When reviewing or testing out speakers, whether it’s a compact Bluetooth speaker , a set of bookshelf speakers , or a huge, powerful party speaker , having a consistent process and some dependable points of reference is key. While every speaker and speaker type is different, it’s important to have a baseline that’s used to help compare speakers, determine their strengths and weaknesses, and answer some key questions to help you, our readers, determine if they’re right for you and worth your hard-earned money. Everyone’s musical tastes are different, and while I use a wide range of musical genres to put speakers through the wringer — I have a basic series of playlists targeting bass, mids, and trebles, for example — there are some favorite tracks that I gravitate to more than others, especially at the beginning of the testing process, that cover off much of what I need to know before I get more specific.
The key with these tracks, and that should be for you too when you’re shopping for speakers, is familiarity and enjoyment. I know all of these songs very well and how they’re supposed to sound. I’ve chosen them for specific reasons and I’ve heard them through all kinds of speakers and systems.
Oh, and I really like them all, which emphasizes the whole point of it, really — it’s fun. So without further ado, here are 5 of my favorite tracks for testing speakers. Anything off Radiohead’s OK Computer I know, this isn’t a song, so I’m off to a great .