$3000 USD Stereo 2021, Best Bang for the Buck

Just saw this post. For me the 2EX is smoother, more natural and refined. It has similar type of sound signature as my floorstanders in my main listening setup. BTW I built this secondary desktop setup as I spend most of the time at my computer desk when working from home. In photography terms, the LS50 meta is like a more heavily processed image that may grab your attention at the first look. But for me I prefer a more natural sound, though sometimes the meta can sound fun. Also the treble from what I read is a lot less bright compared to the original, but still a bit too bright for me as I'm sensitive to that. I'm not familiar with tube amps but have heard great things about Chi-Fi. On the DAC side SMSL M400 and Denafrips Ares II are amazing products.

 

In a small room, how about the powered version of the LS50s? Use it with your existing stack..