I was a B&W dealer and had the earlier 801s, I had a pair of JBL 150As about the same time. I am puzzled at the question because the criticism of the B&Ws of this period was that they were too dull [I didn't think so] while the first word that comes into my mind when you mention JBL is BRIGHT. They were intentionally designed with a mid range peak for years to sound impressive in the showroom , "hear that trumpet come right out into the room". Put a big SS amp on the 801s and they will give you a BIG sound and a lot of bass, in a completely different league than the JBL.
B&W 801 Matrix or JBL L150
I know Matrix is a much more expencive, Hi-End kind of speaker but still I'm allready used to kick ass huge sound of JBL driven by Mac 6900. I'm thinking about getting myself a McIntosh MC2500 amp and possibly a replacing JBL with 801 Matrix. How do they compare? I'm sure B&W will be cleaner but I'm afraid of it's brightness (not that the highs on JBL are anything special, but they are pretty comfortable with the right system). Will it give the same HUGE sound and bass? Looks like it should but still...