B&W 705s3 vs Kef Meta R3

Just chiming in to add that the magnolia setups cannot be trusted. I honestly can’t believe that many high end brands even sell their stuff through Best Buy. 
 

Maybe occasionally you have one that’s setup properly and the employee is passionate about audio. More likely you’ll get a guy who’s working in the microwave section from 9-4 and then finishing up his shift at the magnolia. 
 

last time I went, the employee hooked up their low budget phone via an aux cable to the headphone jack to play music for me off regular YouTube. I’m also not sure what hardware they use to switch between dozens of Amps and speakers, but that has to have a negative impact on the signal chain. Best Buy is honestly best avoided to audition anything with intent to buy. 

The Bowers has a 10db peak @ 10khz according to Stereophile's measurement.  The Kef has minimal peaking with a smooth "audiophile" downslope in ASR's measurement.  I couldn't find both speaker measurements in either site.

BB has a generous return policy so it is usually safe to bring a product home and try it. Sometimes room acoustics will align with a rooms natural peaks and valleys to offer a uniquely pleasant tonal balance. never say never. 

Given the ineptitude shown by salespeople at our local BB its entirely likely the tweeters in the speakers you were auditioning were fried. I can't say of course that this is a universal problem with certainty, but I'd say the odds are likely. Locally, they are completely clueless.