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ABSTRACT The rebound test is a widely used method for evaluating hysteresis losses in rubber samples. However, the fundamental limitation of the conventional rebound test is that only a proportion of dissipated energy is measured. An improvement to the traditional rebound elasticity test is presented, with a focus on implementing a high-resolution measurement technique and optimizing the mechanical setup. The present extension of the classic setup focuses on the precise detection of the contact between the pendulum hammer and the rubber sample. The high-resolution detection of the contact between the hammer and the sample enables the exact analytical determination of the time-dependent deformation on the sample. We present a special method for the analytical description of the measured, discrete, time-dependent deformation of the sample that enables direct calculation of the forces acting on the sample. Using the theoretical description of the Hertzian contact for viscoelastic media by Argatov, the complex Young’s modulus for the pulse-like deformation occurring during contact can be calculated from the time-dependent deformation. Experimentally, a series of measurements were carried out on vulcanizates filled with carbon black, varying the filler type and the filler content and crosslinking densities. The results confirm that this extended measurement and analysis technique provides access to the characterization of the complex mechanical behavior of filled vulcanizates in the millisecond time range at high deformations, making it highly relevant for a wide range of industrial applications and to strains not accessible with conventional measurement techniques.