PRat: a DAC or transport thing?

Mrtennis sez

i tend to concentradte on timbre and tonal balance.

Ideally, in a well set up system, you would NOT have to concentrate on anything -- but the music.
Of course, even in such a well set up system I believe there is an individual "minimum resolution" level which allows to concentrate on music rather than be distracted by reproduction anomalies and artefacts. It's that dividing line that must be crossed by system performance level and set-up level -- and we can enjoy the music: this level obviously differs from one to another. Also the preference points differ; you express your focus points as timbre and tonal balance. I am very partial to "dynamics" (i.e. changes in amplitude) and linear phase & resolution: for me, the thin dividing line between listening to a musical artifact and listening to music is there.

FWIW, in my limited experience I have come to believe that the sense of PRAT has more to do with any components ability the recreate the initial or leading edge of the note, get the rise time right and you've got half of the battle won. Then get the decay time right and you've got the ability to sense PRAT, assuming its on the recording in the first place.

Now, get that signal thru all your stuff undistorted (perfectly resolved, without hyped detail common to much that is called 'resolved') and you've got great imaging (potential) as well. Every thing in the system contributes to this effect but probably the last place I would think to look for loss of PRAT otherwise available would be in a CDP/Transport-Dac unless it had tubes. JMHO.

my reaction to music in the home is more dependent upon how i feel and how much i like the music. it is much less dependent upon the sound of a stereo system.

i own an acoustic guitar and when listening to the raio, i would sometime try to play along with the melody.

it's about the music and the person more thanm about the stereo.

if you want to enjoy your stereo, relax, rid your mind of extraneous thoughts and overlook flaws in the stereo system.