Hi crschwartz,
Did you try the Essence (which I believe is similar to the Nature which is the next model up and slightly softer)?
The first thing I would do is to see if you can find out the exact layering and ILD of their Pamper/Serenity and the Nature/Essence because I don’t know if these are modeled on the old versions of the PLB or the new ones (which have thicker comfort or transition layers).
Either way … the Nature/Essence has either has 3" or 4" of latex over the core and this is layered with a couple of inches of softer latex on top of either 1" or 2" of firmer latex over the support core. The Pamper Pamper/Serenity on the other hand has either 1" or 2" of softer latex on directly on top of the firmer support layer. If you add a 2" soft topper to the Pamper/Serenity … it would have a thicker/softer comfort layer than the Nature/Essence so if this is too soft it would point to just an additional inch as a topper instead of 2". Having firmer latex in between the softer top layer and the firmer core would probably be a better configuration than having all soft latex in the comfort layers (what is already there plus a softer topper).
The risk of thicker softer/comfort layers for a stomach sleeper (combination of comfort layers and a topper) is that the heavier parts of the body can sink in too far before they are “stopped” by the firmer support layers which can lead to sleeping in a swayback position which is not good for back issues. Thinner comfort layers (or comfort layer topper combinations) puts you closer to the support layers so there is less “room” for the heavier parts to sink into the mattress (better alignment).
I would use the guidelines in the post I linked previously and tend towards thinner rather than thicker. I would also tend towards 19 ILD if you went with an inch and 24 ILD if you went with 2" (a little safer).
A few more questions that may help though …
What specific symptoms are you feeling (other than it feels too firm) and where are these symptoms.
How long have you been sleeping on the mattress (it may be worthwhile giving it a little more time both because the mattress will break in during the first few weeks and you may also go through an adjustment period as well in the same timeframe)
What size is your mattress? There is a shredded latex topper available here which may be a good choice and is good quality and value and possibly less “risky” than a solid topper if you decide to to go with 2" but the Kings are in short supply and are often not available apparently. You can see some comments about it in this thread.
I have no idea what he means by this and at face value it doesn’t really make sense to me.
You can read some of the basic differences between Dunlop and Talalay in this article and in post #6 here. It’s easier to find softer latex in Talalay than in Dunlop.
Phoenix