Clicking front hub after overhaul

I repacked a front hub I haven’t worked on before and can’t get rid of the clicking. (It wasn’t clicking before I repacked it, just sluggish and overdue for an overhaul.) Bike is a 2016 Kona Sutra; hubs are Shimano Deoro.

I adjusted the cones so there was minimal play that went away when I reefed down the QR, and got constant clicking when I spun the wheel and put my ear next to the hub. Figured it was grease starvation. (This is the first hub I’ve owned that has dust covers you’re not supposed to remove when cleaning and repacking. Not a fan; I like to see how clean the bearing cups are and know exactly how much grease I’m putting in.)

So I took the hub apart again and squeezed more grease on the bearings.

Re-adjusted for minimal play when lightly mounted, and none when reefed down. Clicking’s reduced now, but still audible when I spin the wheel and put my ear next to the hub.

I gave bearings, cones, and cups a thorough eyeball inspection when I cleaned them; nothing dramatic there. (I suppose they could be pitted or brinneled at a magnified level, but I wouldn’t expect that to cause this kind of noise.)

Any ideas? Thanks.

(PS: While researching this issue, I’ve twice found references to the same problem on Shimano hubs. One answerer said, "That’s just Shimano; live with it." Another on the other post said approximately the same thing. Any thoughts about this, Shimano people?)