Changes to older system

@jasonbourne52 Thanks for the placement recommendations - extremely helpful!

@holmz @audphile1 You’re spot on with the sub recommendation. Got a used SVS SB-3000, and it’s helped with bass extension and seems to help the balance overall. The SVS website and app were enormously successful in setting it up and getting it integrated; although, I’d venture that, like most of us, I’m still refining that integration.

@soix @audphile1 @mesch I’d suspected I would replace the speakers, so I’d ordered a set of Zu Audio Omen Dirty Weekends that recently came in. That said, I put those upstairs while the other system was downstairs, and now I’ve decided both to upgrade the old system, as well as build a new system upstairs around the Zus. I hear people have a love/hate relationship with Zu, but I love them! Right now I’m playing them using a TubeCube 7 from Tube Depot (3.5wpc) I had using an old Sonos Connect and cheap 24/192 DAC, and they sound great - believe it or not. I’d appreciate any recommendations particularly for an integrated tube amp, streamer, and DAC for that setup too.

I’d replace the speakers first rather than trying to put a bandaid on them with tubes, and you probably don’t wanna run your Matrix 3s with a tube amp as they generally require some power to get the best out of them. Those older metal tweets are likely the biggest source of the brightness you’re hearing so fix the source of the problem rather than jumping through expensive hoops to get them to sound better. Given what you’re looking for I think you should give the LSA-20 Signatures a good look — they are available here direct from the manufacturer for only $1699/pr. They’ll definitely add more bass to your system, and their silk dome tweets will very likely tame your brightness issue without sacrificing detail. Read the reviews.

After that I’d upgrade the preamp as it’s the heart of your system and greatly affects the sound of your overall system or, even likely better and more cost effective, get good integrated that’ll upgrade your amp at the same time. Then I’d do a good DAC, and then I’d wrestle with cables. That’s what I’d do FWIW.