Great conversation going. As a recent shopper in the same price range, my biggest single takeaway after hearing several speakers is that there really are NO bad speakers at the $10k-$20k per pair price point. Not as long as you're sticking with the larger, more well known firms anyway. I cant speak for the tiny builders as I don't have any experience with them, with the exception of Ryan, who's speakers I think sound great.
So, does a B&W 803 D3 sound better than a KEF Ref 3 or than a Focal Sopra 2? Only you can decide that, but they are all lovely speakers. Just go listen to them. No offense to those who are touting one manufacturer or model over another, but these speakers are all so good that other peoples' opinions of them mean almost nothing to me. Perhaps if the speaker was universally hated I'd listen to and heed the reviews, but none of these speakers are.
FWIW, I purchased the Sopra 2.
So, does a B&W 803 D3 sound better than a KEF Ref 3 or than a Focal Sopra 2? Only you can decide that, but they are all lovely speakers. Just go listen to them. No offense to those who are touting one manufacturer or model over another, but these speakers are all so good that other peoples' opinions of them mean almost nothing to me. Perhaps if the speaker was universally hated I'd listen to and heed the reviews, but none of these speakers are.
FWIW, I purchased the Sopra 2.