Nautilus owners upgrade to what?

If I owned traditional box speakers as opposed to planars, I'd likely lean towards B&W as well. I haven't heard the full line of Totem speakrs, but what I have heard sound damned fine to these ears. Smooth, mellow signature to them and the fit and finish are beyond reproach. Yep, try to listen to some Totems, I think you may find these a step up from B&W.

I agree with Samski that this can be as much as personal taste as anything; B&W isn't a great seller because they are not good.

My first real taste of B&W's was back in 1997, they were the 801 series III, and I loved the sound.

I just purchased the 803's and I am very pleased and as was stated above, there is always the upgrade bug! If I had the dollars I would of loved to have went for the 802's.

I think it is a little foolish to cut down a good line of speakers, very good, because you have found another "sound" you prefer, this is not directed to the original poster.

System matching to your speakers can be critical as well. Someone could have a great pair of speakers and not like them but it could be an issue with a mis-match with the amp, etc.

i have listend to a lot of b&w's; big and small. they are not my cup of tea. then again i like coffee. let your ears be the judge. listen to all of the dealers speakers at your price point. then go to a few other dealers and listen to them too. then home demo the 2 you like best and buy the pair you like best.

there is a lot of other stuff to comment about on speakers and you might want to post your system and budget for recommendations too. in the end you will do most of the listening....buy something you like.

I own the 805's and LM1's, have heard the n804, 803,802,801 and the 800's.The 800's are one of the elite group of great speakers. That said, if I went shopping with a big budget, I'd pop for the Avalon Eidelon's. Both brands convey the emotion of the performers. The main difference to me is that B&W focuses on maintaining the most solid center image possible, while Avalon gives a much wider soundstage. The 800's might have the edge in the bass region, but then I haven't heard the Eidelon Diamonds yet, so that may not be a factor. Sometimes people just want a change, kind of like getting a Jaguar after 8 years of driving Mercedes. The Audio Physic Avanti III is impressive also.

I don't know the figure now, but, a few years ago 80% of all classical music was mastered on B&W speakers. Therefore, all else being somewhat equal, the B&W's will generally sound closer to what the engineer heard than with other speakers.
Of course, this is only important if you are REALLY trying to reproduce live music in your sound room. Many audiophiles are more interested in other aspects of stereo, whether they admit it or not.
Like many of us, I have been involved in the pursuit of perfection for many (~40) years. B&W is my choice. The only other system that I have heard that got it right was the big Cello system with the $25K equilizer. Since the Cello system cost about $200K, it was out of my price range.

Richard