B&W D3 vs. Monitor Audio Platinum II


I'm starting to think about speaker upgrades now, possibly in the next 5-10 months or so.  I would like to upgrade my left/center/right speakers to something new.  I currently have the B&W 805 D2 / HTM2 D2 with a Krell S1200 and Emotiva XPR-1 amps.   I have read a lot about D2 vs D3 so I am well aware of how B&W has changed.

My short list has come down to these two choices:

- B&W 805 D3 and HTM1 D3

- Monitor Audio Platinum PL100 II and PLC350 II

Please do not respond with messages such as "B&W sucks and Monitor is awsome".  I'm sure that either of these choices would be a good choice.  What I would like is comments from people who have heard both and can describe the sonic character of each speaker or discuss the differences in an objective fashion.  I have read about other brands such as Wilson, Focal, Sonus Faber, Martin Logan.  I have come down to the B&W or Monitor Audio on my short list.

auxinput
I enjoy my 802D3 so I am a fan.  I am not familiar with the MA Platinum so I cannot help you there. Best of luck

Just following up here, since we didn't get any responses.  When doing research on the Monitor Audio, I found the review of PL300 II on whathifi.com.  Their negative comments were "Sound lacks a bit of bite and excitement".  I didn't really give this much credit since it was only one review.  However, researching diamond/ribbon tweeters I found a lot of different comments about ribbons.  The general consensus is that ribbons are very laid back and very forgiving on the signal.  Definitely not exciting or forward.  This type of sonic signature was not what I was looking for.  I really want a lot of impact and excitement from the speakers for both music and movie dialog/effects, but I still want a very high resolution and smooth response (i.e. I don't want a speaker that is so bright and harsh).

I found a used HTM2 D3 locally here (this is the smaller model that uses the 5" midrange).  I went ahead and picked it up.  Apparently, it is only a month old and only had about 5 hours on it.  I'm still breaking it in, but so far it is excellent in response.  I can still hear some tightness/forwardness in the midrange and I'm hoping it will further break in.  If not, I may have to look at upgrading to the HTM1 D3, which uses the better Mundorf crossover capacitors.

The other on my short list was the Revel Voice 2.  There's an awesome deal on Audiogon for one, but it's just huge!  I would have to drastically cutdown or build a new center channel table stand.  The B&W already is high enough where it's pushing into the screen area. lol.

I own Monitor Audio PL500 IIs, after owning Wilson Audio Sophia 2s, 3s, Sasha Is, Revel F52s, Revel F208s, Aerial 7Ts, and many more. To "my" ears the PL500 IIs are the most chameleon like speakers I've ever owned. They provide what the recording allows...if the recording is forward sounding, that's what you will hear. If it's laid back, that's what you will hear. I do submit they are closer to neutral sounding than they are to being forward. The way my PL500 IIs are voiced allows me to listen for hours without fatigue; even if I turn it up!
@ricred1 - are you located anywhere near Central California? lol.  Would love to listen to Monitor Audio Platinum, but we don't have any local dealer showrooms.
I'd go for the 805 D3 over PL100 II's from what I've heard. With that said the PL200 II's and up are very good speakers and I wouldn't even consider B&W D3 series over them. 
auxinput,
I really enjoy them, but one man's medicine is another man's poison! We have a crazy, crazy hobby!
@james_w514 - I can't do floor standers.  I would have to limit the left/right channels to bookshelves because they need to sit on top of my subwoofers.  They are gigantic subs that I built myself.  They are about the same size as a SVS PB16-Ultra. lol.
An important thing to note on your research, just for future readers: the monitor audios aren’t ribbons, they’re AMT drivers, which are effectively much faster/livelier that dynamic drivers, as in the B&W or ribbons for that matter. I own the Platinum 100 mk1, and it definitely doesn’t lack excitement, and is certainly not forgiving on the source material - it is extremely revealing/quick.
They don’t have the treble spike/bump that B&W always put in, so they may not sound as bright as the B&W d3.