B&W 805D2 or Magico Q1?

there's no argument that the Q1 speakers are expensive, and lack the birch-ply and matching stands that the MINI's had, which i thought was really stunning.
OTOH there's nothing wrong with the clean lines of the newest monitor from Magico especially if it CLEARLY outperforms what has gone before. but i can't get past the thought that the new 805D2's are so well made. and at $5K a pair (stands are extra) these are not the economy model, and a number of reviewers are really in awe of what it does regardless of size and cost.
admittedly the last B&W's i personally auditioned relevant to this thread were the silver signatures, which threw amazing images and looked a lot cooler than my 801s3's. but i never auditioned a small speaker that cost anything near what the magico's are going for.
even if i did go back and review what the crossover is all about i still
am at a loss to understand (keeping an open mind) how the Q1's get out of the way to such an extent that they don't have any competition in that size category. but i don't (completely) rule out the possibility that they transcend the current standards for really excellent loudspeakers and enter into the "musical instrument" realm.

"i think i got it"--- like in the movie with rex harrison. these speakers are designed for "European" style apartments owned by millionaires who like to live 4 blocks from the opera house. they have Soulution amps and preamps, a hand-built turntable, and an equally exotic CDP. their wires are all (real) gold plated.
a picture out of a B&W advertisement with ultra-modern Italian furnishings complete the picture. this of course is no match for their country estate which has a great room- 40 x 60 x 25 in which the top Kharma speakers pump out enough sound to comfortably reproduce the sound of Boeing 747's on take-off.
no, i am NOT being cynical here, but in America if you have MONEY you can afford a MUCH larger room. except perhaps in Manhattan there is an apartment small enough to fill the bill not far from Lincoln Center...

?? Missioncoonery incorrectly describes the B&W speakers as ENTRY LEVEL. FACT- Professional Reviews of the B&W's strongly suggest they are world class. FACT-a lot of money and technology plus YEARS of product development by a company that makes "THE SNAILS" amongst other amazing SOTA designs deserve anyone's respect whether or not they would prefer a different speaker for their own system.
there is EVERY REASON to compare these two loudspeakers. (and what about the latest mini monitors from Sonus Faber?- costly but not anything like the Magico's). the thread makes sense in that if someone listened to both speakers i would welcome their impressions. this is not "a fight" but an attempt to evaluate, nothing more, nothing less. if i learn something NEW here instead of generating derogatory comments then we all benefit. if i personally went to some recent audio shows and auditioned these (or even similar) speakers i would only be too happy to offer my observations.
i like small speakers that do a lot as do many people. high definition in a small package is a lofty goal (as opposed to a large speaker that is poorly put together but plays Black Sabbath albums that shake the walls).
all i am saying is, even IF you're real fussy about quality, you're not going to get Beethoven #9 to spill out of a 6 or 7 inch driver. so i feel it DOES MAKE SENSE to set some reasonable parameters when considering a certain class of product.

THIS FORUM is intended to foster intelligent discussion, but IF you LUV making cynical remarks instead perhaps you should find a dumb-retort discussion group that would better serve your purposes...

Dear Difficult M-coonery,
i asked for opinions regarding how both speaker systems sounded being that both absolutely represent the high end. the B&W's in no way are "SUBARU'S"; THEY are perhaps better described as Audi's (vs Bentley's). with your eyes closed you might be able to tell the difference riding in the back, but perhaps not.
but since you NOW tell us that you DID get to compare BOTH speakers, and under almost ideal conditions. so what have we learned so far from your contributions to this thread? other than your "how can you compare a very expensive speaker to a less-expensive (actually you stated an "entry-level") speaker i am no better informed now than i was before.
the POINT i was trying to make is that both speakers are very, very good, and both could be expected to play music with excellent results. i am not a LOVER of B&W or MAGICO; i don't have a preference. but with the refinement that B&W has attained over a LOT of years of tweaking their designs, and the perfectionist philosophy of Magico's designer (as well as D.Wilson, Kharma, S.Faber, Focal, MBL, Burmeister, you get the point yet?) what is the practical as well as the aesthetic result SEPARATE FROM the MSRP? let us assume you don't KNOW which speaker costs more, as well as how much more- what would several music lovers conclude from a comparison of the two?
if one is clearly better every time, how MUCH better an improvement does it represent?
i don't know any other way of trying to OPEN UP a discussion amongst real folks (and not just what i read in a magazine) in finding out more about a subject which has piqued my curiosity for some time now. but if i am annoying or offending the very person(s) who might actually provide some answers then i guess i'll just shut-up and "be done with it".
BTW, Great Forum- keep up the good work guys...

I LIKE B&W SPEAKERS. my 801's (as well as the 802's) were amazingly good in their day (and can still be modified and improved). i heard the Nautilus snails at a Stereophile show and was very impressed (although the presentation was very brief). but they were pretty special (and still are). the silver signatures were some of the best monitor speakers i ever heard. i couldn't get too excited when the Nautilus line came out (1st generation) but i never got to hear the diamond V1 or now the V2's, but i have heard good things about them from people who have no economic interest in telling me they were very good. the build quality has never been an issue either- the cabinetry is as smooth as a babies' "ear".
if you "detest" them, you have an agenda.
i would love to audition the Magico's someday. but they will have to be
full range to be worth spending money on.

i forgot to mention the time i auditioned the Matrix-800 speakers. not only did they sound like a million bucks, they looked like a truly exotic best-we-know-how-to-make reference. they didn't sound as good as the $100K Wilson WAMM system on the other side of the room, but they still possessed many of the same qualities- only on a smaller scale. if you could afford the kind of gear and wire to get the most out of them (and a good-sized listening space) you could have an amazing experience every night for many years to come.
strange how a lot of super-speakers today bear a similar design to the Matrix-800's. maybe B&W should think about revisiting that approach with their newest drivers. that might make a bunch of folks want to hear them BEFORE making any final decisions about making a purchase. the "snails" are gorgeous speakers but probably very expensive to manufacture. (OTOH i would love to hear the present incarnation under better circumstances.)

some people want to do battle and others like to talk about their experiences with stereo equipment and recordings they like to listen to, or concerts they enjoyed attending. for those more interested in mortal combat i suggest karate lessons;
for those who had a great time at a store or someone's home listening to music
i would love to hear what you experienced. most if not all of this equipment is (ridiculously) expensive, but it can also take you much closer to what you heard when the performance was live.
that magical experience should not be downgraded by anyone even if they're
experts at speaker/component/wire design. SHARE information, don't beat me down over it. Over and Out.

Mr. EELLII08- i was merely speculating about a tower-style system (like the MM3's by evolution acoustics for ex.) with B&W drivers, perhaps even 2 x 12" woofers
instead of 10's, perhaps even self-powered, etc. that would be one heck of a cool project for them to try. they certainly have the facilities and the expertise to make speakers that can throw a really large image into a good-sized room. AND the price could probably be "a little" more reasonable than Kharma or Magico, Wilson, etc.
Even so, i do believe the 805D2 speakers, while also not inexpensive, can make a lot happen on the other end of the size/cost spectrum.
look, once upon a time i had a pair of used ADS L-15/90-II speakers ($1200!) with two 10" woofers, a mid and a tweeter/side that sounded really terrific.
and the beat goes on....
P.S.- Mr. Usermanual, no problem, just recovering from the attacks further up the list
of comments regarding the degree of difference between the Magico Q1's and the B&W 805's.