B&W 805D2 or Magico Q1?

The difference between a Subaru Forester (a great car, BTW) and an BMW X-3 can best be appreciated by driving them both. What more can one do with 4 wheels and a motor?
To me, the difference in the driving experience was well worth the extra money, but I'm sure there are people out there who would not have noticed the difference. In that case, it would be silly to purchase the more expensive vehicle. Same with audio. I like the small B&Ws very much, but I have heard the Q1s and I think they are that much better. Unfortunately, I can't afford them, so I have to settle for the Subaru. That's life.

Missioncoonery, Since you got to listen to both in the same dealer on the same day your observations may be more relevent. Was the comparison in the same room with the same gear?

I own the Magico Mini II. Though I haven't heard the Q1 yet, I've read it is even
better. Less cabinet noise, more extended high and low. I listened to a few
speakers, both full range and more limited, and given my room and appreciation
for what these Minis do, I decided it was worth the cost. They are remarkable
sounding.

I've heard some of the larger B&Ws, but not the 805D2. I prefer the coherence,
clarity, neutrality and naturalness of the Magicos. The bass, too, is quite
outstanding, if not the most extended. Though the bass of my Minis does sound
deeper, and more natural than the bass of the larger B&Ws that I've heard.

IMO, with the Magicos, one is paying for very good, inert cabinets, proprietary
driver and crossover technology, lots of R&D and lots of marketing. I love the
sound, but clearly, it's not for everyone. And the question of value is extremely
subjective.

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...

Well, at least you've learned there's very little of value here. Most people take a long time to figure that out.