Yeah at the end of the day it's what ever looks best to you if your not after 100% accuracy (or close to it).
There does sound to be something else going on though as with the setting I have I never get a dull washed out picture.. could it be a black level issue (I have mine on low/limited as I watch media on my console as well).
I don't have an X Box but on my PS4 Pro every game I've thrown at it looks amazing. Obviously these games are calibrated for warm 2 with no dynamic contract or post processing, so the fact that Sea of Thieves (and other's) looked terrible when it should be the preferred look as intended by the developers makes me think something else maybe going on causing this problem?
It is not a black level issue on my end.
Try a google search for “ks8000 HDR grey” to see it’s quite common. Accuracy is one thing, but the TV isn’t the best for HDR due to its edge lights and contrast ratio. HDR requires the backlight be ramped up full, the blooming, and flashing causes the contrast to be washed out. HDR is harmed/broken because of the edge lit panel. This is what my eyes are “sensitive” to. How I wish I could just ignore it lol.
DC works different in HDR than SDR and helps pick up the display where it falls short, this has been documented earlier in the thread by auto correcting the washed out contrast issues due to the edge light/blooming etc. I love my blacks and my brights to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, that’s what HDR is. Wide Colour Gamut is an entirely different thing, so it’s important people not get confused between the two when trying to discuss HDR.
I’m a firm believer that this set needs DC on to be valued as any sort of improvement over SDR (you could get a professional ISF calibration to get the most accurate colours for the WCG, but that won’t help the HDR contrast problems with the set).
Like I said though, each to their own. I’ve found my best settings since launch, and maybe they will help others.