Had my 826s playing for 4 days now. Simply stunning. They replaced Bowers 602s, and I don't miss those at all, although it was a spectacular speaker for $650 back in 1999.
I listen to a ton of classical and Copland's Appalachian Spring with Orpheus on DG had me in tears yesterday. I've heard the piece a gazillion times, and even performed it in grad school (the same 13 instrument version). I guess that the fact the sound drove me to tears is a great sign. They only have about 20 hours so far, so I'll be interested in hearing them at 100+ hours. A lot of folks claim these and other Focals are bright up top, but I don't see that. They are incredibly revealing but they seem to be a beautiful match with my Sphinx V3. Maybe the tube preamp section mellows them out? In any event I am loving them and am thrilled I pulled the trigger.