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It's complicated.
One factor is the narrator himself; some benefit no matter what from goosing up the speed. I think John Lee is a wonderful narrator, but he's slow. It helps my attention to have him talk faster.
Another factor is the app itself. The best is the current Android Audible app, since the adjustments are the most granular. An increase to 1.05X is imperceptible, and why not? I'd say the same for 1.1X. With OverDrive and Downpour, however, the first mark above 1.0X is 1.2X and with some narrators that's too fast; you're already on the border of chipmunk territory.
And then there's the type of book. Fiction is more performance and I'm more likely to listen to it as read. Non-fiction, where the emphasis is on disseminating information, there's not as compelling a case to keep it at normal. The books also tend to be longer (sometimes much longer). Bumping up the speed to 1.2X or more (and I've gone as high as 1.4X or even 1.5X) can save hours. It makes the book much less daunting.
Finally, with my absolute favorite narrators I like them just as they are and have no desire to speed listen. But even then, if it's a longer non-fiction book, I'll probably give them a little nudge (assuming it's an Audible book and not a different app).
So overall, I'd say yes, faster, but with (many) qualifications!
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