okay so we’ve kind of concluded the prior general direction of those components all together is a big warmish and veiled over result so to speak. Let’s assume that for now.Not bad, just not as opened as you’d like it to be with your prior speakers. What you shared makes sense btw. I’ve heard those speakers before, fyi.
So..., you’ll get your BHK preamp and as others suggested and you’ve summarized, maybe a Tele or Tele like tube will add some openness and detail.
Now the cable police will come shoot me but gotta ask. Have you been running interconnect cables at the source and between amp-to-preamp that are possibly masking/holding back the sound a little bit, by chance? i.e. I can swap out my own smoothed over pure copper interconnects for other interconnect pairs I have with tinned or silver-over-coper interconnects to add some air, openness, detail. What ya got going there for all interconnects starting with your source to preamp to amp(s)? How long are those interconnects in feet/meters?