A few general points:
a/IMHO Hahnemuhle and most other canned profiles are not that hot. As a % of Lab ,I can get 30% greater gamut on H Photo Rag with a custom profile than from Hahnemuhle's profile. Analysis of the 2 profiles reveals marked difference in printer linearities.This is despite Epson's claims to match printers in the factory. I would also expect linearity to change with time and printer use.
b/There is no relationship between what is seen on a monitor and what prints unless image is viewed through the profile with adjustment for paper white and black . As black on matte reflects more white light than gloss under unpolarised conditions, this may account for some of the variance you are experiencing.
c/Two more monitor viewing conditions need to be met. The monitor itself must be profiled (not just calibrated)- which means it must be capable of being profiled, and the room illumination should be low.
d/ Viewing conditions for print should also be standardised. Matte prints may appear darker as they just reflect less light. Soft proofing may approximate print appearance in some theoretical standard illumination , but the print may look dark on display. In this case, you may need an adjustment layer or to up light level when matte prints are viewed. If prints are to be framed behind glass, then this may not apply.
e/I would not use a colour balance layer as it can cause clipping. A basic approach is to use curves blended in luminosity and HSL blended on colour. Don't touch Lightness in HSL.
f/Hint-when making your custom profiles consider rendering Relative Colorimetric not Perceptual,
and check BPC.
g/Diane-There are lots of alternatives to Hahnemuhle papers . Crane Museo Max compares very well for instance. It depends largely what surface you prefer, but this is largely irrelevant behind glass. Some of the Hahnemuhle papers that are being optimised for the new HP Z printers could be worth watching. Papers are not created equal. Coating, textures and base colour as well as brighteners cause great variation in D range and colour range. Some papers look fantastic but have relatively small colour gamuts.Some do not take certain colours well. Some profile well, have great D and colour range, but don't hold fine detail. There could be a book written on papers for digital printing. I'd actually think of doing it but it would be out of date by years end.
HTH
Cheers
Brian
www.pharoseditions.com.au