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.
@jastralfu Bingo!!! That’s exactly what I’m sayin’. |
Seriously? What could be more essential to the performing arts than pace, rhythm and timing? And what could be more easily comprehensible? Pace is the speed, rhythm is the repetitive beat, timing is the emphasis. Music, stand-up comedy, the stage, film, writing--success in these crafts is largely defined by these three simple but discrete elements. I happen to think that it’s a rather brilliant bit of linguistic compression that captures in one acronym the success or failure of an audio system to convey the essentials of what makes listening to recorded music enjoyable. |
Objectivity is generally in short supply around audio and music. It's all in our heads. But it doesn't seem hard to imagine that some speaker and amp combinations differ in how quickly the drivers respond to transients and how quickly a large diaphragm can reverse direction. It might be measurable but it's certainly audible. I think it's just a term someone coined to describe systems that do it well. |
@dogearedaudio Why is it that people here are having such a hard time defining it? We can define tonality. We can define imaging and 3D soundstage. We can define a speaker’s disappearing act. Seriously? I’m a drummer and if I’m locked in with my bass player the band is on, so pretty sure I get timing, rhythm, and pace. What you’re talking about that should be so easy to hear isn’t so in my book. Do you even play an instrument? |
