It’s not a question of whether you can hear transient response differences, because the answer to that question is obviously yes.

The question is whether the differences between the transient response in the NS10 and the transient response in other speakers is a good explanation of why people like the NS10s, and I can think of some ways that we could figure this out experimentally.

I suspect the transient response is only a small part of a much larger picture which includes: the NS10s are popular and people are used to them, the NS10s have a midrange emphasis that helps people hear problems in the midrange, the NS10s are sealed which affects how you should place them relative to the wall behind them, etc.