I know how it all works....
I was just referring to the design that STS uses in response to your hose anaolgy. The volume of the piping of their system is roughly the same as a traditional system plus an intercooler. They achieve this by using skinnier pipes on the return side.
Yes, it's farther away from the engine, so there's a heat loss, but they sized the turbo(s) specifically to work from back there, and consequently, the time it takes to pressurize the intake piping is the same as any other turbo system.