B&W vs. Sonus Faber


803 d3 vs Sonus Faber Olympica nova v. These are comparably priced, about $16k.

have heard both in separate rooms with diff equipment. Both sound quite good. Trying to decide.
Interested in any opinions, or other options.

emergingsoul
Everyone hears differently. @lukaske above says magicos and harbeths are more natural sounding than B&W and SF. I would say completely the opposite. To my ears Harbeth have that British coloured warmth, whilst Magico have a clinical Hi-Fi sound. So to my ears your choice of SF and B&W are both more centrally placed on the ’natural’ sounding scale, depending on how you choose to define the word. Too much choice can clutter the mind and make decisions more difficult. You have chosen two supremely good speakers and you liked the sound of them both, so really there is no need to seek out more and more brands to listen to. Unless, of course, you enjoy that aspect of the hobby which admittedly many do. 

I would also suggest home demos are essential as some speakers interact poorly, or very well, with a particular room, and you never can completely predict what will happen until they are in your listening room.
+1  for The REVEL Salon 2's.  Require good amplification, but to me more articulate than the SF's but less bright than the B/W's.  Very full range.  Tall, so best to not sit real close.  Great for an open room layout such as combined family / breakfast room / kitchen open layouts.  Really 'fill the room'.  Can be had for a great deal used as lots made. I first had the Studio 2's.  Loved them, but traded up for the Salons's and great for the bigger room.  Studio 2's great for a smaller room.  Same 'sound'.
I agree with  kren0006 as you have to be very careful what you are pairing them with
I have compared B&W 802d3 and 800d3 (which I ended up buying) with £150k Wilsons and greatly prefer the B&W .. as did my esteemed listening mate. I would also take issue with the B&W pairing with McKintosh amps which I have also encountered. Disaster in my view - just to weak and insipid. I use Bryston 7b3s which kick the B&Ws into action far better
Mind you all my speakers (about 8 pairs)  are waiting to be replaced by Kenjit's new speakers. Untested, not measured, not available yet ... but he says they are the best ever... so I (we all) have something to look forward to
I love how people talk about individual components having a defined sound.  Systems have defined sonic attributes in various rooms, but all else is extremely variable.  So much goes into the final sound of a system that discussing individual components having particular characteristics is misleading. I favor resolution because I want to hear everything in the music, right down to the traffic passing outside a club during a live recording.  Atmosphere needs resolution.  How you balance that resolution is key.  I love B&W’s diamonds...I have the 802D3’s. Power Cords, interconnects, speaker cables , room acoustics and amplifier characteristics all must work together in harmony.  
Having experienced both with Yamaha M/C 5000 pre/amp which are simply fabulous, the Sonos Faber ( and subwoofer ) are sublime, creamy.

In defence of the B&W, these are spritely and quick. They have a good sound, however the balance of the drivers, to me, don’t quite have the crossover balance quite right.

As inferred, the S-F needs the accompanying subwoofer to bring out all the frequencies to an enjoyable listen, for hours.
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