Narrowed to 3: 802D3, Sopra 3, Reference 3


Hi all,
Here's the situation:
Room is 14x17 with vaulted ceilings from 9" to 14", and the room is mostly open to a foyer with high ceiling and is about 10x10.

I'm currently running a setup scavenged from my home theater:
Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ > Rotel RC-1590 Preamp > Rotel RB-1582 mk2 amp > B&W 805 D3

The sound overall is excellent, but it's a little bright and lacks bass presence (as you'd expect for a 2 way bookshelf). Here are my top speakers I've auditioned:

B&W 802D3 ( Auditioned with: Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ > McIntosh C52 > McIntosh 601) at Magnolia

KEF Reference 5 (Auditioned with Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ > McIntosh C47 > McIntosh MC452) at Magnolia at the same time as the 802.

Focal Sopra 3 (Auditioned with NAIM DAC > NAIM NAP 500 DR Amp - 140W per channel) at difference location

I also heard the KEF Reference 3 and Blade but ruled them out, the Ref 3 for sound, and the Blade for price and it being kind of ugly.

Here's the thing, I feel like I'm not sure what to get. I love the general sound of the 802, but I'm afraid even with the MC452 it'd be a bit bright. It also really lacked the presence in the bass like the Reference 5.

The Reference 5 sounds wonderful, and the bass is prolific, but I'm a little concerned about it being too warm. I heard the Ref 5 and 802s in the same room with virtually the same equipment, back to back, and they were so very different. The Ref 5 was warm, with rich full mids, that maybe were even too lush, with bass so good I honestly thought the subwoofer was on.

The 802 had good bass, but nothing to write home about (and it even had the more powerful 601 monoblocks), but the clarity was astounding, I just fear it'll be a little too bright for my room, which seems to lean bright already. That said, there is just something so exciting about the sound of this speaker playing orchestral. The problem was I much preferred the KEF for rock/r&b.

Then, to add to the mix, I liked the Focal Sopra 3 a lot, but I also felt it lacked bass presence, though it was on the weakest amp by a wide margin. The Focal seemed to be the middle ground between the B&W and KEF, but the bass concerned me. I'm not a bass nut, but I do want my bass to be powerful and don't want to have to add a sub. (Even for orchestral, I felt the Focal lacked a bit in the low cello and bass parts)

My plan was to keep the Mytek, and probably get a McIntosh C47 and MC452 or MC462, as I think the Rotels are probably too bright and underpowered for any of these setups. I was definitely hitting 300+W on the 802s during my audition while listening to orchestral music.

Thoughts? Is the KEF really that pudgy in the middle, is the B&W really that bright, and does the Sopra 3 really lack bass presence?

p.s. I thought the Blade was better balanced, but also still pretty warm.


mayoradamwest
@joey_v that’s awesome! My daughter is 2 but I hope she asks for violin instead of Rafi ;) even with my placeholder 805 D3 I’m amazed how good these things sound. They just need a sub or two. Will certainly report back when the 802s arrive. 
Mike

looking forward to it!

also I was swapping speaker wire last night just to make sure I wasn’t delusional.  Yep, AQ Wel was very different sounding than the stock 12g wire I had. 

I was hoping the AQ weren’t any different then I could sell them and make money. 
@bassdude  and @mtrot  I actually listened to Leonard on the Aeris! You're spot on with the lower mid bass on them. That midwoofer's magnetic structure alone is 10 lbs, and in that open baffle arrangement, there isn't any cabinet resonance at all.

The dipole arrangement on Aeris plus Wavelet correction really makes the transition from sub bass to midbass so clean and sets the speaker apart. I believe that is a contributing factor to how resolving and revealing the Legacy is. 
Congratulations on your new speakers, I try to listen to what's popular at the dealership'  to narrow it down then bring home the finalists to see how well they sound in my room. Having bought expensive speakers that bowled me over in the showroom sound rough at home now I just don't chance it. if I can't find a pair to demo at home and I really need to know I'll buy them used to mitigate the damage should I be disappointed.
Mayoradamwest and others
You address 2 speaker lines I hope to audition in the same dealer showroom tomorrow.  The dealer also carries Paradigm.
I read your comments carefully and would appreciate any additional thoughts.   
I am trading my B&W 802d2's with the object of improving midrange clarity and diminishing high frequency 'ring'.
I recently purchased the ML 523/534 combination, which reprises the lush sound of the ML-7/xx but with greater clarity and high frequency extension.
The new ML combination diminished but did not eliminate the 802d2's brightness, and exposed some lack of midrange clarity.
Having enjoyed the B&W nautilus series for 20 years I lean towards
purchase of the 802d3's...which are reputed to improve on the two
802d2 'deficiencies' just cited.
Another motive for staying with B&W is my need to overcome
the sound absorption of upholstered furniture and draperies....use is in a living room, not a dedicated listening room.
Additionally, I listen almost exclusively to classical music, piano in particular, and very much like the improvement in reproduction of piano music that the newer ML electronics in combination with the 802d2's produced.
Thirdly, the B&W's have a room-filling ambiance that I imagine is
audible to an orchestra's conductor but not in the same measure by
members of the audience....in other words, an 'unrealistic' (for concert-goers) but very pleasurable sonic experience.
I ask if the KEF reference 5's in particular (or the Paradigm speakers) equal the 802d3's in 'sound staging' and 'ambiance', have equal bass reproduction, bring still greater clarity to orchestral music.
Thanks