That’s really good way of describing analog vs. digital 
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Sort of, or possibly not, last night I attended a concert, a friend plays in a wind band. One piece was a transcription of a brass band test composition, I was tapping my foot. There was no apparent melody, no rhythm, so why was I tapping? I think I was trying to make sense of it. I have always tended to mark time when listening, the music driving that involuntarily. How many times have you sat in a car at traffic lights and the person next you is tapping the steering wheel in time to music, so yes, the music rather than the equipment.
@catswhiskers I’m not saying that I don’t tap my feet to music, be it in the car or muso in the kitchen. Overall its definitely the music and not the system.
However, in the controlled lab experiment of my lounge, with same amp and speakers, my feet tap more on a £1k turntable vs a £12k streamer?
It’s just something I’ve noticed and wondered if it was just me 
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Last night I attended a choral concert… it was absolutely glorious… there were madrigals amongst other styles…with strong rhythmic lines… it doesn’t have to use drums or beats, but it was absolutely rhythmic… and is lower frequency elements that drive that … even if its rhthmic interruption/pauses… the vocal tract creates a wealth of frequencies. I was certainly nodding my head… and the conductor was very rhythmically energised
If you were listening to white or grey noise, or irregular interruptions then I doubt you would be tapping your foot.
It’s worth remembering that most vinyl in the last 30 years plus has been digital.
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For us, music and music reproduction is about engagement with the music.
White, pink, grey, brown or any other type of noise just doesn’t provide the same degree of engagement.
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Perhaps I’m not correct in this (or not expressing it correctly) but I feel it depends a lot on the type of music or more correctly how the music was manipulated.
It appears one can push digital up to and even beyond zero and the music will play just fine but not not sound very like music to my ears – in fact very badly brickwalled with peaks over zero can actually give me a headache. I don’t think vinyl can be manipulated to this extent and so this also might be a reason why you prefer it.
.sjb
That used to happen much in the 90s with so called radio loudness wars - however its unusual now - not least compressive codecs really suffer with such content - and if it sounds bad on Spotify or Youtube the chances are it aint going to make muster. Also, apart from such content generally sounding awful on distribution platforms, such content doesn’t align with standards for distribution systems such as used by broadcasters, web radio and streaming service providers and as such they will typically attenuate such content. Compressive limiters may be there as a back stop on a mix, but not really relied on for the whole mix as it usually sounds awful - but typically multi band compression and other techniques are used these days where different frequency bands are compressed and released differently with respect to other frequency bands - and may even be companded. This will often be used now to make the music sound lively, rhythmic and dynamic and interesting … as it is optimised for energy, loudness and PRaT … and this is where LUFS standards can start to help.
Vinyl of course can be manipulated in a negative way too by excessive groove modulation - and in extreme over modulation scenarios can cause the cartridge to mis track or distort with certain playback systems- but again I believe this is unusual now.
If you do go down the road of upgrading your TT, arm, cartridge, phonostage etc you may well find that your findings change.
This was my experience, and it ended up with me going back to CD.
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Could it be that you confusing the effect of an exaggerated beat with PRaT, which I thought was predominantly about the accuracy/consistency of timing across the full spectrum reproduced, making the rhythm and pace, and indeed much else, sound right. I suspect that a pounding beat, even if timing is smeared and everything else is a bit off, is more likely to trigger an echo in the foot (or neck muscles or wherever) than a weak beat but everything with perfect timing and balance - yet my understanding of PRaT is the latter. A system (or source) that exaggerates the upper bass may well get feet tapping even though timing is imperfect.
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Thank you @RogerGround. Reading some of the comments I’m starting to worry too. Perhaps it’s the lack of detail, rhythm and colouration that am subconsciously locking onto with an entry level TT. I will have to be vary carful during any upgrading…
Yes that’s quite possible 
. I always think of PRaT as how well you engage with the sound, because it sound “right”. It’s not just the beat though, it’s all the layers in a song. It’s like the Nac282 and Nap300 are turned to 11 on foot engagement when I play vinyl.
Yes PRaT means slightly different things to different people - but its at least pace, rhythm and timing…and there are many attributes that drive that including low smearing, phase distortion and good transient response
A couple of observations. Prat has nothing to do with tempo. I have noticed that better amplification often makes the sound seem slower. I presume this is down to less distortion and greater clarity for each instrument to move the music forwards. I also remember the flat earth journalists talking about leading edge attack and how notes decay contribute to the notion of Prat.
For me Prat is really about how the music grabs and engages you. At its best my LP12 is better than my NDX2/55r but it’s certainly not a clear cut thing.
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To me the music with most PR&T in the world is some by Steely Dan or Donald Fagen. Try listening to Cousin Dupree from Two Against Nature in any format at a reasonable level and not tap your feet, play air instruments or dance a little.
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I didn’t have you down as a Dan fan Max. There is nothing quite like them…
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I am a late one. I started appreciating them with Gaucho (splendid, perfect), enthused about The Nightfly (a miracle), and enormously enjoyed a live concert in Milano a few years back. Yes, I am.
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Dear max I strongly believe that we are grouped into 2 categories: the analytical and the passionate. I believe everyone can focus on an aspect at a time. Me, like you I believe, we want enjoyment and emotion from linstening and we will always prefer vinyl. Others they are looking forward tiniest details. I keep preferring LP even if I can only listen files here in Egypt
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Interesting… Our experience is very different!
We feel that better amplification make the differences in the way the music ‘feels’ in terms of ‘timing’ seem greater, rather than being necessarily faster or slower. It all depends on the music being played; the better the amplification, the more that all the elements of the music seem to ‘fit together’ in their rightful place (be that faster or slower) rather than having any specific overall trend.
My view is that a better system somehow creates more space between individual notes, so they can seem more distinct and separate whilst more integrated into the music which on the face of it sounds contradictory. Then depending on the music, some music seems more relaxed and leisurely whilst other music seems to have a stronger tempo. Both of which can give improved PRaT.
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I think it’s more my lack of ability do describe what I hear rather than a difference of opinion! Reading others views such as yours helps me to better articulate what I hear in the future.
I think @paulbysea also captures it nicely.
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