B&W vs. Sonus Faber

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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Of course individual components have a defined sound.  How could they not?  If one has listened to a particular component (say speakers) across a variety of systems (say with 3-4 different amps) and the sound tends to have similar characteristics, one can make some pretty meaningful conclusions about the component.

Otherwise, under the contrary assumption, one would be forced to purchase an entire system (and perhaps a room) each time something is changed.  Of course that is not realistic.

I upgraded my speakers last year and was also between B&W 803D and SF Serafino (they were at a big discount).

I auditioned both in the shop with a couple of audiophile friends. I really wanted to like the SF, because I heard another model before and the discount. Although very nice and smooth, we were not very excited about what we heard with the SF. This is in line with some previous comments.

The B&W had more resolution and was more what I was looking for.
I had the chance to check also the 802D3, as I was hoping to get more bass extension. Besides the more robust, extended and solid bass, I found that the midrange was, to my ears, much nicer that in the 803s.

The 802S felt like a much better choice, more money but worth it. I ended up buying this and love them. Using Ayre pre/amp.
If your room allows for a bigger speaker, I would recommend trying the 802s, you could get them used and have a better speaker.

802s are monsters but do like the larger bass driver size.  Leaning to the 803s probably black vs rose which I don’t think works with 803s (fine for 804s which I have). I have a 12 inch asw 2000 b&w sub. 

803s seem like a woman with a devilish outgoing flare vs a more refined sophisticated wine drinking type.


I have diverse musical interests, excluding rap and opera. 

I own a pair of B&W 804's and have had several pairs of Sonus Faber.  Currently run Lilliums.  Everything is powered by McIntosh.  There is a reason that Sonus Faber is now in the McIntosh family.  I would never describe Sonus Faber as "dark".  They have a sound that is very pleasant to an analog fanatic, like myself.  The B&Ws are in my office and it is all streaming in there.  They sound fine in the room. I think a lot has to do with the size of the room and the acoustics of it.