New Speakers under consideration - but I’m afraid

I think it's safe to say that based on the rapidly rising technology curve you'll find some really compelling options that'll best your existing set. To make a direct comparison re: your B&W's vs a new pair will be tough unless you bring your electronics with you to the new speaker demo (or they give you a trial period at home) you'll never really know if the improvement is solely in the speaker section or comprised of all the parts. I'd push for a trial period at home because not only will there be differing electronics at the store you're also demoing in a completely different room than you have at home.

I just bought a new pair of Klipsch La Scala that I have paired with an MA12000 and absolutely love them. 

Good luck!

Well I listened to some speakers (in Atlanta) today.

Borresen X3, Sonus Faber Stradivari, WIlson Sasha V and Watt Puppies.

All in different rooms and different electronics (but all excellent- Mac, D’Agostino etc.). I used known and new source material (ear candy pieces from the dealer) to audition .Summary below:

X3’s were first and sounded quite good- if unremarkable (from memory to the 801’s). Well balanced and no warts. I could live with them.

Sonus were next up. Fuller with more bass but also mid-bass murkiness to my ear. 

The Sashas sounded great. Holographic, good sound stage and transparency (my fav kind of trans). 

The Puppies were last - but not least. In fact, the best. Fantastic transparency - even more so  than the Sashas but without edge or glare. Very balanced. Great coherence. Very  ample bass. To my ear the best of the 4, although close with the V’s. 

I went back to the X3’s for fun, and just 20 seconds was enough to show they were not in the same league.

Next up the B&W 802 D4’s, but already thinking about the Puppies. How different do the prior gen Wilsons sound to the latest iterations?

I'm in Marietta. You are wecome to stop by and listen if you are interested.  My system is posted: 

MY SYSTEM HERE

Nice looking system and I appreciate the offer. I leave tomorrow but will let you know when I come back.

@ritter06 - good job!  Nice assortment of speakers you’ve demoed which gave you a lot of input in deciding sonic preferences - X3s for great price/performance, Sonus Faber’s more musical presentation, and Wilson for accuracy excellence.

How different do the prior gen Wilsons sound to the latest iterations?

Very different- Wilson is at the cutting edge of high-end sonics so have been consistently designing and releasing new better transducers.  Their WP has also gone through a few upgrades before being dropped then subsequently reinstalled very recently back into Wilson’s product line.