If you like the sound of the B&W 801, but don't have the money, go for the 802's. They sound similar, although with less extension in the low end (but more then enough for me though). Just make sure you listen with your own gear, because the speakers must work well with your amp. If that's not possible, make sure your dealer offers some kind of money-back guarantee. As for buying speakers last: no, the best thing is to buy everything in one time, but if finances don't allow that, it doesn't really matter what you buy first. Otherwise upgrading would be impossible... The most important thing is to listen. If you like what you hear, buy it. You must listen to it, you pay for it, so you should be happy.
need advise on speaker buying
i am investing in a good sounding system for music i have a home theater system already . i have all the equiptment for my audio system except for the speakers. i have listened to the b&w 801's for hours and i love the way they sound when the are cranked up i have not listened to the 802 i here alot of talk about all these other speakers like hale, wilson, tannoy ect. are the 802 as good as the 801s? i have not heard them yet! i will be biamping the speakers with classe amps. please help are there any othere speakers which are not as pricey as the 801 which have the sound staging, imaging and texture i am looking for. every high end audio store i go into they try to sell the 801's i live in new jersey so there is limited high end audio stores to listed to a good varity fo speakers.