Best Albums to Test Your Speakers
Dynamic, beautifully-produced records that reveal what a good system can do — from deep sub-bass to delicate detail.
-
1The Dark Side of the MoonPink Floyd
The Dark Side of the Moon
A seamless suite on time, money, madness and mortality, built from sighing synths, saxophone, heartbeat pulses and tape collage. It spent years on the charts for good reason: the production still sounds vast and the sequencing flows as one continuous piece. The benchmark for hi-fi demonstration and a cornerstone of any collection.
-
2Random Access MemoriesDaft Punk
Random Access Memories
A lavish live-instrument turn away from samples, chasing the warmth of 1970s and 80s studio craft with collaborators like Nile Rodgers. 'Get Lucky' became inescapable. Polished, reverent and grand.
-
3AjaSteely Dan
Aja
Immaculate jazz-rock of obsessive studio polish and cryptic lyrics, played by session legends. Smooth on the surface, deep underneath. An audiophile favourite and their masterpiece.
-
4Brothers in ArmsDire Straits
Brothers in Arms
A polished, digital-era blockbuster of immaculate guitar and 'Money for Nothing'. Slick and enormous. A CD-era landmark.
-
5MezzanineMassive Attack
Mezzanine
Dark, paranoid trip-hop that traded the warmth of their early work for dread and dub bass, anchored by 'Teardrop' and 'Angel'. Immersive and cinematic. A late-90s landmark.
-
6ThrillerMichael Jackson
Thriller
The best-selling album of all time and a flawless run of pop, funk, rock and balladry produced with Quincy Jones. Every single became a standard, and the craft holds up decades on. The benchmark for mainstream pop ambition.
-
7Kind of BlueMiles Davis
Kind of Blue
The best-selling jazz album of all time and the gateway record for countless listeners, built on modal improvisation and an unmatched band. Cool, spacious and endlessly calming, it never wears out. If you own one jazz record, start here.
-
8OK ComputerRadiohead
OK Computer
A prescient album about alienation in a wired, accelerating world, expanding rock with electronics, odd time signatures and dread. 'Paranoid Android' and 'No Surprises' anchor a record that still sounds like the future arriving. Frequently named among the greatest ever made.
-
9UntrueBurial
Untrue
Ghostly, rain-soaked dubstep built from pitched vocal fragments and vinyl crackle, evoking late-night London. Deeply atmospheric and emotional. One of the century's defining electronic albums.
-
10RumoursFleetwood Mac
Rumours
Recorded as the band members' relationships disintegrated, the tension fuels every track, turning heartbreak into impossibly hooky soft-rock. The harmonies, the songwriting balance across three writers and the crystalline production made it one of the best-selling albums ever. Comfort listening with real emotional undertow.