People's taste differ, but certainly anyone that introduces into the conversation terms such as "crazy" and "joke" knows little about speakers and even less about expressing themselves.
The WATT/Puppy 8 is, plain and simple, a far better speaker than the Sophia 2. Even David Wilson has admitted as much. What Wilson Audio does best is deliver a hyper-realistic soundstage with remarkable imaging, excellent micro-dynamics and accurate timbre, and considerable attack and slam, and these start with the WATT/Puppys and is improved with the MAXX 3, and ends ultimately with the Alexandria X-2 Series 2. I should know, I have demoed the Wilson range extensively, and would ultimately choose the X-2 Series 2 as one of the absolute best "all-around" speakers in existence.
The Sophia 2, unfortunately, was introduced for its price-point, to appeal to the "audiophile mass-market". It is a good speaker, but does not nearly come close to what Wilson built its reputation on.
The 802D, on the other-hand, is a fantastic speaker. It is, excluding the made-to-order 20 pairs a year Nautilus, arguably the second-best production speaker made by B&W, besting even the 801D in most reasonably-sized listening rooms. The 800D is better, with a fuller bass response and overall better tonal balance due to the use of larger woofers and cabinet, and superior cross-overs, but the difference is not as large as you say.
The Sophia 2's excel at providing a narrow and tight, believable soundstage. However, its soundstage is unmistakably small, and absolutely minuscule compared to the 802Ds. While the Sophia 2 might appear to be more "transparent", and it is a very revealing speaker, unfortunately that transparency is highlighted by a certain dryness that makes certain recordings almost unlistenable. Some may find that as a sign of excellent reproduction, so it's all a matter of taste and also what you enjoy listening to. If a considerable segment of your music collection is older or not well-recorded, the Sophias will emphasize these characteristics.
The Sophia 2 does excel at excellently recorded "audiophile" recordings, as does the 802D. I have no doubt that unless you are bringing in your own discs, any Sophia 2 demo conducted by the dealer will be using exclusively such material. But the true test of any speaker, at least from a pragmatic buyer's point of view, is how well it responds to not only all types of music, but all levels of recording quality.
The 802Ds are superior to the Sophia 2s in these regards, and overall, is a better speaker for most types of music and recordings. Again, taste is a factor, and what some people see as "color" in the mid-range, some hear as "musicality".
Frequency response-wise, the 802D is an average speaker, no question about that. If you want the ultimate "flat"-testing speakers, better look elsewhere, probably something by Harmon would suit you best. But if we go beyond what the charts tell us and listen exclusively with our ears, the 802D is a stunningly wonderful speaker, and one of the best values of any non-ID speaker at its price-point.
