This thread is for music that shows off the greatness of the 2019 ES ML audio system. Before I give you my music recommendations, here are some important comments about sound settings and recording quality.

Sound Settings
Make sure your sound settings are optimal. Here's what I use. Try these settings, but adjust to your own ears. Everyone's hearing is different.

Surround sound: Off - Definitely!
Treble 0
Mids 0
Bass 0
Fader -2 towards the rear
Sound level: On - Optional. I like this on because it raises and lowers the volume based on the relative road noise level. I have not found it to introduce any distortion.

Note that each input source (AM, FM, SXM, USB stick, iPhone) has it's own sound settings. If you change one of them, you haven't changed the others.

Ideally, I would like to be able to adjust the sound settings for each track as it plays, particularly the treble and bass. If there were *****, I would do that. However, I find it way too inconvenient to adjust the sound settings on the track pad while driving. So I just leave it on the settings shown above for all recordings.

Also, I recommend a wired connection. I tried the CarPlay2Air dongle. It sounded very good, but compared with the wired setup, it lacked detail, depth and coherency.

Recording Quality
I subscribe to Amazon Music HD, which has HD quality and Ultra HD quality recordings. HD quality is essentially CD quality. Ultra HD quality is even better. I call it studio quality.

For this thread, the minimum recording quality is HD/CD quality.

Music Recommendations
Since I subscribe to Amazon Music HD, you can find all of my music recommendations there. You can sign up for a 90-day free trial.

For this thread, I'd like to strike a balance between great sound quality AND great music. Since, the ML audio bass capabilities have been a topic of discussion here recently, I'll start with a recording that really tickles the bass and sub-bass registers.

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for Organ by J. S. Bach - There are many versions of this piece that all sound very different. The particular recording I like can be found on the album entitled The 99 Darkest Pieces of Classical Music. I typically like the volume turned up to about the mid 40s, but I like this one turned up to 53 or 54.

The following album is a must-have for any high end music lover:

Abbey Road Super Deluxe Edition (2019 Remaster) - I deleted all the outtake/duplicate tracks

Here's are some recordings that are just clean, pure and beautiful. These recordings feature vocals and natural instruments.

Girl from Ipanema (feat Astrud Gilberto) - Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto (Ultra HD)
Fever - Peggy Lee
Take Five - Dave Brubeck (Ultra HD)
Cheek to Cheek - Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald (Ultra HD)

Here's some Rock, etc.:
Graceland - Paul Simon (Ultra HD)
Sideways (feat. Citizen Cole) - Santana
Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot (Ultra HD)
Good Vibrations (stereo) - Beach Boys (Ultra HD)
Take It Easy - Eagles (2013 Remaster - Ultra HD)
Under My Thumb - The Rolling Stones (Ultra HD)
Norwegian Wood - The Beatles (2009 Remastered)
Lazeez - Acoustic Alchemy (Ultra HD)
Playing for Time (Album Version) - Acoustic Alchemy (Ultra HD)

Here's some Jazz:
Milestones - Miles Davis
Open Letter to Duke (Ah Um album) - Charles Mingus
Georgia on My Mind - The Oscar Peterson Trio

Here's some Classical
Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia - Academy of St Martins in the Field & Sir Neville Mariner - There are many versions of this piece, including others by the same orchestra & conductor. I'm not sure how to precisely identify the version I prefer. If you find the right version, you can turn the volume up to about 55 for a truly exhilarating experience.
Chopin: Waltz No. 6 in D Flat, Op. 64 No. 1 "Minute"- Vladimir Ashkenazy & Frederic Chopin
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue - Lenard Bernstein (Ultra HD)

I'll keep going through my collection to see what else I find. Please feel free to post your recommendations.

 

I agree with David that adjusting the ML system and using the highest quality sources is critical for best performance. For my ears, I adjust the system as:

Treble -3
Mid -2
Bass 0
Fader 3 clicks towards the rear
Surround OFF
Leveler OFF

I am not not saying that my preferred settings are "Right" and David's are "Wrong" but this is what sounds best to me. I urge all ML owners to adjust the system to their own preferred settings using the highest quality sound source.

 

I think users should use Barry's settings and my settings as a starting points and fine tune to their own liking. These settings are not that different when compared to the settings on my car when I got it. My recollection is that the car came settings something like this:

Treble +10
Mid -0
Bass +10
Fader 0
Surround ON
Leveler ON

i don't know if the settings came from the factory that way or if someone changed them.

In any event, I encourage you to post your favorites tracks with great music AND great sound quality. I'm always on the hunt for new music.

 

That's the lot boys settings. ;-) From the factory everything is set to 0.

 

You know you are an Old Fart Treble is turned up and Bass is zero or all your settings are off.

Bass +10
Treble +4
Mid +2

 

We are talking about a car, yes?

 

Carnegie Hall

 

I see it more as my amazing mobile high-end listening room.

Has anyone listened to the Toccata and Fugue in HD yet? I just listened to it again. It's a surreal experience. You feel like you're right there in the church with the best pipe organ (and organist) you've ever heard. Really shows off the full range and depth of the ML audio system.

 

If you really want to test your system for bass, listen to Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussorsky) by Jean Guillou at the Great Organ of the Tonhalle, Zurich on the Dorian label.

 

Thanks! I found the album on Amazon HD. There are 18 tracks. Are you referring to one or more particular track(s) or to the whole album?

 

I was referring to just the Pictures piece, not the Stravinsky work. You need a big subwoofer to really enjoy it. But, from memory, the best part of the Pictures piece in any version is "The Great Gate at Kiev". Monstrous! It's a shame how much they are now charging for the CD. Years ago it was $10 or less.

 

It's hard to tell what's what on Amazon since there's minimal documentation. Tracks 4,10, 12 and 13 are all called Pictures at an Exhibition. Looks like they are different movements. The numbering is hard to follow.

 

The entire work, "Pictures at an Exhibition", are tracks 1-15. But I was referring to the ending on track # 15 as the best part. It's very powerful. You might want to first listen to the entire piece on YouTube. For just the ending search for:

Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. J.V.A. Guillou) : X. The Great Gate at Kiev

BTW, "Pictures" was first written for the piano. There are also many orchestral versions which are also terrific. Even Tomita did a great electonic version.

 

A lot of the tracks I recommended in post #1 of this thread are Ultra HD on Amazon Music, but I neglected to label them as such. I edited post #1 to fix that. I hope I got all of them this time.

 

Anyone listen to these HD tracks? What did you think?