“Brits and Aussies would say that anyone who doesn't get PRaT must be a prat!”
:)
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.
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Ever heard of irony or phrasemes (fixed expressions)? Nothing criminal, of course. However, I do remember, some 40 years ago, at Harvey's (long-defunct mid- to high-end stereo shop in NYC) I, a customer, was trying to impress upon a salesman the importance of source-first approach to a stereo system. He cut me off: "I don't want to hear this BS". That was the time when both Linn and Naim tried to spread their Gospel, and other Hi-Fi manufacturers, their competitors, often mocked them (many still do). BTW, I have been a committed Linn/Naim man ever since. |
@soix To understand PRat, you have to understand that the ear/brain system has tipping points. If the system is too distorted, if its too slow, stuff like that, the music processing (which normally occurs in the limbic portion of the brain) is transferred to the cerebral cortex. So the system has to be fast enough, smooth enough, detailed enough such that the music is processed in the limbic system. That way you get a more emotional reaction- more toe tapping and so on. So a variety of things are going on, which is why there's no consensus above. |
@atmasphere Hey Ralph thanks so much for at least trying to explain what the hell I’m missing. I get that a system needs to be fast enough to reproduce music effectively, but I just don’t get it. It’s not a “thing” for me I guess. Tone. Imaging. Soundstage. Yeah, I get all that. But pace, rhythm, and timing? No. I’ll hear plodding bass if it’s overdone and slow, but that’s just not what I hear with most systems. This “toe tapping” thing is just totally lost on me, and I guess I’m just missing it or don’t hear that way. Linn and Naim can do their “thing” but I’ll never, ever own Linn speakers because they sound like nasally ass to me. But that’s just me. |
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