Airpod pros have a very exaggerated bass region though. They’re effectively eq’d.

Slam is less about frequency response (a sine sweep) and more about whether the build and decay are sharp. Your amp matters too, if you have an insensitive headphone and the amp can’t summon the current to make the slam happen it’ll be a dud.

The only explanation I can muster for this “electronics don’t make a difference” trope is that people have never heard anything outside the clutch of low end products that all share the same chips and topologies.

I mean shit, you can flip a switch on a lot of amps and it won’t even sound like itself anymore, and it’s the same unit!

And I don’t need a blindfold to know the difference between whisky and applesauce either