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What exactly is PRaT???

Ok, it’s like this thing and is associated with “toe tapping” and such.  I confess, I don’t get it.  Apparently companies like Linn and Naim get it, and I don’t and find it a bit frustrating.  What am I missing?  I’m a drummer and am as sensitive as anyone to timing and beats, so why don’t I perceive this PRaT thing that many of you obviously do and prize as it occurs in stereo systems?  When I read many Brit reviews a lot of attention goes to “rhythm” and “timing” and it’s useless to me and I just don’t get it.  If someone can give me a concrete example of what the hell I’m not getting I’d sincerely be most appreciative.  To be clear, enough people I greatly respect consider it a thing so objectively speaking it’s either something I can’t hear or maybe just don’t care about — or both.  Can someone finally define this “thing” for me cause I seriously wanna learn something I clearly don’t know or understand.  

soix

Showing 4 responses by nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,182 posts
 

@cdc , Sure, I've mentioned it before so it's not like it's some secret. 

My integrated is the Technics SU-G700M2 with the matching  SL-G700 SACD player. My speakers are the Revival Audio Atalante 3 monitors w/matching stands. My cabling consists of Darwin Audio speaker cables and interconnects and the power cords are a mix of TWL and Zu Audio with a Audioquest Niagara 1200 power and conditioner/surge protector. I also use IsoAcoustic Oreas under the integrated and SACD player and I have an old Marantz ST6000 tuner that is now quite satisfying to listen to thanks to the aforementioned. 

As usual, YMMV but for me, I'm quite content until I win the lottery and dig deeper for the bigger Atalante 5 speakers to use in a bigger, dedicated place. Hope that helps to point the way or at least give an idea of what can work.

All the best,
Nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,182 posts
 

Some get it,

Some don't,

All the best,
Nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,182 posts
 

PRaT, propulsion and speed overlap so much as to render a venn diagram a fuzzy circle. Can't have one without the other two (to some degree) if you want realism. It's part of the completion of the illusion of realism. 

Until my present system, I never quite got there. I've said before that it must be partially due to serendipity as it all came together so quickly and so convincingly. People I've had over all had the same reaction: "this is one fast system". One even said it twice in the space of a minute with a shocked look on his face. 

It wasn't until my present system that I caught myself swinging my foot or leg for long periods of time and not getting fatigued by it. The body motions and the tempo of the music were as one, varying as the timing changed. I was bemused by it and yet enjoyed it to no end. Maybe it's why I just stopped looking for anything else, and find myself, at times, bemused by some of the responses on these threads. 

All the best,
Nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,182 posts
 

It's just a euphemism for something that simply sounds more authentic. Being more authentic gets you more involved with the sound and gets you to toe tapping.

I think the mystery behind it that we're looking at it with a modern perspective that can't understand why something so mid range centric as the Naim/Linn sound back in good old days can be called authentic when modern systems can beat them at that game. 

Remember that the midrange accounts for about  80% and once they got that down convincingly, PRaT became a thing.

Practically all modern systems have the ability to sound pretty authentic but we still find PRaT to be elusive and that all boils down to the quality of the recording: how well it was done. Great sound in, great sound out.

All the best,
Nonoise

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