Thats allways the best way to test anything out. Try bringing a mix of things. Make sure to have a least one classical song on there, classical is one of the most demanding types of music for an audio system. An active sub has it's own amp and plugs into it's own AC outlet. A system with an active sub tends to have more detailed mids and highs due to the fact that the sub isn't working off of the same amp the surround speakers are. I say tends because this isn't always true. Im super satisified with my Sony 1000W Dream System, HTIB at it's best. Aside from Denon. Good luck.