Can B&W Seres 80 802 Sound This Good?

I just picked up a pair of Series 80 802's on a whim from Ebay, out of curiosity, and I am stunned at how good they sound. I am a speaker nut, and I have owned dozens of speakers including several ProAc, Audio Physic Virgo II, Merlin VSM Millenium, Dunlavy SC-IVa, Maggie 3.6, and most recently Vienna Acoustics Mahlers. The Mahlers are fantastic and were my favorite, but I am shocked to find the this old pair of 802 is in the same league sonically. They sound very different from the Mahlers, but the 802's excel in a number of areas. Image specificity not only in left to right, but front to back is fantastic. Vocal recordings where the singer is center stage appear as a forward image ahead and above the speaker in a scary in the room way that I've never experienced before. The bass, which I have often heard criticism of with 802's is as good as I've heard in my room; very tight and deep. The series 802 is not ported like the newer versions so I don't know if this is the reason. They play very loudly without strain and or harshness.

My 802's came with sound anchors, but without a bottom cover over the crossovers. I don't know if this means the crossovers have been modified. I have listened to them with a an Audio Research VT200 amp and a pair of Odyssey Stratos monoblocks with the Plitron reference upgrade. This is the first time I have actually preferred the sound of the solid state amp. Very clean and transparent.

Am I losing my critical ear?