B&W, Dynaudio, Dali or what else?

Dave,
Thanks for the detailed description. One thing I want to add is that my 800's sounded kind of edgy and analytical for the first 100-200 hours of playing. Maybe the MS 5's you've listened to were brand new out of the box (my guess). This is sometimes the issue with demoes. The speakers have not been broken in (sometimes on purpose)and that gives listeners the totally wrong impression of how they really sound.

Thanks a lot guys. This is a lot of info that I have to chew on for a while. I kind of stumbled into a small Audio Show last year in Norway and had chance to listen to the B&W 802D, plus some of the larger Usher speakers. I wasn't to impressed with either of them but part of me thought that it had something to do with the environment and the music they were demoed with and that is why I in the end included the 802's in my short list. I've owned several smaller Dyn's and always liked them especially their imaging, until I went to several live(unamplified) music events only to realize that the imaging was a bit over the top. I was certainly thinking about auditioning the speakers before buying but that is the very problem. I live in norhtern VT and the next dealer is about 3-4 hours away. This is there very reason to involve the help from you fellow Audiogoners. I don't want to drive for hours just to listen to something that is not up my alley. Thanks for all the help so far.

Dave,
I've heard the same thing(Helicon sound better than MS) from a few people in the past. Could you elaborate on why you liked them more a bit. I have only heard the MS4 briefly before.
I will get some info on the Merlin speakers since two or three of you have mentioned them now. What about Peak Consult. I did listen to their 2 way monitor last year, driven by Wavac gear. Sounded pretty sweet in my opinion. Obviousely not a bass champ either but a good Sub might help that.

Bartokfan,
No that you've bad mouthed the ARC amps. What would you replace them with?

Guys, thanks again for all your postings. I hope that everyone of that is willing to spend $10000.00 and up is aware of the fact that break in and system synergy is crucial when judging a speaker. I've tweaked what I currently use and listen to substantially since I first got the Dali's because even though they sounded great when I auditioned them, things changed a bit when I first listened to them at home. My listening room is 19x36ft with and opening into the kitchen at the far end. It has hard wood floors and partial wood paneling on the wall. Perhaps all that made the speakers sound initially a bit brighter. This issue has been fixed and know everything sounds the way I like it. That is why my first thought was to upgrade to the MS 4 or 5's. I thought the 5's would be a better fit for my large room though. I appreciate everybodies input so far and will start auditioning some of the recommended speakers.