It’s kinda hard to describe. I do think that detail can be “faked” by heightening a frequency response. Or, listening to a new headphone can make you hear new things because the frequency response is different, or “new toy” syndrome is forcing you to pay more attention than you normally would.

On the flip side, some headphones and even driver types can do things that are simply unique. For example, I compared my Focal Clear to the Sundara I previously owned, and the Sundara had that “plucked” quality to its bass that I’ve heard some describe, where it sounds like each bass note has its own little vibration or feel to it. Meanwhile, the Clear has this dynamic capability that’s hard to match, and it can come with either a lot of dynamic swing where drums have a lot of power, or something soft where you can kind of feel the air or breath of a voice or instrument. Something like that is what I call detail, because you can actually feel the driver doing something. Acoustic guitars on the Clear are amazing in a similar way, because you can sort of feel the strumming and air around the notes that’s otherwise hard to replicate.

I’ll also say that the recording you’re listening to plays a major part.