PRAT is Brat.
@soix have you ever listened to a Naim system from source to speakers? Or Naim electronics with ATC speakers?
I got back into the hifi hobby about 20 years ago. I was traveling for work at the time and would visit brick and mortar stores all across the US, and I listened to all kinds of systems from budget to quite exotic. There were surprisingly few setups that actually moved me. One that did was a Naim CD player and Nait XS integrated amplifier with Naim floor standing speakers. Not the last word in detail or power, but it just sounded so incredibly “right”. The music had momentum and flow, and yes it made me want to tap my toe. I later decided that is what people are talking about when they say “PRAT”, and wondered what engineering trick or emphasis was employed to achieve it. I could have listened to that system all day. I had an opportunity to hear some very high end Naim gear at the time, and while the detail, lack of distortion, spatial representation and power of the music were clearly better, the music seemed a bit more sterile compared to their more entry level gear. (Naim’s newest higher end gear has it all however.)
I have thought about what I consider to be “PRAT” a lot since then, and have been chasing it in my systems, while also trying to achieve what I consider convincing imaging, dynamics and tone. If you don’t “hear” PRAT in yours or others systems, but you are enjoying what you’re hearing, I wouldn’t worry about it. I enjoyed listening to recorded music immensely for years before becoming aware of PRAT, but now I can’t un-hear it.
Someone mentioned Tony Rice previously. I find his work with David Grisman’s Quintet and Grisman’s dawg music in general from the late 70s and early 80s to really swing and be loaded with PRAT. The recording by MOKAVE called Afrique is another great recording to test your system’s PRAT capabilities.
YMMV
kn
