Like all of us, Kelly Scheidt (above), Aurender North America's director of sales, has an ever-evolving list of test tracks. Kelly calls this playlist his "launch pad" for his listening sessions. We were talking to him for our article on the Aurender N50, and because we're all about the music here at Upscale, we pressed for details. He sent us an email, writing, "Here are a few tracks that are either really high resolution for evaluation or just strike a chord with me."
Weezer: 'Only in Dreams' from Weezer (The Blue Album)
"A lost gem from my childhood." During our N50 conversation, we'd talked about the joys of revisiting well-known albums after years, and finding that a different set of tracks speak to us. Or finding that the last track that you never really got to, is a buried treasure.
Colin Meloy: Colin Meloy Sings Live!
"This is one of my favorite live albums by lead singer of The Decemberists. This is a great live album where I could really hear the venue with the N50. You get the scale of the room and the quantity of people when they applaud. Plus, it is stripped down so you just hear one guy and a guitar; you don't hear any production, effects, etc."
Daft Punk: 'Giorgio by Moroder' from Random Access Memories
"Just hearing the human voice in conversation, the bar sounds in the background in the beginning and how crystal clear they were. Disco-esque guitar and keys, strings, sweet drum and guitar solos, techno passages, this song has everything. The bass performance/grip it had on the speakers was amazing. I could tell it had control of the drivers that I wasn't accustomed to. Again, by only changing the streamer, these differences could easily be heard... and felt."
BLACKSHAPE: 'ITIIITIATIIHYLIHYL' from BLACKSHAPE
"Great instrumental metal (that I can listen to when I'm working). This is the only track on the album that has lyrics and it is only a few lines. Very atmospheric, similar to Russian Circles or a heavy Explosions in the Sky."
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals: 'What Sin Replaces Love' from Jacksonville City Nights
"Difficult track to find. I was only able to find it on CD of the Japanese import, which I found at a local CD store for $1.95, with obi strip! So I have an AIFF CD rip of the track. Just an amazing bluesy track that has a lot of emotion and feel. N50 just brings you THERE."