# What is the first song you (would) play on new speakers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390 "2010-05-14T03:29:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pseudocode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/59ef9b/32.png) [@Pseudocode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pseudocode)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/1 "2010-05-14T03:29:12Z")
My new speakers arrived today, and I pondered a question that I have never before had the pleasure of pondering: What do I play first? Serious speakers deserve a serious consideration of inaugural music. Do I pick something with subtle nuances and expressive musicality? Do I go with classical or classic rock? Alternative or a cappella? In the end, it wasn’t a hard decision. The maiden musical voyage: Van Halen’s _Jump_. It did not disappoint. (Well, the neighbors might have minded.) What would you pick? ---
**Author:** ![banjoDavid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@banjoDavid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/banjoDavid)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/2 "2010-05-14T03:35:50Z")
SPEAKERS HAVE A BREAKING-IN PHASE, JUST LIKE A NEW CAR The drivers need time to flex, the cabinets need to resonate for a while. The sound will change after a couple of weeks. Some audiophiles break in speakers by playing white noise through them for a while, I’ve never done that. Enjoy your music! Listen to the Van Halen in a month, after using the speakers, and see if you can hear any differences. David ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/3 "2010-05-14T05:14:26Z")
_Ein Straussfest_. That will get them loosened up. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/4 "2010-05-14T05:24:18Z")
Seven Nation Army or Interstellar Overdrive. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/5 "2010-05-14T05:46:51Z")
Brahms - Double Concerto in A Minor. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/6 "2010-05-14T06:07:57Z")
Dave Brubeck - [Unsquare Dance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFqoPfP1KHc&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/7 "2010-05-14T06:21:05Z")
Depends on the mood I’m in. Some of my speakers have had their initial cone-throb to the cadence of Alan Parsons Project’s “In the Lap of the Gods” from _Pyramid_; some were charged with reproducing Richard Strauss’s _Also Sprach Zarathustra_ (I do love that opening organ bass note); and Stokowski conducting Rimsky-Korsakov’s _Scheherazade_ has been used a couple of times too. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/8 "2010-05-14T06:32:16Z")
Eric Kunsel and the Cinncinati Orchestra’s recording of **An American in Paris** Don’t substitute any other version. Let your neighbors enjoy this one too. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/9 "2010-05-14T06:57:04Z")
[The usual, sir?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DP89iMe0BY) ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/10 "2010-05-14T06:57:26Z")
Break-in is bullshit, there is a slight increase in bass as the cone suspensions loosen but other than that, “break-in” is just a matter of getting used to the sound of the speakers. What speakers did you get? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/11 "2010-05-14T07:23:19Z")
I’d want to hear how they’d handle the _1812 Overture,_ then the Brahms Violin Concerto and some Glenn Gould. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/12 "2010-05-14T09:04:42Z")
Meatloaf. ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/13 "2010-05-14T09:41:59Z")
Missy Elliott - ‘Pass That Dutch’ ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/14 "2010-05-14T11:59:58Z")
Mike Oldfield’s _Tubular Bells_. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/15 "2010-05-14T12:29:49Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > Mike Oldfield’s _Tubular Bells_. This - I find it to be a perfect test of a speaker’s range. ---
**Author:** ![Pseudocode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/59ef9b/32.png) [@Pseudocode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pseudocode)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/16 "2010-05-14T12:33:51Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > Break-in is bullshit, there is a slight increase in bass as the cone suspensions loosen but other than that, “break-in” is just a matter of getting used to the sound of the speakers. > > What speakers did you get? Polk Audio RTi A7s for front, CSi A4 for center, and RTi A3s for surround. I’ll probably add some FXi surrounds when I move to a bigger place. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/17 "2010-05-14T12:36:35Z")
When I got my new car, the first thing I played in it was Wagner’s Ring Cycle. When I installed my surround-sound home theater system, the first thing I played was Dark Side of the Moon (which I bought specifically for the purpose). ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/18 "2010-05-14T12:37:59Z")
Steely Dan usually has a lot of detail in the sound, try Aja. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/19 "2010-05-14T13:40:38Z")
The only possible choice is Also Sprach Zarathustra. ETA: Damn, I now see AHunter3 has beaten me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390/20 "2010-05-14T16:51:48Z")
**Mars, the Bringer of War** from Holst’s _The Planets_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-song-you-would-play-on-new-speakers/539390.md?page=2)