Transient Response

Subjectively, the ability to generate sounds that start and stop quickly, with a great sense of speed. Objectively, a very slippery word which can apply to upper limit bandwidth, phase response, group delays, impulse response, decay time, etc. Often the phrase is used with intent to describe a device’s ability to reproduce transient information accurately. Transients are difficult to record and reproduce, yet are critical bits of information that we use as cues to recognize sounds.