Warm romantic & detailed

i will jump in here...

op, listen to scott/verdant - he really knows what he is talking about

- focals don’t need to be bright, but you need a warm toned amp to make that happen, most solid state will sound sharp
- harbeths, spendors would suit you very well, esp. with solid state amplification (hegels are just a wonderful match, per bassdude)
- upper proacs are excellent but their presentation is a notch brighter, more forward than the same level harbeths and spendors
- newest spatials are an interesting alternative if you would consider ’outside the box’ - like the proacs, they need a tube or two in the chain then they are silky, full, impactful everything you would want

i have no affiliation, other than own spendors (2 pr), proacs (4 pr), harbeths (2 pr) and just got a set of spatials (m3s) they are most impressive - had focals in the past they are gone

@ jjss491 : wow! You have 9 pairs of speakers, 8 of which are interesting to me! Could you please share what models of Spendor, Harbeth and Proac do you own? I own a pair of Spendor Sp2/3R2, some Harbeth M30.2 Anniversary and I'm considering some Proacs so I'd really love to take advantage of your considerable experience in form of some advises and comparisons. Would you agree to help me here a bit, please? Thanks!
@everybody else, especially OP: please let me know if you feel this would derail the thread too much so I can move this discussion to PM environment should this be the case.
As for the original question, I'd rather recommend my Spendor SP2/3R2 (older model, so used only - not sure, but might be  preferable to the current Classic Line) mentioned above rather than the Harbeths as the later are quite neutral and the former are warmer. One caveat: the Spendors are quite detailed in terms of timbre, harmonic, chromatic and textural detail, good fidelity here, but the contours / transients are not so precisely rendered, especially in the bass which is more diffuse. Very musical and fatigue free, though, adept at accurately reproducing acoustic instruments especially violin and guitar. The Spendors shine when partnered with a dynamic amp as they can be a bit sluggish otherwise, I like them a lot with my friend's Exposure 3010 integrated (older, mosfet based model).

My current combo is mcintosh c2600 tube pre with solid state 452: would going full tube help out at all tube pre/amp? I just never see this combo? 

Your current combination is relatively neutral.  You could move to an MC275 which would help.  That bring said, I am not sure if that if far enough.   I have listened to the Electras driven by a C22 (warmer than your C2600) and MC275s bridged mono and still found it bright.  It was just about right for the Sopras which are more neutral than the Electras.  

If you wanted to commit to the Electras (good speakers though not personally to my taste), then I would look at Naim gear.  For comparable quality to your Mc I would look at the Naim NAC 282 Preamp and the NAP 250 DR Power amp.  Of course, that is not an inexpensive solution and even used, I bet will cost $7K to $8K. Probably overkill for the Electras and you would be fine with a Supernait 3.  

Naim is warmer than VTL for some perspective.  if you want to go away from Mc, I would put it out to the group here what tube amp will work with you Mc pre.  Those Mc pres work well with Mc gear but can run into issues with other brands.  I know that Conrad Johnson and VAC would deliver the sound you need but am not certain on compatibility.  

An alternative would also be certain Pass units and you could look at AVM.  Both offer a range of power amps and integrated amps that would work and soften the harshness of the Electras.  

The alternate direction is different speakers and committing to the Mc gear.  You have some solid recommendations that should offer tons of detail without the harshness of the the Electra tweeter.  Spendor, Harbeth, Sonus Faber and Scansonic along with others will be great.  

Full disclosure, I am AVM dealer and have access to Spendor.  In a prior post I mentioned Scansonic and I am a dealer of that brand as well.  I have no affiliation with any of the other brands mentioned.  

There must be some aspect of the 1038's that you liked enough to buy them. So, have you thought about auditioning the Kanta # 2's? I've seen some used ones lately in the $6K range.

When I was speaker shopping a few years ago I auditioned the 1038's and the Kanta # 2's (I didn't buy either one of them); and, I could not believe how much better the Kanta was. Just a thought, YMMV. Good luck in your search!