I own and have owned many B&W speakers, including D, D2, D3, in-wall, and in-ceiling. I am very pleased with the value and flexibility they offer. That said, I find that they are very good for mixed duty (music, movies, tv, and multiroom).
As far as two-channel setups I have had the 803D, 804D2, and 805D3. With each pair my observations have been similar. They look great, sound great, and seem well built. However, I found that I couldn't listen to them for long sessions due to fatigue; regardless of the gear that was behind them.
I recently built a pair of 3-way actives using RAAL, Accuton, and SBA. I did a side-by-side using the 805D3. Both were running on a Classe amp in an acoustically treated listening room. The results weren't even close. To my ears (and others') the RAAL/Accuton build out-performed the D3s in every respect, particularly the mids and highs. The D3s look better, but ultimately got demoted to the living room.
After a short time my wife and I agreed that although we liked the D3s we would try the 705S2s in the living room using Rotel amplification. We were blown away with the listenability of the 7's. They sounded much fuller and more musical without the fatigue we experienced with the 8 series. We pretty much listen to them every day and have no intention of replacing them.
A few things I have found that all of my B&Ws have in common are as follows. First, the higher the model; the longer the break-in period. I have been disappointed after unboxing and initial listening. After a few weeks I was pleasantly surprised. Second, toe-in is important. After endless positioning in several different rooms I have found that only a slight toe-in gives my ears the best result. Maybe 10-15% in from facing straight forward. YMMV.
