Ah, that makes more sense. I agree wholeheartedly that the Auteur is far more accurate than the Elex/Elear/whatever it is that I’m using. The tones, timbre and overall cohesion of the Auteur (especially my somewhat unique Wenge hardwood version) is better than any other headphone I’ve heard to date. The Elex has a slight metallic sheen on some tracks (being a metallic driver), but is otherwise fairly neutral and highly dynamic (more so than most headphones I’ve heard).
I’ve never heard the DT1990, but from reviews I believe it has more treble energy than the Elex (not surprising for a Beyer - the DT990 is almost unlistenably bright), which could add to the ‘perceived’ detail of that headphone. Also being a Beyer studio monitor it’s also probably more ‘accurate’ than the fun and lively Elex. Again just speculation on my part, having not heard it myself.
One thing I’ve learned on this journey is that detail isn’t everything. It’s important, sure, which is one reason I always listen balanced, and upgraded to a more transparent and detailed amp/dac in the Audio-gd R-28. But being a subjectivist at heart and enjoying music for the emotional connection and ‘musicality’ rather than technical accuracy and measurements, I’ve almost stopped paying attention to differences between different headphones and sources and started just listening for the joy of it.
I guess you could say my gear journey is done, and I’m just sitting around the fire (or lounge as it were) and taking it all in. Still great fun reading and (occasionally) responding or helping out on these forums. Once this hobby is in your blood it never quite leaves you