802 D3 vs 803 D3 vs Sopra 3 vs Sopra 2


I'm looking to replace my 15yo Nautilus 804 speakers that have been dedicated to my home theater setup until this last year when I started getting in to 2 channel HiFi.  Now the 804's are being shared using passthru mode.  

So, now I'm looking for a pair of speakers just to dedicate to HiFi.  The room I'm using is about 21 x 25 with about a 18 foot ceiling.  When I started the search I was primarily thinking about the 803 D3 or the Sopra 2s.  But now I'm thinking I should really be thinking about the 803 or Sopra 3 since my room is so large. I've auditioned both the 803 and Sopra 2 and think I like the Sopra 2 a little better but not by much.  My local Magnolia dealer has given me a pretty good price on the 802 so not sure what direction I'm going to end up going.  What ever I end up with is going to be driven by my MA5300 until I can spring for the MC462 in 2 or 3 months.  

I'm hoping that some of you that are familiar with both the B&W and Focals can help give me some insight here.  I need to make a decision fairly soon before the wife changes her mind.  :)

Thanks!
Ag insider logo xs@2xvolfan615

On an overall balance, these are bright-ish speakers.  In too big a room you may find that neither has enough bass without help.

Also, the Sopras have a significant impedance dip, like so many other Focals, at 100Hz.  They really do need a stiff amp to sound at their best.  If you go this route, avoid too much toe-in.  Focals tend to sound smoother and image better pointed way behind your head.  B&W's on the other hand like you to be below the tweet.

Post removed 
I have not heard the 802d3 but heard the 802d2 and the 803d3. If feel the low bass was much stronger on the 802d2 for what it is worth. Not a same room or system but heard both many times in different systems and my opinion of the bass has not changed.  If you have the cash and don’t want to run subs (or even if you do want subs) bigger is almost always better until you sit too close for the drivers to integrate right.


Other thoughts:

It is all about how far you sit from the speakers and how many seats you want to cover. Small rooms suck no matter what. A 20-30z wave at 85db is the same no matter what size driver it came from so having a large room is a good thing to a point. 
You could take the speakers outside and set them 9’ from each other and sit 9’ away and they would sound fine. Now you would lose your room gain in the bass. That is where the problem is, none of these speakers produce flat low bass without room gain and it is hard to predict how smooth that room gain will be.  
I have a 650sq/ft listening room and subs with an active crossover will make life better. You can get it just right very easily with active crossovers or dial it to preference. I can’t recommend active subs/crossovers enough for large rooms. The 803d3 with a pair of good subs hooked to a JL CR-1 crossover would be amazing, verging on a super system assuming the upper mids of those B&W don’t bother you. Just keep the subs out of the corner. 
My budget for the speakers is 20K max.  Would like to stay around 17.  My current power is a Mcintosh MA5300 (100 Watt).  I know I'll need more but there is no budget for that for a few months.  The plan is to find a MC462 or a used MC452 and then use my MA5300 as a preamp.