When you buy a new car, every aspect of that car’s design has been tested by dozens of people.  Everything from the brakes to the engine to the interior has been designed, focus-grouped, and run through a litany of tests for comfort, quality, durability, and appeal factors before it even gets to the public.  You have to know if what you’re designing is going to work and appeal to people.  Those tests also include tests of the audio system.  GM audio engineer Matt Kirsch, who did the stereo system on the Chevrolet Cruze, has listed his top 10 songs for an audio test drive.

I have to admit, the list is pretty weird.  For one, there are multiple Black Eyed Peas songs.  The list is also very heavy on female jazzy R&B types like Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, and Imogen Heap.  Still, he’s an engineer, not a music critic, so he’s not listening to the songs, but he’s listening to the sound of said songs and I guess those songs all offer good dynamics to listen for in terms of vocal punch, dynamics, and whatnot.

Still, couldn’t you have done that with a better list?  You’ve got Johnny Cash and Radiohead on there; you couldn’t sneak in some other good music while you were making a test track list?

Tags: Chevrolet Cruze, GM, stereo test, songs to test your stereo system, playlists, Matt Kirsch, General Motors, 10 songs for an audio test drive, audio test, sound test, music, test lists, mix tapes, unusual song mixes

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