True/false: feedback makes response faster

True (for negative feedback in a stable system). Feedback reduces the time constant and increases the bandwidth.

Take a first-order plant $G(s) = \dfrac{K}{\tau s + 1}$.

Open loop: for a unit step input

$$c(t) = K\left(1 - e^{-t/\tau}\right), \qquad \text{time constant} = \tau$$

Closed loop (unity feedback):

$$\frac{C(s)}{R(s)} = \frac{G}{1+G} = \frac{K}{\tau s + 1 + K} = \frac{\dfrac{K}{1+K}}{\dfrac{\tau}{1+K}s + 1}$$ $$c(t) = \frac{K}{1+K}\left(1 - e^{-t(1+K)/\tau}\right), \qquad \tau_{cl} = \frac{\tau}{1+K}$$

The time constant falls from $\tau$ to $\tau/(1+K)$, so the response is $(1+K)$ times faster, at the cost of reduced gain $K/(1+K)$.

Example: $\tau = 1$ s, $K = 9$. Open loop: $\tau = 1$ s, settling time $4\tau = 4$ s. Closed loop: $\tau_{cl} = 1/10 = 0.1$ s, settling time $= 0.4$ s, i.e. ten times faster.