Ok, I guess I missed all the good stuff already, but after reading through the responses in regards to "tone" and whatnot, I figured I would inject a bit of actual science to the discussion as it seems that some don't have a firm understanding of how sound works.
First, sound travels in a wave. How "tall" the wave is determines it's decibel reading, or "loudness". How close the waves are together determines it's frequency, or "tone". Everyone's ears interpret these frequencies a little bit differently based on multiple factors. For example, I have lost about 45% of my mid to high range frequency in my left ear. Because of this, if someone scrapes their nails down a chalkboard and I have my right ear plugged, all I hear is the dull scraping sound, not the high pitched squeal that puts most people on edge.
Second, because sound travels in a wave, air density will affect how quickly that sound travels. Cold, dense, air will have a faster speed of sound than hot, dry air. This matters when hunting.
Finally, frequency can be disrupted by other things. As sound passes through things like tree branches, leaves, grass, even dust clouds, the frequency of the sound can be disrupted such that the "tone" changes. It will almost always correspond with a lower decibel as well. A good example of this can be demonstrated using ear plugs or muffs. If you put two different types of ear plugs in, with the same NRR, you may hear the same loud sound differently. Same goes for muffs of the same NRR. If they use a different shell material, or cup foam, the sound will be reduced by the same amount, but will actually sound different to the user.
Now that that is established, I cannot say one way or another that having a suppressor with a lower frequency sound will have less of an effect on game. I have come to the conclusion that about the time I have figured a certain group of animals out, I start running into a bunch that challenge my thinking.
What I do know is that animals do get conditioned to certain sounds (like gunshots) and will react to them accordingly. So, the first step of using a suppressor will usually result in less animals spooking at the shot, which I have witnessed first hand. Does the tone of the suppressor have an effect on whether animals spook or not? Not sure. Does it affect the users experience? Absolutely. That is why I prefer suppressors with lower tones. That leads to a more pleasurable shooting experience, and that leads to shooting more, which leads to better in-field performance. So, for me, having a suppressor with a lower tone is worth spending my money on.
