Kaxmann,
The following comments are not a personal attack
There is nothing fast about the 802D... There is substantial overhang in the bass. It could be delayed port noise but they are slow. Look at the measurements in the link I provided below. You can see that the port is still making low level noise up to 400hz. Because of this they will also need a lot more distance from rear and side walls to sound balanced (downward port too).
If you think the 802Ds are fast you have simply not heard enough. If you want a fast speaker think Wilson, Magico, or Thiel. As a side not if you want a cheaper speaker with similar sound as Avalon demo the Thiel 3.7s also.
http://stereophile.com/content/bw-802d-loudspeaker-measurements
Mids:
The Sophia 3 has higher resolution and transparency in the midrange than the 802D. Only at ear bleeding levels do you get the same level of detail out of the 802D's midrange. The Thiel 3.7 is even more detailed in the midrange than the Sophia 3. None of these speaker's mids are bright.
Bass:
Sophia is the clear winner. It has texture and slam the 802D can't touch and is much faster. The 802D has very good bass power but to a fault. It is slow and booming is anything but giant rooms(15X30+). The Thiel 3.7 is very fast and VERY textured in the bass. It has more detail than the Sophia at it lowest not around 30hz but come up short in shear power. The bass from the 3.7 will be very good in an average room(12X15ish).
Highs:
802Ds highs are great. They are well dispersed and have what I call a rockers high that fill the room much like a real cymbal. They are detailed and never get out of control. One of my favorite sounding tweeters but they do need to be played loud to shine. The Sophia 3's tweeter is not quite as detailed but is also well dispersed. It has a natural sound to it but does not reach for the stars like some better tweeters on the market. Not bad not great IMO. As for the Thiel 3.7 tweeter, I am really not sure. I have demoed them many time and for the life of me I can't recall how they sound. The mids and tweeter are so integrated I can tell where one stops and the other starts.
Over all sound:
The 802D are colored but can be fun to listen to. Because of the coloration I do not think they are worth their asking price. The Sophia 3 is a good balance between resolution and musicality. They have real bass and are also fun. The Theil 37s is a class act and a truth teller... make sure you can handle the truth (most can't). They will be as fun or as cold as your source music/equipment is.
As alway use your own ears.
PS. all my comments are on the 802D and not the new 802Diamond.
