Would upgrading to new, better carbon forks make much of a difference?
I took the carbon fork off my bike and fitted a steel fork, the steel fork is comfier. But it’s about design more than material generally.
Get a steel fork with a nice curve in it.
Get a slim-bladed steel fork. Not convinced a curved or straight blade makes any real odds to comfort ime, the offset, blade dimensions and wall thickness seem to do more.
Tyres and pressures will make a far greater difference than the fork.
It’s a much easier difference to get, yes, though all the differences can add up to be greater than the individual parts. 26.0 bars, skinny steel fork, bigger high quality tyres, padded tape etc. I get off one of my road bikes onto my audax bike and it feels like my front tyre is at 20psi for the first mile or two.