That's very cool, @Leo!
Meanwhile I've done a bit more digging and learned here that there's secret functionality hidden behind
Preferences / File Displays / Folder Expansion / Remember expanded folders when refreshing:
The option also preserves selections, filters and scroll position when refreshing. I don't use expanded folders and the whole prefs section is disabled, but after turning it on, selecting the above option and then turning expanded folders off again, I can now refresh in peace 
. DOpus just keeps getting better every day...
(Perhaps this should be documented? For me it's a HUGE improvement!)