unit will be completely different. The music suitable for audition will be completely different. See whether the box focuses on bass performance, loud treble or in-depth analysis of midrange. There are tens of millions of demo songs. Didn’t speakers exist before Hotel California was created?

Hotel California has the following characteristics: first, the accompaniment is unique, with several guitars with different positions and timbres, which is a means of testing the image and analysis; second, the square performance is a rare single to test the sound field. song. The audience cheered one after another, whistled one after another, but it felt like being there, and the size of the sound field was clearly visible; thirdly, the singer was very unique, and you could feel the real or fake HIFI. The above is my experience after using it for many years and is for reference only.

I like to use Leslie Cheung's "The Storm" to test the bass and the openness of the sound, use Drum Poetry to purely measure the low frequency, and use Saxophone Song "Homecoming" to test the treble and the upward extension of the sound. 3-song test Then your speakers and headphones are ready.