I'm in a very similar boat. Old Trace Elliot 1225 combo, awesome in it's day, now too heavy for aging frame.
Upto now I've tried an Orange Ob1 through an Orange 2x12 cab. No punch at all, very disappointing as I really fancied one.
A Markbass 2x10 combo. This was going in the right direction, punchy and tight, but something was missing.Maybe a bit of warmth.
And finally an Abm 500 evo iii through an Ashdown Neo 1x15... It sounded awesome. Not how I remember Ashdown from several years ago. This was great, tight and punchy with a bit of grind. I was using some sort of Fender Precision, first one I've ever played
no idea which model but it retailed £700 ish and was pretty good. I'm going back with my Yamaha BB3000 to give the Ashdown another go... was it really that good, I've got a feeling it was.
I'd suggest trying one, you don't have to buy it. But you may come away surprised.