Focal Aria 936 vs B&W 802d

you son has the better speaker when it comes to being less glarey in the upper midrange which makes for a more coherent presentation of music

I tend to agree, I've tried so many fixes for my 802d's and I'm at a point I don't enjoy listening to music anymore.

The Focal Aria 936 are a bit small for my room, 16x25.

What speaker would you suggest would bring me joy with my existing electronics?

@onehorsepony what is your budget like?

i can push $30,000. But at what point does it really matter? for instance, the new B&W 802d4 run about $30,000, but most of the cost is for the elaborate cabinet.

I don't care what they look like, for me it's all about the music.

Get this floor stander pair that digs so deep into the bass region, has zero glare and has tremendous midrange clarity and focus. With exceptional imaging and precision whilst being not edgy or show room sounding.

They just let music shine @onehorsepony 

Here - Ukkonen AWG Floor Standing Speaker (PAIR) – March Audio

and add this subwoofer -1723 Subwoofer 2S - Arendal Sound

onehorsepony

The Focal 900 Series (918,928 and 936) are excellent loudspeakers. Each model becomes better with top gear.

Happy Listening!